'You gotta hurry, there ain't a second to lose,' Snowy urged.
Just as they reached the outskirts of the crowd, Wild Billstrode up. The gunman's usually placid face was set and stern. 'Make way, friends,' he said quietly.
The outer fringe of the gathering consisted largely of men who, not being miners, were merely there out of curiosity, and when they saw from whom the request came, they made way readily enough. Paul and his companions followed on Hickok's heels. As they neared the wagon, progress became more difficult. Lowering looks on all sides greeted them, and then came a flat refusal.
'If yo're gamblin' on a rescue, Bill, you'll lose out,' growled a beetle-browed miner, one of several barring their path. 'If you ain't, well, they'll be jerkin' him up in two-three minutes an' you'll git as good a view as the rest of us.'
'I never ask twice,' Hickok said.
He made no hostile movement, the ivory-handled guns remained in their holsters, his voice was not raised, but the threat was there, and they knew well enough it was no empty one; he would shoot them down; the rest of the mob could overwhelm and tear him to bits, but that would not put the breath back into their bodies. Sullenly they pressed aside, permitting the gunman and those with him to reach the wagon.
Sudden, standing under the upraised pole, with the noose already round his neck, was waiting for the word which would for him spell the beginning of eternity. His hard young face was devoid of expression save for the eyes, scornful and defiant, staring fixedly at the man who would give the fatal sign. This was Husky, and he had begun to raise a hand when Hickok sprang on to the wagon. But at the sight of the pistol-barrel nudging the new-corner's hip and pointing directly to himself, the miner's arm dropped nervelessly. A savage howl of protest greeted the gunman's intervention, to die away in low, angry muttering when Husky spoke:
'See here, Bill, when was you app'inted marshal o' Deadwood?'
'About the same time yu were made hangman,' Hickok retorted. 'Take that rope off; yu've got the wrong fella.' Husky looked uneasy. 'Can you prove it?' he asked.
'Yes, an' if I couldn't yu'd do what I say or die before he did,' Wild Bill snapped.
'Yo're takin' a high hand,' the miner grumbled. 'There's others have a say in this.' He raised his voice. 'Am I to turn him loose, boys?' A babel of expostulation followed the question. 'Turn him off, not loose,' one wit shouted, and the phrase was taken up and repeated. Mingled with it were invitations to Hickok to mind his own business, and to try a warmer climate. 'Go ahead, Husky; we're behind you,' others cried.
Erect on the wagon, the object of this outburst listened with an expression of cold contempt. At the last piece of encouragement, however, a wisp of a smile broke the straight lines of his lips. He knew that was Husky's trouble; had he been behind he would have shouted as boldly as the best, but stopping the first bullet was something different.
'Yo're a plucky lot, ain't yu?' he said. 'Hundreds of yu to hang a man without givin' him a chance to speak.'
'That ain't so--he's said his piece,' Husky corrected. 'Claims he was carried off by a gang an' held in the hills somewheres. Sounds likely, don't it?' Lora Lesurge stepped to Hickok's side. 'It may not sound likely, sir, but it happens to be true,' she said, in a clear, reaching voice. 'As many of you know, I too have been `lost' for some days. I was set upon, half-throttled, and carried off by a man attired as a cowboy mounted on a black pony. He took me to a kind of camp, where I found Mister Green, bound hand and foot, when I arrived. He did not leave until we got away.'
'How fur is thisyer camp, an' where?' Husky asked, with an air of disbelief.
'I have no idea,' she replied. 'It took us a day to get back to Deadwood, but we started in the dark, and did not know the direction. Also, it was rough country and I fear I am a poor walker.'
'You were with Green allatime?' a voice inquired sneeringly.
'I have said so,' she returned, her face white and cold as marble. 'Mister Green told me they had taken his hat, chaps and guns. He could not understand why, but it is clear enough now.' Husky scratched his head. 'He's wearin' 'em,' he said, and she had to explain how Sudden had regained his property.
The sneering voice from the middle of the throng spoke again.
'Oh, she's got it all pat, or-timer. I told you his friends would lie him out of it.' Wild Bill's narrow eyes swept the gathering. 'Who said that?' he thundered. 'Let him step forward; I'd like to see him.' There was no response; evidently the speaker had no desire to gratify the gunman's curiosity. Wild Bill looked at Husky. 'Well?' he said impatiently.
The miner made a last effort. 'Why didn't you tell us 'bout Miss Lesurge?' he asked the prisoner.
'Why the devil should I?' the puncher retorted. 'It was none o' yore business.' The man grimaced. 'I'm allowin' it was yore neck,' he said. 'An' yu wouldn't have listened either,' Sudden told him. 'Yu ain't believin' it now.'
'He'd better,' Hickok exploded. 'Husky, do I have to tell yu again to set Green free?' The man removed the rope. 'I guess we'll hold him till we search out that camp,' he said.
Wild Bill boiled over. 'I--guess--yu--will--not,' he grated. 'Cut those bonds an' be damned quick about it.' He drew himself up and surveyed the swarm of upturned, sullen faces. 'Is there anyone here who wants to call this lady a liar?' he demanded. Silence followed the challenge, and he turned sardonically to the miner. 'Yu 'pear to be the on'y one,' he said. 'Now, get this; Green won't run away; if he does, yu can swing me in his stead.' There was a laugh at this. With the mercurial quality of a mob, many of those present now believed in the innocence of the accused. Hickok's reputation as straight was generally conceded, Paul Lesurge was a figure in the town, and the Westerner--rough as he might he--was usually chivalrous to any women.
Without waiting for a reply, the gunman jumped lightly from the vehicle and stretching up his long arms, swung the lady to the ground, and bowed to her, hat in hand.
'I compliment yu on yore courage, ma'am,' he said.
'Coming from you I must even believe it, sir,' she smiled, and turned to greet the cowboy, her face grave again.
'I don't know whether to thank or scold you,' she began. 'By good fortune we came in time--it would have been a horrible memory ... Why didn't you tell them about me?'
'It wouldn't have helped,' he told her. 'Things looked bad; friend Hank had it figured pretty neat.' Lesurge joined them. 'Green, I owe you a great deal for getting my sister out of that mess,' he said, but there was no cordiality in his tone.
'I was gettin' myself out,' the cowboy replied, 'an' Miss Lesurge has more'n evened the score.' The lady shook her head. 'My part was easy.' At this moment Gerry appeared, with Rogers and his partners, all carrying rifles. The young man whooped when he saw his friend.
'Saw I couldn't do nothin' so I slipped away to round up the boys,' he explained. 'Hoped we'd be in time to try some-thin'.'
'I'm obliged,' Sudden said gravely. 'Thanks to Miss Lesurge an' Mister Hickok ...'
'She turned the trick,' the gunman cut in, with an admiring glance at Lora. 'I should have failed but for her testimony. All I did was to make 'em listen, an' I'm very glad yore friend Jacob routed me out.'
'I wondered where the of boy had gone,' Gerry remarked. 'He vanished when they collared yu.' Snowy sidled up to the puncher. 'I've heard how you wouldn't split about the mine, Jim,' he whispered. 'I'm not forgettin' that.'
'Yeah,' Sudden smiled, 'an' I rememberin' that if yu hadn't fetched Miss Lesurge my friends would now be tellin' each other what a good fella I was.' When Paul and his sister had gone, Hickok turned to the others and said, 'I don't use liquor much, but Bizet fixes a mint-julep that pleases even me. Let's irrigate.' The little Frenchman welcomed them with a broad smile, but wagged a finger at Sudden. 'My fren', fortune she is fickle; one time she will fail you.'
'I've been sayin' the same, Bizet,' Wild Bill said. 'He's playin' his luck too hard.' And to the cowboy, 'Yu remember what I told yu?'
'Yu said for me to keep clear o' the women,' Sudden grinned. 'An' a woman has saved me.' The big man laughed. 'That's a score to yu, but I'm repeatin' the advice,' he said. 'Someone is after yore ha'r; who is it?'
'Yu can search me,' the cowboy replied.
In truth, he was puzzled. Paul Lesurge was antagonistic, he knew, and might have contrived the kidnapping in order to steal the mine from under Snowy's nose, but his men would not have touched Lora. The faintly familiar
