Perhaps he was mistaken as to the purpose of those fellows; they may have desired merely to know when he left, or Scott's return just at that moment might have been an accident.
To be sure, the hotel possessed a back exit, but he could not cover both ends of the building, and must take his chances.

It was too wet and disagreeable to remain crouched there, now that it was evident there was no intention of following him.

With hand on the butt of his gun, suspicious and watchful, yet with scarcely a faster beat to his heart, Keith straightened up, and began splashing his way through the mud down the street.

He knew where Willoughby would be most likely found at this hour--with cronies at the "Tenderfoot"-- and he meant to discover the boy, and make him confess to Hope the truth.

Matters had now reached a point where longer delay was dangerous.
Sheridan was seemingly dead, the long street silent, gloomy, black, except for those streams of saloon light shining across pools of water.
He stumbled over the irregular ground, occasionally striking patches of wooden sidewalk or a strip of cinders.