hung on, and when Fagan charged from behind, knocked the cowboy off his feet and knelt upon him, Sudden, windless and spreadeagled on the ground, was helpless. A few moments sufficed to secure his wrists, and he was permitted to stand up. Rodd also rose, feeling his neck anxiously. Finding it was not, as he had feared, dislocated, he stepped to the prisoner, fists clenched.
'You damned cow-thief,' he snarled. 'I'll--' A huge hand gripped his shoulder and dragged him back. 'None o' that,' Husky said gruffly. 'Time to hit a fella's when f his han's is free--like mine.' Bandy did not accept the invitation; he may have been familiar with the story of David and Goliath but apparently he had no desire to emulate it. He contented himself with a scowl.
'I'm obliged, Husky,' Sudden said. 'Mebbe yu can explain the meanin' o' this?'
'Lesurge wants to talk to yu--that's all I know.'
'Goin' to be rude an' is playin' safe, huh? Well, let's get it over.' He walked to where Paul, Snowy and the women were sitting, and the men followed. The prospector was looking uncomfortable.
'See here, Lesurge, what's the reason for yore scum jumpin' me?' the prisoner asked brusquely.
'My orders,' Paul said curtly. 'Where have you been?'
'Gettin' meat.'
'And after?'
'Give the li'l horse a run--he's needin' exercise.'
'That's a lie.' The puncher's eyes narrowed. 'Yu were certainly wise to tie me up,' he said.
'I've dealt with desperadoes before.'
'Yeah,' Sudden drawled, with a sardonic glance at the repellent faces around him.
Lesurge turned and darted a finger at the old man.
'Where's the real one, the one in a cup with cliff-walls, an overhanging rock, and a concealed entrance?' he thundered.
'That's the description you got from Mary, and you bring me here.' Snowy's face did not alter. 'Don't 'member any such place,' he mumbled vacantly.
'Yet you can remember this one,' Paul sneered.
'Shore, there's the ol' shack--' An oath cut him short. 'Damnation! I want the truth,' Lesurge grated. 'If I tie you to a tree and let my men use their quirts it may quicken your memory.' Mary Ducane interposed. 'Paul, you are speaking to my uncle. If he has forgotten He waved her to silence. 'There are thlngs you do not know; he is plotting to rob you.'
'Are yu accusin' Ducane of tryin' to steal his own property?' the puncher sarcastically questioned.
'He has no shadow of right to the mine,' Paul said sternly. 'He is not Philip Ducane, but a drunken old bum I picked up in Wayside.' He turned to Mary. 'Listen, my dear. When I heard your story, I searched the settlement and failed to find your uncle. It seemed probable that he had died, and I conceived the idea of saving you disappointment and putting you in possession of his wealth by providing a substitute. This old scamp seemed harmless and he agreed readily enough to the imposture. But for his impudent attempt to get all instead of the share I promised him, matters would have gone smoothly, and I should then have explained the whole affair. No doubt I was wrong to deceive you, but it was for your sake.' The girl stood up, her face pale in the firelight. 'I am ready to believe that,' she said with quiet dignity, 'but even if this man is not my uncle, I have grown to care for him as such and he must not be harmed.' Though this unlooked-for attitude filled him with fury, there was a decision in her tone which warned Paul he must tread warily.
'Good for yu, Miss Ducane,' Sudden said. 'Thrashin' Snowy won't get yu no place, Lesurge; he can't tell what he don't know. I'm the jigger yu gotta make terms with.'
'Terms, with you?' Lesurge flamed. 'Put a pistol to his head and pull the trigger unless he tells.' The threatened man laughed aloud. 'Killin' the goose, huh? Well, go ahead, Hank; yu tried that bluff once before, didn't yu?' He saw Lora's start of surprise, and continued. 'Yeah, the same of Hank, Miss Lesurge; the skunk who kept yu tied in the hills that time.'
'I didn't know it was the same man, Lora,' Paul excused, but the lie was obvious.
'The same Hank who borrowed my clothes an' rode a black hoss so that he could slit the throats o' lonely miners for their dust,' the cold voice went on.
'Close yore trap, you,' Hank growled, pressing the pistol-barrel against his ear. Someone else in the gathering muttered a deep curse; it was Husky.
'An' now, lemme tell yu somethin', Miss Ducane,' Sudden went on. 'If Snowy wanted the mine--an' he did--it was for yu.' I am sure of it,' she replied, with a glance of affection at the bowed figure by the fire.
'But Lesurge wanted it for himself. Why was he waitin' in Wayside? For the fella who came with yu, Fagan, his dawg, an' before speakin' to him, he gloms on to yu. Ain't it plain he knew about yu an' was makin' his plans even then? In Deadwood he tries to get Gerry Mason strung up, an' pays Logan to put me outa the way. Them plays don't pan out just right so he goes to work different, bribes me to rob the treasure coach, an' in case I need help, sends rats like Hank an' Lem to give a hand. They falls down on it--some of 'em so hard they never gets up again-- an' Paul's last hope is yore gold-mine.'
'I don't believe a word of it,' Mary said indignantly.
'I didn't suppose yu would but yu will,' Sudden said. 'Yo're the sort to think the best as long as yu can.'
'Thank you, Mary,' Lesurge smiled. 'I let him go on because I knew I could depend on you.'
'If yo're gettin' tired holdin' that gun yu can put it away, Hank, it won't be needed,' the prisoner said confidently. 'Yore boss is up a tree; the best he can do is to slink back into Deadwood with his tail tucked tight into his hindquarters.' The careless contempt fanned Paul's fury to a white heat but he fought it down; his greed was stronger still. His voice shook when he spoke: 'You think so, eh? Well, listen: if at sunrise you do not tell what I want to know, I shall give these men permission to deal with you as they please; we can find the mine without you.'
'With this gang o' cut-throats?' the cowboy jeered. 'Why I could lose 'em fifty yards out in the brush; a s'loon or a gaol is the on'y places they're at home in.'
'Throw him in the shack and put a guard on the door,' Paul ordered, and with a savage desire to hurt, added, 'And shoot that black horse.' Sudden's lips clamped like a vice, but before he could speak Lora was on her feet.
'No,' she cried vehemently. 'That horse is mine if ...' The men looked at their leader and received a sullen nod of assent; Paul had a difficult explanation to make and this might help. The prisoner breathed a sigh of relief; at this moment he almost loved the woman who had saved his four-footed friend. As they slammed the door of the shack upon him, he had a last defiant word:'Don't oversleep, Hank, you might miss somethin'.'
'What I'm hopin' is that you don't spill the beans,' was the sinister retort.
Seated on an upturned box, Sudden listened to the steady tramp of the sentinel outside, walking to and fro, for the night was chilly. His mind was concerned with one thought only--he must get away. The reckless attempt to open Mary Ducane's eyes had been of no avail; she had already spoken, and the location of the real mine could only be a matter of time.
He tested his bonds, and was thankful they were not the work of cattlemen. Sudden grinned in the darkness; manipulation and the possible loss of some skin would free his hands. The problem of leaving did not trouble him; his upbringing had made observation a habit, and on first seeing the shack he had noticed that two of the back logs were rotten. But he must wait until the camp was quiet. Half an hour passed and someone spoke outside;
'Don't be a fool, Fagan. My brother thinks I can persuade him. Open the door, and keep away from it, or ...' He heard the squat man's grumbling reply, and then came a blur of light as Lora Lesurge entered.
'You can leave the lantern,' she said sharply.
When he had gone she turned to the prisoner. 'Jim, this is your last chance. Unless you give in, Paul will keep his promise to the men--and they hate you. As I passed I heard the beasts discussing what they will do.'
'Ain't tryin' to scare me, are yu?'
'No, but what possessed you to attack my brother like that?'
'I figured it was time someone told him the truth, an' I might not get another opportunity.'
'It was madness,' she said. 'He'll never forgive you, unless
'No `unless' about it,' Sudden broke in. 'To back down now would be my finish, an' yu know it. If he sent yu ...'
'It was my idea. I feared it would be useless, but I had to see you,' she replied. A note of passion crept into
