'Six, includin' myself; oughta be enough to swing a little herd like that.'
A reminder that an early start had to be made in the morning sent the guest back to the bunkhouse, his curiosity unsatisfied. 'Bloomin' clam,' he muttered disgustedly. 'But he's got an ace in the hole all right, I'll betcha.'
Soon after daybreak the drive started. Severn gave instructions that the cattle were to be permitted to go their own pace, being merely kept on the move; he did not want the beasts tired in case it should be necessary to push them hard towards the end of the journey. With such a small herd and an easy trail, he reckoned on reaching the XT during the afternoon. Mile after mile dropped behind them, and nearly half the distance was accomplished without incident.
A couple of miles from Skull Canyon Severn called a halt for rest and a meal. When the journey was resumed, the foreman, riding ahead, turned into a growth-cluttered gully almost at right angles to the trail they had been following. Gecvor, stationed on the left front of the herd, spurred across.
'Hey, boss, this ain't the way,' he cried. 'The trail to the XT goes right through Skull Canyon.'
'I know, but I reckon this is safer, Geevor,' the foreman replied, and did not fail to note that the shifty eyes fell before his own.
'Well, it's yore say-so, but this is one hell of a place to get cows through,' came the sullen retort.
'Yu think Skull Canyon would 'a' been easier, eh?' Severn asked meaningly.
The man muttered something about its being an open trail, and subsided. The next few miles justified his criticism, for the cattle had to be driven over ground bristling with natural obstacles. Dense undergrowth, thickets of young trees, streams, rocky ridges, and declivities all had to be overcome, and the riders had their work cut out to hold the herd together. They had got over the worst of it and emerged into an open, grassy stretch when two pistol shots rang out, and Severn turned to see Geevor staring stupidly at the smoking gun he was holding. Angrily he rode over.
'What's the big idea?' he asked. 'Tryin' to stampede the herd, huh?'
'Gun wasn't ridin' easy, so I pulled her out an' blame me ifshe don't go off,' the cowboy explained. 'Dunno how it happened.'
The foreman had to be content with the explanation, though he felt convinced that the shots had been purposely fired. Was the fellow in league with the bandits? It was more than likely and Severn gave the word for more speed. He kept a watchful eye on Geevcr, and presently noticed that the man's horse was limping.
'Hoss has gone lame; I'll have to catch yu up,' the rider said sullenly.
The foreman bit on an oath. 'Yu'll stay with us, Geevor,' he replied acidly. 'If yu keep yore toes outa his elbows the hoss'll soon get over his lameness.'
'I ain't--'
'Straight--T know it,' Severn cut in. 'When we get back to the Lazy M, yu can drift, but for now, yu stay with the herd.' The shifty eyes again wavered and dropped.
After about three miles, the detour they had taken brought them back to the trail again, and to the XT ranch without further difficulty. Then only did the foreman explain to his men his reason for the extra labour they had been put to.
'Mebbe it was a false alarm, boys, but I couldn't afford to take the chance,' he said. 'I'm shore obliged to yu for puttin' it through.'
Ridge, a bulky man of middle-age, with a broad, weather-worn face, rnet them outside an empty corral, looked over and counted the herd, and invited Severn to adjourn to the house, at the same time telling two of his men to make the visitors welcome.
The foreman had a last word. 'When yu boys have fed yore faces yu can start for home,' he said. 'I'll be follerin' later.' And to Larry, 'Come to the house an' tell me when yo're ready to go.'
The meal over, the two men adjourned to the 'parlour' to settle their business.
Severn was expressing his thanks when Larry came to say the men were about to start. He drew his foreman aside.
'I'm agoin' to stay an' ride back with yu,' he said. 'It ain't safe for yu to be projectin' about here on yore own.'
'Yu'll do as yo're dam well told an' go with the others,' the foreman replied. 'When I want dry-nursin', I'll let yu know. What time did Geevor go?'
'Who told yu? Well, it's a good guess, anyways,' said Larry. ''Bout half an hour back he slid out, an' we ain't seen him since.'
'Take care o' this--it's the money for the herd,' Severn went on, handing him a roll of bills.
The boy bestowed the cash in a pocket. 'Jim, it's a risk,' said soberly.
'Life's full of 'em,' Severn said lightly. 'Now run along, little man, an' keep yore mouth as near shut as yu can get it.' Larry's retort, heard only by his foreman, was neither respectful nor complimentary.
Less than an hour later, Severn also set out for the Lazy M. His chat with Ridge had cheered him, for it showed that Bartholomew's hold was not so complete as he had feared. Though he felt that the XT owner could be trusted, he did not tell him of the slaying of Ignacio, and the finding of Masters' rifle; he was playing in a risky game, and wanted to be sure of every step before he took it. Later on he had reason to wish he had been more confiding.
He took the trail by which they had brought the cattle, but this time he did not worry about detours, riding straight for Skull Canyon. He did not hurry, and it was dark when he reached the dismal defile. Suddenly two shadows slid from behind a great boulder on the edge of the trail, and he heard a hoarse command :
'Stick 'em up, pronto, an' climb off'n that bronc ! '
Peering through the gloom Severn could make out that two men, wearing white masks, had their pistols trained on him. With a grin they could not see, he raised his hands, and kicking his feet free of the stirrups, flung one leg over the horse's head and slid to the ground. Instantly one of the hold-ups advanced a step and said :
'Cough it up.'
'Meanin'?' Severn asked.
'The mazuma Ridge paid yu for the steers, o' course,' was the reply.
The Lazy M man laughed aloud. 'I ain't got it, friend,' he said quietly. 'One o' my men carried that; yu mighta seen 'em pass.'
'Bah! he's lyin'; go through him, Slick.'
'Ain't yu got no sense at all?' snarled the man addressed, adding a savage curse.
'I said go through him slick--meanin' don't waste time,' said the other quickly, and the prisoner laughed again.
'Clever fella,' he jeered. 'Who told yu T'd have the moneyGeevor?'
'No,' was the unthinking reply, and then, 'Never heard of him.'
'Another afterthought--yo're pretty good at 'em, ain't yu?' Severn bantered.
The man gritted out an oath, and sheathing his gun, made a rapid but thorough search of the prisoner, while the other manstood by with levelled revolver. Not finding the plunder, he turned his attention to the horse, with a like result.
'It ain't here,' he said disgustedly.
'I done told yu that already, Mister Afterthought,' Severn said. 'I reckon yu can't be in the habit of associatin' with truthful men.'
The goaded searcher snatched out his gun and thrust it into his captive's face. 'One more yap outa yu an' I'll blow yu four ways to onct,' he threatened.
But this was where he made a slip. Severn's elbows had been dropping imperceptibly during the search and now, with an upward and outward fling of his left hand, he was able to knock the gun muzzle wide, and at the same moment his right fist, with a stiff, short-arm jolt, thudded into that centre of nerves and tissue known to scientists as the solar plexus. Under that paralysing blow the recipient doubled up like a hinge and went down gasping in agony. His companion fired but missed, and Severn, grabbing his own gun, drove a bullet into him before he could pull trigger again. One leap landed him in the saddle, and he was pounding through the canyon before the bandits realised what had happened to them.
