Rangers and sovereignty Page: 116 of 188

                                
RANGERS AND SOVEREIGNTY.

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they rode two or three days behind them. The scout
pushed on up the Pecos several days, being on their
trail; most of their horses were beginning to fail, and
Sergeant Kimble left five of the men near Horsehead
crossing on the Pecos and took William Dunman with
him and followed on. About 150 miles up the Pecos,
they came to the Hashknife ranch, finding Billy Smith
there in charge, he giving them information that the
men had passed there with the horses, and finding
they had gained on them pretty well, they felt encouraged;
their horses were "done up". Billy Smith
rounded up three of the best horses on the ranch, and
went with them in pursuit, after traveling up the river
a long distance, they noticed that the trail had quit
the road. Thinking they had passed them, they turned
back down the road to pick up the trail; hadn't
traveled far, when they saw them coming to meet
them.   Sergeant Kimble thought that the parties
would know him, and he quickly planned the attack.
He was right, as they proved to be Jim and John
Potter, both knew Kimble well. Kimble told Dunman
and Billy Smith to slow up a little, and he would ride
more brisk, so as to cover the space between them, as
one of them was riding ahead of the horses, and the
other behind them, making about 50 yards between
them, and they could "come down" on them both at
once. Kimble pulled his hat down a-little, over his
face, and passed Jim Potter, and went on to John,
and "pulled down" on him, demanding his surrender.