to onst, away down the trail, I heard a burst of shots, and what sounded like hosses running. Then everything was still again, and I quick ducked into the cave, and struck a match.
They was a narrer entrance that broadened out after a few feet, and the cave run straight like a tunnel for maybe thirty steps, about fifteen foot wide, and then it made a bend. After that it widened out and got purty big-- about fifty feet wide, and I couldn't tell how far back into the mountain it run. To the left the wall was very broken and notched with ledges, mighty nigh like stair-steps, and when the match went out, away up above me I seen some stars which meant that they was a cleft in the wall or roof away up on the mountain somewheres.
Before the match went out, I seen a lot of junk over in a corner covered up with a tarpaulin, and when I was fixing to strike another match I heard men coming up the trail outside. So I quick clumb up the broken wall and laid on a ledge about ten feet up and listened.
From the sounds as they arriv at the cave mouth, I knowed it was two men on foot, running hard and panting loud. They rushed into the cave and made the turn, and I heard 'em fumbling around. Then a light flared up and I seen a lantern being lit and hung up on a spur of rock.
In the light I seen them two murderers, Bill and Jim, and they looked plumb dilapidated. Bill didn't have no shirt on and the other'n was wearing jest one boot and limped. Bill didn't have no gun in his belt neither, and both was mauled and bruised, and scratched, too, like they'd been running through briars.
'Look here,' said Jim, holding his head which had a welt on it which was likely made by my fist. 'I ain't sartain in my mind as to jest what all has happened. Somebody must of hit me with a club some time tonight, and things is happened too fast for my addled wits. Seems like we been fightin' and runnin' all night. Listen, was we settin' in the wagon-yard shack talkin' peaceable, and did a grizzly b'ar bust through the wall and nigh slaughter us?'
'That's plumb correct,' said Bill. 'Only it warn't no b'ar. It was some kind of a human critter--maybe a escaped maneyack. We ought to of stopped for hosses--'
'I warn't thinkin' 'bout no hosses,' broke in Jim. 'When I found myself outside that shack my only thought was to kiver ground, and I done my best, considerin' that I'd lost a boot, and that critter had nigh onhinged my hind laig. I'd lost you in the dark, so I made for the cave knowin' you'd come there eventual, if you was still alive, and it seemed like I was forever gittin' through the woods, crippled like I was. I hadn't no more'n hit the path when you come up it on the run.'
'Well,' says Bill, 'as I went over the wagon-yard wall a lot of people come whoopin' through the gate, and I thought they was after us, but it must of been the feller we fit, because as I run I seen him layin' into 'em right and left. After I'd got over my panic, I went back after our hosses, but I run right into a gang of men on hossback, and one of 'em was that derned feller which passed hisself off as a cowboy. I didn't need no more. I taken out through the woods as hard as I could pelt, and they hollered, 'There he goes!' and hot-foot after me.'
'And was them the fellers I shot at back down the trail?' ast Jim.
'Yeah,' says Bill. 'I thought I'd shooken 'em off, but jest as I seen you on the path, I heard hosses comin' behind us, so I hollered to let 'em have it, and you did.'
'Well, I didn't know who it was,' said Jim. 'I tell you, my head's buzzin' like a circle-saw.'
'Well,' said Bill, 'we stopped 'em and scattered 'em. I dunno if you hit anybody in the dark, but they'll be mighty keerful about comin' up the trail. Let's clear out.'
'On foot?' says Jim. 'And me with jest one boot?'
'How else?' says Bill. 'We'll have to hoof it till we can steal us some cayuses. We'll have to leave all this stuff here. We don't dare go back to Grizzly Claw after our hosses. I told that derned cowboy would do to watch. He ain't no cowpoke at all. He's a blame detective.'
'What's that?' broke in Jim.
'Hosses' hoofs!' exclaimed Bill, turning pale. 'Here, blow out that lantern! We'll climb the ledges and git out through the cleft, and take out over the mountain whar they cain't foller with hosses, and then--'
It was at that instant that I launched myself offa the ledge on top of 'em. I landed with all my two hundred and ninety pounds square on jim's shoulders and when he hit the ground under me he kind of spread out like a toad when you tromp on him. Bill give a scream of astonishment and tore off a hunk of rock about the size of a man's head and lammed me over the ear with it as I riz. This irritated me, so I taken him by the neck, and also taken away a knife which he was trying to hamstring me with, and begun sweeping the floor with his carcass.
Presently I paused and kneeling on him, I strangled him till his tongue lolled out, whilst hammering his head fervently agen the rocky floor.
'You murderin' devil!' I gritted betwixt my teeth. 'Before I varnishes this here rock with yore brains, tell me why you taken my Uncle jeppard's sculp!'
'Let up!' he gurgled, being purple in the face where he warn't bloody. 'They was a dude travellin' through the country and collectin' souvenirs, and he heard about that sculp and wanted it. He hired me to go git it for him.'
I was so shocked at that cold-bloodedness that I forgot what I was doing and choked Bill nigh to death before I remembered to ease up on him.
'Who was he?' I demanded. 'Who is the skunk which hires old men murdered so's he can colleck their sculps? My God, these Eastern dudes is wuss'n Apaches! Hurry up and tell me, so I can finish killin' you.'
But he was unconscious; I'd squoze his neck too hard. I riz up and looked around for some water or whisky or something to bring him to so he could tell who hired him to sculp Uncle Jeppard, before I twisted his head off, which was my earnest intention of doing, when somebody said: 'Han's up!'
I whirled and there at the crook of the cave stood that there cowboy which had spied on me in Grizzly Claw, and ten other men. They all had their Winchesters p'inted at me, and the cowboy had a star on his buzum.
'Don't move!' he said. 'I'm a Federal detective, and I'm arrestin' you for manufactorin' counterfeit money!'
'What you mean?' I snarled, backing up to the wall.
'You know,' he said, kicking the tarpaulin off the junk in the corner. 'Look here, men! All the stamps and dyes he used to make phoney coins and bills! All packed up, ready to light out. I been hangin' around Grizzly Claw for days, knowin' that whoever was passin' this stuff made his, or their headquarters here somewheres. Today I spotted that dollar you give the barkeep, and I went pronto for my men which was camped back in the hills a few miles. I thought you was settled in the wagon-yard for the night, but it seems you give us the slip. Put the cuffs on him, men!'
'No, you don't!' I snarled, bounding back. 'Not till I've finished these devils on the floor--and maybe not then! I dunno what yo're talkin' about, but--'
'Here's a couple of corpses!' hollered one of the men. 'He's kilt a couple of fellers!'
One of them stooped over Bill, but he had recovered his senses, and now he riz up on his elbows and give a howl. 'Save me!' he bellered. 'I confesses! I'm a counterfeiter, and so is Jim there on the floor! We surrenders, and you got to pertect us!'
'Yo're the counterfeiters?' ejaculated the detective, took aback as it were. 'Why, I was follerin' this giant! I seen him pass fake money myself. We got to the wagon-yard awhile after he'd run off, but we seen him duck in the woods not far from there, and we been chasin' him. He shot at us down the trail while ago--'
'That was us,' said Bill. 'It was me you was chasin'. If he was passin' fake stuff, he musta found it somewheres. I tell you, we're the men you're after, and you got to pertect us! I demands to be put in the strongest jail in this state, which even this here devil cain't bust into!'
'And he ain't no counterfeiter?' said the detective.
'He ain't nothin' but a man-eater,' said Bill. 'Arrest us and take us outa his rech.'
'No!' I roared, clean beside myself. 'They belongs to me! They sculped my uncle! Give 'em knives or guns or somethin', and let us fight it out.'
'Cain't do that,' said the detective. 'They're Federal prisoners. If you got any charge agen 'em, they'll have to be indicted in the proper form.'
His men hauled 'em up and handcuffed 'em and started to lead 'em out.
'Blast yore cussed souls!' I raved. 'You low-down, mangy, egg-suckin' coyotes! Does you mean to perteck a couple of dirty sculpers? I'll--'
I started for 'em and they all p'inted their Winchesters at me.
'Keep back!' said the detective. 'I'm grateful for you leadin' us into this den, and layin' out these criminals for us, but I don't hanker after no battle in a cave with a human grizzly like you.'
