by Hal Dunning
CHAPTER IX
THE MINE FORTRESS
Judge Ransom watched with heavy heart, as Sam Hogg, at the head of theFrying Pan riders, and Tom Powers, with a hastily formed posse, rodeaway. He held no hope for their success. He felt that Snippets waslost. And he blamed himself. Though he believed he was ruined,financially and politically now, his thoughts were only for the girl.He condemned himself for not having taken better care of his sister'schild.
He paced the porch back and forth hour after hour. Better that tenthousand murderers escape the rope than that Snippets be harmed.Perhaps it was not yet too late. He might bargain Pete Cable's life forSnippets' safety. Obviously her kidnaping had been an effort to forcehim into doing that. He would treat with the enemy, bear the white flagof surrender at last, for the girl's sake.
It was now close to lunch time; he might find Anderson at the RedQueen. Though that was the hangout of his enemies, the judge did nothesitate. He walked quickly down Main Street.
The loungers gaped with astonishment when the judge turned resolutelyinto the big saloon. He asked a question of the bartender and was toldthat Francisco Garcia might know when Anderson would return. The Toadwas eating at a small table in the gambling room.
Head held high, the judge marched forward.
"I am told that you might tell me when Mr. Anderson will return," thejudge said.
The Toad's protruding eyes fixed on the judge with a fishlike stare.Here was the man whom the Toad considered the cause of all histroubles. The big hand on the table closed convulsively. Slowly theToad controlled his passion.
"What do you want him for?" he asked heavily.
The judge hesitated. "That must remain between him and me. But I mustsee him--at once."
"So?" the swarthy Mexican rumbled. "Is it something to do with PeteCable?"
The judge nodded.
"Then I will take you to him--I think I know where he is, and I think Iknow where your niece is."
"You do? Thank Heaven for that," the judge cried fervently.
"You would exchange Pete Cable for your niece?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Then we must go quickly and stop them before they take her across theborder." The Toad looked crafty.
The judge shuddered. He knew the man before him was not to be trusted,but he must take the chance.
Ten minutes later, the two were bowling along in a buckboard, headedfor the lava fields.
* * * * *
Tom Powers and his posse had followed Anderson, Ace Cutts and theothers to the border of the lava fields, where Allen insisted they stop.
"Yuh got to walk yuhr hosses, an' besides, two men could pick yuh-alloff like chickens," he explained.
A rider was sent to gather in Sam Hogg and his men; then Allen led theothers in the direction of Kennedy's ranch.
"Why for yuh goin' there?" Tom Powers asked.
"To catch a gent called Cupid Dart." Allen grinned at the sheriff'sastonishment.
"Yuh mean that Texas gunman?" Toothpick queried.
"Yea. The gent yuh saw learnin' Spanish," said Allen with a laugh.
"Not that dude, Mac Kennedy?" Toothpick was incredulous, and the othersadded their grunts of astonishment.
"That same. He ain't a dude. Not any," Allen told them.
They surrounded the ranch. Sam Hogg and his men joined them. Slowlythey closed in upon the silent building as dusk was obscuring the land.But no firing greeted them. The building was empty; that wary bird,Cupid Dart, alias Mac Kennedy, had flown to safer parts.
"Musta made his get-away to the gang's stronghold," Allen commented.
He led the others up a narrow trail into the lava fields. Here, in acuplike depression, they found the judge's cows, as well as severalhundred other stolen animals. All had been rebranded and were beingheld there until the new brands healed. Of the men guarding the cattleall had escaped. The place was totally deserted, and they prepared tomake camp for the night.
It was then that Allen discovered Snippets was still with them; hethought she had gone on into town long before. He stared at her,open-mouthed.
"What yuh doin' here?" he asked.
"No one told me to go anywhere else." Snippets smiled demurely andmischievously.
"Yuh wanted to be along in the ruckus, kid?" Allen accused. "Yuhshould've gone home an' told folks you wus all right."
Snippets hung her head meekly. She knew that he knew why she hadlingered. She had wanted to remain by his side as long as possible.
A shelter of blankets was rigged for her; they could not send her homenow before morning.
After the others were asleep, Allen slipped out alone and followed theoutlaws' trail for several miles. It climbed rapidly to the remains ofan old mine shaft. Suddenly there loomed before him a low, one-storyadobe house. He realized that he was looking at the real stronghold ofthe outlaws.
"Huh, they could stand off an army in that place," he told himselfafter he had scouted about it. Quietly he returned and rejoined thecampers.
With day they considered the possibility of an attack. Tom Powers, SamHogg, and Jim Allen looked over the situation carefully through strongglasses. All three decided that it would not only be costly in lives,but completely hopeless. The place had been built to serve as afortress against the Apache, in the days when the mine had been worked.Over the crest of the hill there were several roofless buildings and ahuge weather-stained derrick that had been used to hoist ore from themine.
"Hello! There's a gent with a white flag," Tom Powers said, pointing.
The heavy metal-studded door of the adobe house had been opened acrack, and a man stood waving a white shirt. Sam Hogg arose from theconcealment of the bushes behind which he had been crouching and wavedhis hat. The door opened wider, and Mac Kennedy, still holding theshirt, stepped out into the sunlight. He advanced twenty yards andbeckoned the ex-Ranger forward.
"Makin' believe he was a dude!" Tom Powers growled.
"Like I did pretendin' to be a hobo," Allen replied with a grin.
"Sam, don't go to meet him. Make him come to you. I've heard storiesabout Cupid Dart--he's treacherous as a snake," the sheriff advised.
"Don't worry none, Mr. Hogg. If he bats an eye, I'll drop him," Allensaid confidently.
Sam Hogg advanced to meet Cupid Dart, and they talked for severalminutes. When Sam returned to Powers and Allen, after the outlawreentered the fortress, his face was white and drawn.
"There's hell to pay!" he exclaimed. "They has the judge in there with'em. And unless we gives up Pete Cable, they promises to hang him highand proper."
"But we can't do that, 'cause Pete Cable is now in the State Prison,an' they wouldn't give him to us, unless the judge signed an order,"Tom Powers sputtered.
"And the judge won't sign nothin'," Allen said.
"Yea. That damn fake dude tells me, the judge refuses flat. They wantus to sorta persuade him," Sam Hogg added.
"I figures yuh might as well try and persuade a mountain." Allen shookhis head. "Does he savvy we got Snippets?"
"Yep. He heard 'em talkin' and knows we got her, otherwise they mighthave him sign the paper by using her," Sam Hogg said.
"Damn 'em! If they touches the judge, we'll stick here until we starves'em out," Powers declared wrathfully.
"Not any. Yuh savvy we are in Mexico? He tells me the soldiers iscomin' along, 'cause they sent for 'em. To-morrow they'll dust in hereand chase us away," Sam Hogg explained.
The sheriff and the cattleman entered into a heated discussion ofvarious plans to rescue the judge. Their men would follow them if theyattacked, but the attack would be foredoomed to defeat. Allen, his facethoughtful, slipped away. At last the two brought their discussion to aclose, for they realized they were wasting words.
There was nothing to do except wait until the Mexican soldiers arrived,then scurry back across the border.
