The Coyote

by James Roberts

  CHAPTER VIII

  TWO QUEER MOVES

  The captive complied with the order, looking at Rathburn in a peculiarway--half disgusted, half contemptuous. Indeed, he turned his back onthe other, leaned against the slender trunk of a pine, and staredsteadily into the south. He appeared much worried.

  The horses welcomed the chance to rest.

  Rathburn walked slowly back and forth the width of the patch oftimber, vigilantly keeping watch. He paid no attention whatsoever tothe man leaning against the tree. For all the interest he displayed hemight have completely forgotten his very existence. In time this goton the other's nerves.

  "I believe you lied when you said there was a man killed down therelast night," he said coolly.

  "I didn't say anybody was killed," Rathburn returned without lookingin his direction. "You assumed that part of it."

  "Then you wanted me to think so," said the other in a loud voice. "Youwas tryin' to throw a scare into me!"

  Rathburn swung on his heel and stepped squarely in front of him. "Ilet you think that to show you what _might_ have happened," he said."Such things have happened to me an' swelled the price on my head.Now, darn you, if you talk that loud again I'll choke your wind off!"

  The words came with sinister earnestness, but they seemed to rousesome dormant strain of extraordinary courage in the man to whom theywere addressed.

  He suddenly leaped from the tree and struck out with all the force athis command.

  But Rathburn had anticipated the attack. He knocked the other's blowaside and drove his right straight to the jaw.

  "There's a little souvenir to show you that I mean business, Percy,"he panted.

  Percy came back to the attack with eyes gleaming with malice. Again heattempted to hit Rathburn, but the latter stepped aside with lightningswiftness and drove home another blow. He followed it up with a leftand right and Percy sprawled his length on the grass.

  After a time he sat up, dazed. Rathburn was standing over him. Butalthough he realized fully that he was not a match for Rathburn inphysical combat, and doubtless was greatly his inferior with his gun,his spirit was undaunted.

  "You better finish me, or drag me in," he gritted; "for I'll get you,if I can. I don't know what your play is, but you've acted too queerto-day for me to believe you're on the square one way or the other."

  "You want some more, Percy?"

  "My name is Lamy," growlingly replied the other, as he rosecautiously.

  "Oh, o-h. Percy Lamy."

  "No, just Lamy. Lamy's my name, an' I ain't ashamed of it. You'd findit out--sooner or later--anyway, I--expect." He stammered during thisspeech as if he had just remembered something--remembered when it wastoo late.

  Rathburn noted the frown and the confused expression in Lamy's eyes.He turned abruptly and walked away.

  A few minutes later he came back to find Lamy sitting with his backto a tree, staring unseeing into the deepening twilight.

  "Lamy," he said harshly, "we're going to get away from thisposse--maybe. Anyway, soon's it's dark we'll ride south. It's justpossible we can leave 'em up here in the hills."

  "Suppose I refuse to go?"

  "Then I'll have to truss you up an' tie you to your horse, an' don'tthink I won't do it!" The ring of menace in Rathburn's voice convincedthe other, but he made no comment.

  When darkness had fallen they saddled their mounts and started. Theyrode at a jog, keeping as much as possible in the shadow of thetimber. Rathburn noticed that the valley gradually widened; he showedinterest in his surroundings.

  Then, off to the left below them, he saw moving shadows. He called ahalt at the next clump of trees. "Lamy, are there any horses runningin here that you know of?" he asked.

  "There probably are," said Lamy sarcastically; "an' they've probablygot riders on 'em."

  "No doubt," returned Rathburn gravely. "I just saw some shadows thatlooked like horses down to the left of us."

  "I expected they'd shut us off in the south," snapped out Lamy. "Yougave 'em plenty of time."

  "We just naturally had to rest our horses," observed Rathburn. "As itis, they're not good for far, nor for any fast riding. Besides, I'vechanged my mind some since this morning."

  "So? I suppose you're goin' to give me a chance?" sneeringly inquiredthe other.

  He could see Rathburn's eyes in the twilight, and suddenly he shiftedin his saddle uneasily. For Rathburn's gaze had narrowed; and it shotfrom his eyes steel blue with a flash of fire. His face had set incold, grim lines. The whole nature of the man seemed to undergo achange. He radiated menace, contempt, cold resentment. The corners ofhis mouth twisted down sharply. His voice, as he spoke now, seemededged like a knife.

  "Lamy, hand over that money!"

  Lamy's brows lifted in swift comprehension; a look of cunning cameinto his eyes--was followed by a gleam of hope, not unmixed withderision. He thrust his hands into his coat pockets and held out billsand silver to Rathburn who stuffed the plunder into his own pockets.

  "That all of it?" demanded Rathburn sharply. He made no effort totemper the tones of his voice.

  For answer Lamy dug into his trousers' pockets, under his chaps, andproduced two more rolls of bills.

  "That's the chunk," he said with a sneering inflection in his voice."If you want I'll stand a frisk."

  "No, I won't search you. I take it you're too sensible to lie!"

  "Thanks," replied Lamy dryly. "I suppose I'm free to go now, unlessyou figure you'd be safer by killin' me off."

  Anger, swift and uncontrollable, leaped into Rathburn's eyes. Then helaughed, softly and mirthlessly. "If I'd been minded to do for you, orhad any such idea in my head, I'd have given it to you long beforethis," he said. "It's lucky for you, Lamy, that I'm pretty much thebreed you thought I was."

  "Don't pose!" retorted Lamy hotly. "You intended to get that money andmake me the goat if you could, from the start. If you'd had any ideaof turnin' me over to Brown you'd have done that little thing, too,long before this."

  "Maybe so," Rathburn mused, staring at the other thoughtfully in thedim light of the stars. "Maybe I will yet. You're not out of this--an'neither am I. Those shadows down to the left are getting plainer.What's that long dark streak over there on the right?"

  "Those are trees," answered Lamy sneeringly.

  "Let's make for 'em," ordered Rathburn. "Don't forget you're stillunder orders, Lamy. An' don't overlook the fact that I'm more or lessin earnest about things in general," he added significantly.

  They rode at a tangent for the dark shadow of the trees. At the edgeof the timber ensued another long wait, with Rathburn uncommunicative,moodily pacing restlessly back and forth. The horses had anotherexcellent opportunity to rest and the fagged animals took advantage ofit.

  Once or twice Rathburn thought he glimpsed a light far down thevalley, but he couldn't be sure. Neither could he be sure he saw themoving shadows on the opposite side of the wide valley again.

  The night wore into early morning and the moon added its cold radianceto the faint glow of the myriads of stars. Rathburn sensed thenearness of enemies. Several times he stopped before Lamy, who satupon his saddle blanket with his back against a tree trunk and dozed.Rathburn had to fight off continual drowsiness.

  For long hours he walked along the edge of the pines. He dared nottrust himself to sleep. He dared not trust Lamy to stand guard whilehe obtained some rest, and he knew that when the sun came up and theday began, he would be thoroughly awake again; for more than once hehad gone two nights without sleep. Also, he assumed that the huntwould be less spirited during the night. Members of the posse wouldthemselves be drowsy, but they could spell each other and in that waymaintain their vigil and secure a few hours of rest.

  Rathburn's rage rose at frequent intervals as he thought of thepredicament he was in through no fault of his own. More than once heglared malevolently at the sleeping Lamy; then the troubled look wouldcome again to his eyes and he would resume his pacing, muttering tohimself, staring into the
blue veil of the night. Once he sat down andremoved his right boot and sock in the darkness; shortly afterward heagain began his pacing.

  He felt the pangs of hunger and shook his head savagely as he thoughtof the scanty supply of provisions he had been compelled to leave inthe mountain pocket.

  His spirits revived as he thought of the horses. They would be freshin the morning; and he intended that his horse should have a grainfeed that day. Rathburn always thought of his horse first; and,although it might seem that he taxed the animal's powers to theirutmost at times, he never went beyond a certain point. He had oftensaid he would surrender to his pursuers rather than kill his mount inevading them.

  The first faint glimmer of the dawn was lighting the skies above theridges to the eastward when he roused Lamy. He awoke with a start,stared sleepily at Rathburn, then got speedily to his feet.

  "You been awake all night?" he asked curiously.

  Rathburn nodded, looking at him closely. "Saddle up," he ordered.

  They rode southward at a canter in the shelter of the edge of thetimber. When the eastern skies were rosy red and fast changing togold with the advent of the sun they saw two things; a small ranchhouse about a mile southeast of them, and two riders some distancenorth.

  Rathburn reined in his mount. He looked at Lamy who met his gaze indefiance. Then Rathburn reached into his coat pocket with his righthand and drew out a gun.

  "Here's your shooting iron," he said, as he held the weapon out toLamy.

  The other stared at him in astonishment.

  "Take it!" snapped out Rathburn. "Take it, or I may change my mind!"

  Lamy took the gun wonderingly, balanced it for a moment in his hand,and shoved it into his holster.

  Rathburn motioned toward the south and Lamy rode along at his side.They caught another glimpse of the horsemen in the north. As they drewopposite the ranch house, on the west or front side, they saw a womanleave it and walk the short distance to the barn and enter. At thatmoment both Rathburn and Lamy gave vent to low exclamations. They hadcaught sight of riders in the south and to the east. They appeared tobe surrounded by the posse.

  Rathburn looked at Lamy soberly. However, it was Lamy who spoke first."You said the best place to hide from a posse was in the middle ofit," he said scornfully. "Why not leave the horses in the timber an'run for the house? Maybe it has a cellar."

  "I reckon that would be as good a move as any," replied Rathburn, tothe other's surprise. "I'm game if you are."

  Lamy's eyes flamed with excitement as he turned his mount into thetrees. They came to what looked like a bear pit or a prospect hole.It was partly filled with brush.

  "We can hide our saddles in there an' let the horses go," Lamysuggested. "There's a few horses runnin' in through here, an' they mayjoin 'em."

  "You can do that with yours," said Rathburn grimly. "You seem toforget that the brand on this dun is pretty well known."

  He coolly tied his horse as Lamy followed his own suggestion, hid hissaddle, and turned his mount loose.

  They moved back to the edge of the timber and waited until they couldsee no one in sight about the house or in any direction in the valley.Then they started on a run for the house.