money on deposit in the Pozo Verde bank. Addison had figured to do some forging and grab that money for himself, but now that Elmer is running the bank it will be safe until you want it.”
“But—but,” Katherine said, “it was stolen money Fletcher paid Father for the share in the Three-Cross.”
Lance shook his head. “No, it was Addison who accepted that stolen money from Fletcher. That’s Addison’s responsibility. The money credited to your father’s account, Katherine, is backed by the Pozo Verde bank.
The girl turned on Lance and spoke with pretended severity. “Lance, are you still here? I told you to go get some sleep.”
“Yes, Katy, my dear,” Lance said meekly, and left the room.
It was late afternoon when Lance awakened to find Oscar shaking his shoulder. “Sorry to spoil your snooze,” Oscar was saying, “but a Mex from Muletero just arrived with a note for you. He claims Fletcher made him bring it here. Maybe it’s important.”
Lance swung his feet off the bed and sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He took the sealed envelope and broke the flap. Inside was a single sheet of paper, written in lead pencil:
TOLLIVER:
FLETCHER.
Lance rose to his feet. “This,” he said grimly, “is the worst yet. Read this, Oscar. There’s hell to pay, and no pitch hot!”
XXIV “Fighting Is a Yaquente’s Life”
Oscar’s face blanched as he read the note. Lance said, “Fletcher’s mention of that feathered snake proves he’s seen Horatio, I reckon. Is the messenger who brought the note waiting for an answer now?”
Oscar shook his head. “He ducked out as soon as he delivered it. I reckon he didn’t want any part of either game and only came here on protest because he was afraid of Fletcher.”
Lance nodded. “Probably so. Oscar, while I’m getting dressed you go out and round up our crew. Show ’em the note. Bring ’em into the main room of the ranch house, and we’ll hold a council of war and see what’s to be done.”
Oscar said, “I’ll do that,” and hurried away.
When Lance entered the big room a few minutes later everybody was there waiting for him. All eyes turned his way as he came in, and he realized they were looking to him for leadership. His heart sunk a little at the thought. It was going to be difficult to decide the best course to pursue. All had seen Fletcher’s note by this time, and the seriousness of the situation was fully realized. Katherine was the first to speak when Lance entered.
She said, “At the start, Lance, I want it understood that I’m not to be treated as a woman. I can handle a gun and do my part. And there mustn’t be any talk of surrendering because of me.”
“Frankly,” Sheriff Lockwood said, “I think we’d be fools to surrender. We couldn’t trust to Fletcher’s word ——”
“Certainly not,” Jones put in. “The man’s a mad dog. We’ve got to fight. Our case may not be hopeless. There are”—he counted rapidly—“Lance and the sheriff and Oscar are three; Lanky, Tom Piper and Trunk-Strap makes six. Then there’s Hub, Cal Braun, Luke Homer and myself. That’s ten. And Katherine. I wonder how much of a force Fletcher will have? Himself, Ordway and Johnson. Jehovah only knows how many Yaquentes, though——”
“I wish there was some way we could get Miss Gregory away.” Oscar frowned, absent-mindedly crunching a lemon drop.
“I’ve been thinking of that.” Lance nodded moodily. “We might make some sort of deal with Fletcher ——”
“Lance,” Katherine protested, “I won’t hear of that. I’d sooner stay than trust myself to that beast.”
Lance nodded. “I think you’re right at that, Katherine, much as I hate to say it.”
“Do you reckon,” Lanky drawled, “that we could slip Miss Gregory away after sundown——?”
“Fiddlesticks!” Katherine snapped. “Don’t you suppose Fletcher will think of that and have men out watching for just such a move?”
The men in the room remained silent, realizing the girl spoke the truth. Katherine went on, “I’m staying here and fighting with you. That’s settled. The sooner you men realize that the sooner you can get down to business and prepare a defense for this house. We’ve only got until daylight, remember. It’s suppertime now. I’ll take over the cooking of food so Cal can help the rest of you. Just forget about me.”
Lance had to face the facts. He knew Katherine spoke the truth and that there was nothing else to do except as she pointed out. Reluctantly he conceded the point. “Right.” He nodded tersely, though his heart warmed to the girl’s courage. “It’s decided then that there’s to be no question of surrendering?”
“No-o-o!” the room roared collectively. “We fight!”
Lance smiled thinly and gave a sigh of relief. “Thank heaven you folks settled the question for me. I sure didn’t want that responsibility.” His manner stiffened. “All right, we fight. Get all the guns and ammunition together and see what we have.”
“By the way,” Lanky said, “when I was hunting a burlap sack to put that snake in I found a whole pile of sacks in that shed beyond the corral. Suppose we fill ’em with sand and stack ’em along the outside edge of the gallery. It would make a dang good shelter to fire from.”
“That’s an idea,” Lance said enthusiastically. “Lanky, you got a head on you. Get some picks and shovels, and we’ll get busy. The yard out in front of the house is sandy, gravelly stuff. Take it from there. Dig in the shape of a wide trench. We won’t have time to make it deep, but any obstruction should slow up the Fletcher gang when they come raiding. Maybe we’re not so bad off after all. The walls of this old house are fully two feet thick. We can do our fighting from the gallery; that will leave us the house to retreat to if things get tough. All the doors are stout, and we can bar them. We want to be sure and bring plenty of water into the house to night and stack our food where it will be handy. We might be in for considerable siege.”
It was dark now. Oil lamps were lighted. Katherine started to prepare supper. Blankets were hung at the windows around the house. Guards were set to be on the watch for the first hostile move. Lanterns were lighted, and the men toiled to fill sandbags which were placed in the form of a breastwork around the edge of the long gallery. By twos and threes they dropped in to eat the food and drink the coffee Katherine had prepared. They all worked like beavers to get ready for the coming fight. The professor proved he could work with the best of them. For the present he seemed to forget his beloved cactus.
By midnight practically all was done that could be done. The two wagons of the expedition, in addition to a couple of Mexican carretas that were found on the place, had been placed at strategic points about the house to furnish further barriers against the raiders. Lance had had the horses brought from the corral and tethered along the back of the house near the doors. Not that they’d help a great deal, but every possible obstacle against a charging army was considered good tactics.
By this time all but the guards Lance had posted were in the big main room of the house oiling guns and in other ways preparing for the fight. Back of the house the earth had been cleared for some distance. It was probably from the front the attack would come, Lance decided. Not more than seventy-five feet from the gallery grew thick brush and trees, except for the opening that pointed the road to Muletero. “And it’s a cinch,” Lance mused, “Fletcher won’t be fool enough to come riding along that road. No, he’ll have his Yaquentes scattered through the brush, I’m betting.”
Katherine was seated at a long table tearing into strips a bolt of cotton she had found in the house. She smiled at Lance.
Lance said, “Bandages?” The girl nodded. Lance forced a smile in return. He didn’t say anything. The door to
