The sheriff whistled. 'That cinches it,' he said; 'but don't bring us no nearer; seems to me yu gotta catch this hombre in the act; he's too damn clever. Got a wad this time too; Raven reckons he's shy ten thousand hisself. Well, seein' yo're in the saddle agin, I'll be gettin' back to my lambs. Come over soon an' have a pow-wow.'
When the sheriff had gone, Green sat in the banker's own chair pondering over this latest development. The robbery of the bank was another blow at Bordene, and again the saloonkeeper benefited, if, as the marshal more than suspected, he was scheming to obtain the Box B. A big ledger lying on the floor gave him an idea. He turned up Raven's account, only to find a credit balance of nearly ten thousand dollars. So that was true. His mind reverted to the envelope Potter had left with him. Had the man feared the visit of the mysterious outlaw who had laid him low, or--He wished he could open it, but Potter was still alive, and his word bound him.
When he saw Raven later in the evening he made no mention of the empty cartridge he had found. 'She's a blind trail,' he said, 'but me an' Pete'll have a scout round to-morrow an' see if we can pick up anythin'.'
He noted that the half-breed seemed to be in unusually good spirits for a man who had just lost a large sum of money, and the point puzzled him. Andy was not visible, having returned to his ranch.
The next day was but just born when the marshal, after giving certain instructions to Black Feather, set out with Pete along the western trail. There was a slight breeze and the air, as yet untempered by the rising sun, was like wine. For a mile or so they followed the trail, and then the marshal swung off to the right, heading for Tepee Mountain. His deputy, who had not yet been told the object of the expedition, now put the question.
'I want to ask the black hoss if he's been rid lately,' the marshal informed him.
They found the hidden valley as silent and undisturbed as on the day Green had first seen it. The black horse was there, wild and skittish, but after a short chase they got their ropes on it, permitting a close examination. Both of them noted the absence of saddle-marks.
'Fat as butter--ain't been used for weeks,' was Pete's comment. 'What's that mean?'
'One o' two things: either that murderin' thief has another black hoss cached somewheres, an' that ain't likely, or he didn't need one for the bank play.'
'Which last makes Raven a plain liar. But why--'
'The damn business is all 'whys?'' the marshal interrupted. 'P'r'aps we'll have an answer to one of 'em to- morrow.'
Pete waited for an explanation of this remark, but it was not forthcoming.
CHAPTER XXI
The arrival of Andy Bordene at the marshal's office next morning was followed by that of Renton and two of his men. With Green and his deputy they called at the Red Ace. Raven's eyebrows went up when he saw them.
'Climb a cayuse an' come along,' Green said. 'Got somethin' to show yu.'
The saloon-keeper hesitated for a moment, looking from one to the other. Then he shrugged his shoulders and went for his mount. Five minutes later he was riding beside Bordene, his glance resting speculatively on the leading couple, the marshal and his man. Into his mind a spasm of uneasiness obtruded.
'Where we goin', Andy?' he enquired.
'I know as much as yu do,' the young man replied. 'Green sent word yestiddy for me to come along. As a shot in the dark I'd say he's mebbe located the rustlers.'
'Rustlers?' Raven repeated. 'Who's been losin' steers?'
'The Double S--so Reub was sayin',' Andy told him.
Raven rode in silence, his face indifferent, but inwardly he was damning the marshal for interfering. As their course took them farther away from the 88 ranch his suspicions evaporated. By casual but skilful questioning he got from Andy a more detailed account of the rescue of Tonia, and also a pretty accurate idea of how matters stood with the young couple. Moraga had served him a dirty trick there, he reflected, but it had compensations; the loss of his herd money had utterly crippled the owner of the Box B, putting him in the power of his rival.
The marshal and his deputy covered the first few miles in silence, and then Pete's patience was at an end. 'Why don't yu chatter some?' he burst out. 'Yu might put a fella wise to what's doin'.'
'We're goin' to catch a cow-thief or two,' Green replied, and told of a discovery he had made on the night they returned from the Border.
'What'll friend Raven say when he sees his men workin' over the Double S brand?' Pete queried.
'I'm a heap more interested in what they're goin' to say,' the other smiled. 'He's gotta turn 'em down-- cold.'
The little man slapped his knee in delight. 'Somebody'll have to do some tall lyin',' he said. 'Hope they ain't takin' a day off.'
He was not to be disappointed, for when--less than two hours later--they reached the hidden corral the marshal had happened upon before, the bawl of an enraged steer greeted them. From the cover of the brush rimming the basin the visitors watched Jevons and Leeson throw and tie a cow, and then the former took a running iron from the fire and bent over the prostrate beast. The pungent smell of burning hair and hide assailed their nostrils. The marshal, watching the half-breed, saw his face pale and then flush.
'Damnation, Jevons, what's the meanin' o' this?' he shouted, and spurred his horse down the slope.
Like a flash the two men turned to face him, their hands going to their guns, but they fell away when they saw the rest of the party and stood sullenly waiting. The foreman of the Double S rode forward and looked at the hog-tied steer. His expression was not pretty; that the stolen stock was not his property made no difference; it was in his charge.
'Don't need no explanation far as they's concerned, I reckon,' he said, nodding grimly at the two rustlers. 'Mebbe yu got somethin' to say, Raven?'
The boss of the 88 whirled upon him. 'Why, damn yore eyes, Renton, yu tryin' to say I know anythin' 'bout this?' he asked.
'They're yore men, an' that's yore brand ourn is bein' changed to,' the Double S man returned doggedly.
The marshal interposed. 'Take their guns,' he said, and when this was done, 'Yu got anythin' to say, Leeson?'
'I was obeyin' orders--my foreman's,' came the sulky reply.
'An' were yu obeyin' orders too, Jevons?' the marshal asked.
The man did not reply; his narrowed eyes were fixedly studying Raven, and there was a threat in them. The saloon-keeper was doing some rapid thinking. The only explanation he could make would expose Reuben Sarel as a thief, himself as a receiver of stolen property, and put an end to his hope of gaining Tonia. Moreover, these cows had been taken without Sarel's knowledge. With callous indifference, he decided that the men must be sacrificed.
'Yu want to ask these fellas anythin', Raven?' Green said.
The half-breed shook his head. 'No,' he replied. 'When men workin' for me put my brand on other folks' cattle, I'm through. Yu can take 'em in, marshal.'
'Take 'em in, hell,' Renton said roughly. 'We got 'em with the goods, Raven, an' they swing here an' now; they's plenty trees.'
Raven's shifty glance turned to Green. 'Yu can't allow that, marshal,' he urged. 'These men are entitled to trial, anyways.'
Green detected the design. The accused men were keeping quiet because they relied upon Raven to get them out of the trouble. Taken to Lawless they would be assisted to escape from the flimsy gaol, or acquitted by a packed jury. He determined to force the issue.
'The case is open an' shut, Raven,' he said sternly. 'There ain't no doubt whatever. Allasame, I'll put it to the vote; there's five of yu--me an' Pete, bein' officers, don't take a hand.'
The voting was a mere farce, as the marshal knew it would be--all except the saloon-keeper being in favour of the culprits being hanged forthwith. Green directed Pete and Renton to tie the hands of the rustlers behind their backs, a proceeding which brought a look of fear into Leeson's eyes, and loosened Jevons's tongue. Convinced that his employer was prepared to let him go to his death he was anxious only to bite back.
'Raven,' he called sharply, 'yu standin' for this?'
The saloon-keeper's face was wooden. 'I've done all I can,' he said. 'Yu know the penalty when yu started
