by Hal Dunning
CHAPTER VI
THE LAVA GANG IN ACTION
Anderson went to Maria's _cantina_, gave some directions to MacKennedy, and seated himself at a table with a Mexican girl. He hadnoted Sam Hogg's rather unskillful trailing. A few minutes later he sawHogg peer in for an instant.
As soon as the cattleman's head disappeared, Anderson went out the reardoor. He, who always claimed he went unarmed, now slipped his handbeneath his armpit and withdrew a short-barreled Colt. He tiptoedwarily along the alley to the corral behind the Red Queen. At the smalldoor in the barn he stood listening for a moment before he unlocked itand entered. He climbed to the loft and unlocked the second door whichled to the short passage. With this door locked behind him he lost hisair of caution. The third door--that same door behind which Allen hadlistened--opened into a room comfortably furnished with table, chairs,and a bed. Anderson lit a lamp and pressed a button near its other door.
Down in the Red Queen a big game progressed at the faro table.Francisco Garcia sat in his usual place on the platform. The Yuma Kidlounged near him, and Baldy sprawled on the platform at his feet.
Garcia leaned forward, his protruding eyes fixed on the dealer's hands.A mining man had just placed a large bet, and the dealer was about toflip the cards. Behind them a buzzer sounded. The Toad frownedimpatiently and shrugged his massive shoulders. The dealer turned thecards and the mining man won.
Again the buzzer sounded imperiously. The mining man doubled his bet,and the dealer glanced over his shoulder for mute instructions. TheToad shook his head. He never allowed a dealer to turn a crooked cardunless he was present, and now he had to obey the summons of thatbuzzer.
He heaved himself to his feet and waddled toward the rear door.Grunting at each step, he climbed the stairs and made his way to thesecret room in the barn.
"You took your time," Anderson said coldly in Spanish.
"Big game," the Toad replied. "What was your hurry?"
"A big game! Let me tell you, brother mine, that big game may be yourlast," Anderson snapped.
Brothers! One was heavy-set, with the swarthy features of a Mexican;the other was blond, well formed, with the features of a Nordic. Yetthey were brothers.
"I saw the Wolf to-night," Anderson said slowly.
"You killed him?" the big man asked eagerly.
Anderson shook his head.
The Toad's swarthy face flushed, his eyes bulged more prominently thanever, and his features contorted with furious rage.
"You saw the Wolf--the man who killed our father--and he _lives_?"
Anderson's soft brown eyes became coldly contemptuous. Here lay thereason for Anderson's dominance over his brother. He never lost histemper and he possessed a cold, calculating ruthlessness. He never madea move unless he had thought out the consequences in advance. The Toadwas given to quick rages in which he acted without thought.
"Stop glaring at me! You are like Pete! If he had not lost his temperwe would not be in this mess now. He had to go savage and kill a maninstead of waiting and having him killed outside."
With an effort the Toad recovered his composure and dropped into achair.
"Let me tell you, brother mine, you also have seen the Wolf manytimes," Anderson said.
The Toad shook his heavy head and growled a denial.
"Jim Anson is the Wolf!"
Francisco Garcia stared in unbelief. The color drained from his face.
"_Dios!_" he muttered. "Then it was he who was in the barn that night?"
Anderson nodded and related the events of that evening.
"He knows or suspects a lot, but he has no proof, or the sheriff wouldhave acted. We have got to get Allen and get him quick," Anderson added.
"How?"
"That girl--Snippets McPherson, the judge's niece. She's in love withhim, and he with her. She knows where he has been holing out for thelast few days. Get her and make her tell. If she won't we'll get himwhen he trails her. That will be the Yuma Kid's job," Anderson saidrapidly.
The Toad closed his eyes, and thought for a moment. "We'll do itto-night," he said.
He leaned forward and lowered his voice as he explained his plan. Whenthe Toad had finished, Anderson nodded.
"That should work. Have the Yuma Kid and Baldy cover them. And you hadbetter start having the others cleaned up. Sam Hogg and the judge mustbe 'accidents.' The others, any way you can get them. Good night, mybrother, I am off."
Anderson slipped out the rear door and left the Toad brooding. Tenminutes later he arose and pressed the buzzer.
* * * * *
Sam Hogg had been reporting the result of his trailing. The sheriffstared through the window at the bright lights of the Red Queen Saloon.Suddenly he fell flat on the floor as a windowpane splintered and abullet thudded into the inner wall. He leaped to his feet and yankedthe shade down.
"That was a fool thing to do, and he warned me to watch out," thesheriff said ruefully as he eyed the bullet hole in the wall.
"Ain't no good chasin' that fellow; he's a mile away by this time," SamHogg advised. "Who tole yuh to watch out?"
"Jim Allen."
"When did yuh see him?" the cattleman asked in surprise. "Yuh seen himafore or since to-night?"
"Both," the sheriff replied shortly. He seemed to be ponderingsomething, then he threw himself in a chair opposite the ex-Ranger.
"Seein' you're on the list marked for slaughter, I figure you got aright to know," he began. "Right after this Jim Anson turned up Iknowed he was Jim-twin Allen. Toothpick comes here the first night andtells me about it. Allen tells me to trust no one but Dutchy andSnippets. He says Toothpick is all right but talks too much. He lefthere now just a minute before you got here. He tells me he don't knowwhere they got the judge's cows and not to bother to meet himto-morrow. He sends Toothpick ridin' off somewhere, then he goes outhisself, and he don't tell me one dang thing he's doin'," the sheriffcried in disgust.
"Does he know who the Lava Gang is?" Sam Hogg asked eagerly.
"Yeah, but he only tol' me a couple. The Toad and his killers, the YumaKid, and Baldy Flynn; then there's that greaser Pedro, who bought PeteCable's _cantina_."
"The Toad! Let's go get him!" The little cattleman yanked out his Coltand whirled the cylinder. His eyes were snapping with excitement.
The sheriff shook his head. "We got to wait until we line up therest--we got to catch the big boss."
"Well, I don't like this slaughter list," Sam Hogg complained.
"I guess the Toad's behind it. Me and you is on it, the judge, Dutchy,Toothpick, your brother, an' Tim Lynch. Doc Robinson was, and they gothim. The Lava Gang figures if they downs us they can elect a newsheriff and judge and run things to suit themselves. Allen went to thejudge's to-night deliberate, to sorta let them know he was onto them.He figures they'll get nervous and give themselves away. I got to raiseabout twenty men right quick and keep 'em handy," the sheriff concluded.
"Leave that to me. I got about thirty of the best boys along the borderout at the Frying Pan what's just spoiling for a fight," Sam Hogg saidwith enthusiasm.
"They'll do fine," the sheriff agreed.
The ex-Ranger thought for a moment. "The Wolf goes to the judge'sdeliberate! Then he figures some one what was there to-night is playingwith the Lava Gang?"
"Yeah," the sheriff muttered miserably.
"Yuh mean Ace Cutts!"
The sheriff nodded.
"Why, the judge brought him up, the dirty coyote!" The cattleman wasbristling with anger. "An' he tips off the Toad to have Allen killed."
"He's a bad one," Tom Powers said heavily.
"I'm goin' to hunt up 'Big Dick,' my foreman, and have him tip off theboys to stay sober," the ranchman cried, starting for the door.
The sheriff stopped him. "You better go out the back way."
At this reminder that he was on the "slaughter list," Sam Hogg smiledgrimly.
The s
heriff let him out on a vacant lot behind the courthouse, and afew minutes later he was on brightly lighted Main Street. He knew thatno attempt against his life would be made in public, for the man whobrought him down would have every puncher on the Frying Pan to dealwith later. Still, he was in danger, and a very real danger, for awarning from Jim-twin Allen was something no man could disregard.
"Bein' him," Sam Hogg mused, "he wouldn't think a gent was in dangeruntil he had both feet in a grave."
The Lone Star Saloon stood at the corner, and he paused in the shadowof its walls and glanced up and down Main Street. Tim Lynch, the ownerof the Lone Star, was one of the men on the Toad's list, and Sam Hoggdecided to drop a warning to him to be on the lookout. As he stepped upon the board sidewalk he saw the Yuma Kid and Baldy saunter out of theRed Queen.
"I ain't hankerin' to meet them jaspers," he grunted and hastily slidthrough the doors of the saloon. He waited a moment and peered out. Thetwo killers were standing on the corner opposite the judge's house.They made no effort to conceal their presence. Obviously they werewaiting for something.
As he watched he saw two figures, followed by a third, come out of thejudge's gate and head toward the outskirts of the town.
"Darn it, why do they let Snippets go roamin' with that Kennedy dudefer? Reckon they is all right, 'cause Dutchy is followin' 'em. Huh! Fora minute I thinks them killers was waitin' for the gal," he grumbled.
The Lone Star was empty, and Tim Lynch, acting as bartender, watchedSam Hogg peer through the door for a time, then rounded the bar andsuddenly clapped his hand on his shoulder.
"You playin' detective?" he asked, grinning. "Who you watchin'?"
"Them two jaspers standin' on the corner," Sam replied.
"They're plumb dangerous. It ain't safe to even watch them two killers.Come have a drink."
Sam Hogg tossed down a drink, then leaning forward, whispered: "Tim, Ican't tell yuh how I know, but yuh been talkin' loud agin' a certaingent, and he's out for your blood."
Tim grinned and, reaching beneath the bar, brought up a sawed-offshotgun.
"Reckon I know who you mean, and the Toad don't work in the open, butthis scatters some, an' I'm keepin' it darned close to me."
Before either could say more the screen doors swung open and two menentered. Both were strangers. One was drunk and the other wasattempting to pacify him.
"If I lets yuh have one more drink, will yuh promise to go to bed?" thesober one demanded.
"Positively," the other replied.
From somewhere outside there came a shot, followed by a shrill scream,then another shot. Sam Hogg ran to the door. As he emerged on thestreet it struck him as queer that the strangers' curiosity was notstrong enough to make them follow him.
Several men were running and pointing up Main Street beyond the judge'shouse. The ex-Ranger saw the Yuma Kid and Baldy a block away. Therunning men also noticed the two killers and instantly dropped to awalk. It wasn't safe to approach them at a run. The men halted for amoment, then edged across the road to circle them.
"That's what they was waitin' for, tryin' to delay pursuit!" Sam Hogggrowled.
Rage overcame him and he yanked out his gun, leaped off the board walkand charged down the road. For a moment he thought Baldy was going tointercept him, but the Yuma Kid spat out a sentence in Spanish andBaldy stepped aside.
As Sam Hogg ran, followed by several other men, he heard the poundingof hoofs slowly receding on the plain. They found Dutchy on theoutskirts of town, lying face downward in the dust of the trail.
A brief examination by the light of a match convinced Sam Hogg that thegrizzled puncher was dead. He had been shot through the head frombehind. Even as death was upon him he had drawn one gun and fired. Thelittle cattleman cursed with sorrow and rage.
A little later one of the crowd discovered the prone figure of Kennedy,the dude, at the side of the trail. Examination disclosed he had beenstunned by the butt of a gun. He groaned and opened his eyes.
Sam Hogg seized him.
"Where's the gal? Who downed Dutchy? What happened? Come alive andspill it."
At each question the ex-Ranger shook the half-conscious man. Finally alanky cow-puncher interfered.
"Hell, Sam, if yuh knock the breath out of the darned dude, how can hetalk?"
At last Mac Kennedy told his story. He had called on Snippets andsuggested they take a walk. He had done that many times before. Dutchyaccompanied them. Just as they reached the fork in the trail he hadheard a shot, and swung about in time to see Dutchy fall. Thensomething hit him on the head, and that was all he knew. He had seennone of the men who had attacked them. Sam Hogg was convinced thatKennedy was not trying to conceal anything, not even his own cowardice.
Sheriff Tom Powers arrived on the scene; without delay he formed aposse and started in pursuit. The crowd drifted back to town. Here theyfound more excitement. Tim Lynch had been knifed and killed by anunknown man. His body was discovered behind the bar of the Lone Star byone of the first excited men to return from the crossroads.
Sam Hogg walked slowly to his brother's store. The two talked inwhispers for a time, then Sam called in a passing cowboy and sent himacross the street to the Red Queen to fetch Big Dick, his foreman.
A few minutes later, Big Dick was dusting it straight for the FryingPan Ranch. He was to bring back Sam Hogg's best fighters.
