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The Kid's task was only half completed. His liberty was still precarious. He had yet to escape. He had reason to believe he was in greater danger than he was; he had no inkling of the state of mind of the townspeople. For all he knew they might be arming and organizing to surround and kill him. But the grave possibilities of his situation did not weigh upon him. His plan was definite and he set about working it out patiently, systematically, without excitement and without hurry. He went first to the armoury where he armed himself with two six-shooters and a Winchester rifle. With cool indifference to the lapse of time, he loaded the chambers of the revolvers and charged the magazine of the rifle with cartridges. He selected two cartridge belts and filled the loops of one with revolver cartridges and the loops of the other with Winchester bullets. This was slow work. Then he went down the back stairs, stopping at the bend to examine for a moment critically the bloodstained hole in the wall bored by the bullet that had passed through Bell's heart. At the bottom of the stairway he stepped carefully over Bell's body, which lay in the door, and walked out into the courtyard at the rear of the building.

Old Man Goss, the cook, had locked himself in the jail kitchen. The Kid rapped at the door. Shaking with fear, the old man opened it.

"Don't be scared, Goss," said the Kid. "Any man who can cook ham and eggs like you is safe with me. Get an axe and chop the chain of these leg irons in two."

Goss brought an axe from the wood pile.

"Don't make any mis-strokes," cautioned Billy, swinging a six-shooter carelessly close to Goss's head.

With a few vigorous strokes, Goss broke the chain. The Kid tied pieces of twine to the two shattered ends