One man was being helped through.
"Can't be a band of assassins, I allow?
More likely a lot of burglars trying to crack the crib." The Westerner was right in his guess.

These were not friends of Bill Gaston bent on assassination, but housebreakers, whose cupidity had been aroused by the fact, which had chanced to come to their knowledge, that a diamond brooch worth ten thousand dollars had recently been taken from the Lee residence.

A crib which held such valuables seemed to them a good one to rip open, and they had obtained information that Fairfax Lee was expected to be away from home that night.

They had found that most of the servants were out, too, and because of this it appeared safer to make the raid at an early hour, before the servants returned.
Badger stood in indecision in the shadows, wondering what course he ought to pursue.

Before he could make up his mind, the first burglar had disappeared, and a second was being helped through the window.