"Promise not to, an' I'll put you wise to somethin' important," Evans replied eagerly. "Is it a deal?"
"I make no bargains in the dark, but I've never been accused o' bein' ungrateful." The clerk gave in; this man--whom he secretly admired as being all he would have liked to be--was too strong for him.
"There's goin' to be a big raid on the Bar O," he blurted. "They figure to burn the buildings, shoot down the outfit, an' drive off the cattle. It's to be to-morrow night."
"Who is `they'?" the marshal asked, wondering how far his informant's power of invention would carry him_ "I dunno--the fella who told me "
"Meanin' Dutch."
"Well, yes, but he ain't in it," Evans replied. "He's workin' over to Drywash, an' got to hear accidental. He reckons it's a gang from 'way up in the hills, an' they'll outnumber the Bar O unless Welcome lends a hand."
"Why didn't he come to me?"
"He was meanin' to, but when you come in, he thought "
"Yu could buy my silence, huh? Well, it's a fine story; I didn't guess Dutch had that much imagination. However, I'm sayin' nothin' to yore employer, on one condition, that yu keep clear o' that dive from now on; mixin' with Dutch an' his like will on'y land yu in the penitentiary--or worse."
"I'll promise," Evans replied. "But marshal, I ain't lyin' about what Dutch told me, an' I'm certain he meant it. He said he hadn't no quarrel with the Bar O, an' didn't want to see strangers put one over on 'em." Sudden returned to his quarters in a thoughtful frame of mind. The boy's parting words had been spoken earnestly, but he could not conceive a member of Jake's ruffianly crew being anxious to prevent disaster befalling Owen's ranch, even though the blow was to come from outsiders. Had the fellow fallen out with his friends and turned traitor? That was possible, but unlikely, since Dutch appeared to have nothing to gain. Or was it, after all, a mere fabrication, concocted by Evans, under the spur of necessity?
"Damn it, anyway yu look, it don't make sense," was the conclusion of his meditations.
Chapter X
SUDDEN, rising with his problem still unsolved, took Dave and Sloppy into his confidence over the morning meal. The pair looked at him in puzzled bewilderment.
"What's yore trouble?" the younger man asked. "There ain't but one thing we can do : take a dozen o' the boys to the Bar O an' give them cattle-thieves a real big surprise. Ain't that yore notion too, Sloppy?"
"Shore looks thataway," the little man agreed. "But ..." He paused, his speculative gaze on the marshal.
"That's the snag--but," Sudden said. "Every way I figure, I run up against it. The obvious move ain't allus the right one. Dutch don't like me none a-tall; why should he put me wise when he'd ruther I fell down on my job?" His companions could find no answer to this, and he supplied one himself :
"It might be that he just wants to make a fool o' me. Well, I'm stayin' put."
"Yu won't help the Bar O?" Dave said earnestly. "Damn it, Jim, we owe them that."
"I know, but I don't think they'll need us. I'll ride over myself an' warn 'em to be on the look-out. It ain't no use arguin', boy; I've got a hunch an' I'm playin' it, right or wrong." Masters shook his head, unconvinced, but Sloppy appeared to be satisfied--the marshal's word was his law. Together they walked up the street.
"I don't like it," Dave remarked. "It'll seem we've run out on Owen."
"Jim's got savvy," was all the consolation he received. They found the Widow busy and cheerful. She thanked the deputy very prettily, and excused her cousin.
"He had been drinking," she said. "Men are not responsible then."
"It's mighty hard to figure him a close relation o' yores," Dave remarked.
"He's scarcely that," she corrected, and with a smile, "but he was certainly too close yesterday." The allusion brought a swift frown to the cowboy's face. "If he pesters yu again there's liable to be a bereavement in yore family," he told her.
Meanwhile, the marshal was on his way to the Bar O. He found the owner just about to set out.
"Step inside," he invited. "I guess you didn't come just for the pleasure o' seein' me."
"Why not?" Sudden smiled. "Allasame, I've news--of a kind." Seated in one of the big chairs, he told what he had learned. Owen received the narrative in silence. Only when the marshal came to his own proposed inaction did he speak:
"you ain't believin' it?"
"No, I suspect a trap--to get me outa town.""What for?"
"I wish yu could tell me. Dave is sore, he reckons I'm playin' it low down on yu."
"Rubbish ! " the rancher said. "You ain't paid to safeguard the Bar O; that's up to us an' I guess we can do it, but any suggestion will be welcome."
"Have four or five men, spaced out, watching yore western line to give warnin'--they'll come in from that side. The rest o' yu can wait here. Keep a man with a fast hoss ready to head for Welcome. I expect yu can stand 'em off till we make it. Got plenty gun-fodder?"
"you bet, an' the ranch-house is loop-holed," Owen replied. "That's a good plan, Jim; I'll fix it so. I'm obliged."
"Shucks ! If yu do get a visit, I'll feel pretty mean. By the way, I wouldn't pick Pinto as a sentry."
"Still suspectin' him?"
"I got nothin' to go on, but there it is."
"Seen any more o' Sark?" Owen asked.
"He was in yestiddy, an' didn't add any to his popularity." The rancher listened with an expression of growing disgust to the eating-house incident. "Good for Dave," he commented. "But he'll have to watch out; Jesse ain't particular how he pays debts."
"He'd better settle mine first," Sudden said, with a wintry smile, and, inconsequently, "Was Amos raisin' cattle around here before yu?"
"Some years earlier, but there was plenty range, an' we never had any differences."
"Yu chose a nice convenient brand--for him, didn't yu?"
"How so?"
"Lengthen yore bar, put an O at the near end, an' yu have a passable Dumb-bell."
"That's so," Owen admitted. "Now I'll tell you some-thin'. Amos Sark's brand was Circle S, but when Jesse took over he made the change. I didn't give it a thought, we've never suffered from brand-blottin' in these parts."
"Mebbe, but you're losin' cattle, an' it's worth bearin' in mind."
"I'll warn the boys to keep their eyes open."
"Some of 'em," Sudden advised. "There ain't allus safety in numbers."
"I'll respect yore prejudices, marshal," the rancher replied. "I allow Pinto ain't a young gal's dream o' manly beauty, but hard looks don't mean much."
"Yu didn't see the one he gave me," Sudden smiled.
Satisfied that he had done all he could, he set out for home. With but a mile to go, he noticed horse-tracks branching away to the left of the trail he was travelling. Few in number, they showed that a rider had come and gone several times. Was this the way Dutch slipped into the settlement? He had no means of knowing, but decided to find out where they led to.
This was simple enough in the open, for the unknown had made no attempt to conceal his passage, but presently the tracker found himself amongst dense brush, and the task became harder. But Sudden could read signs like an Indian; a faint indentation, a dislodged stone, or a bruised leaf were plain as print to his keen eye. The sun told that he was travelling south-west and must, in time, arrive near the spot where they had encountered the rustlers. So he was not surprised when, after an hour of painstaking labour, he emerged from a shallow ravine to hear the roar of tumbling water. Two hundred yards distant was a double line of willows, and in front an arid stretch of gravel on which the tracks were utterly lost. He waded the creek and searched the far bank, but without success. Then he rode south along The Step, noting how the wall of rock dwindled in height until it was possible to cross.
"If they come, it'll likely be this way," he mused. "Well, Nig, what we want now is a shorter trail to Welcome." The afternoon was well advanced when he returned; he had found his trail and memorized every salient feature.
Tired and hungry, he found his deputy in
a fractious mood. "What's John Owen thinkin' of us?" he inquired.
"He said I was doin' the right thing."
"Seems to 'a' taken yu a long time to convince him."
"Oh, we had to make arrangements, an' on the way back I had a look around."
"See any doubtful characters?" Dave asked sarcastically.
"Not till I got here," his friend grinned, and then, "Let's go an' lift a few honest dollars from Nippert--he's got too many, but first, we'll saddle the hosses."
"Whyfor?"
"To keep their backs warm, o' course," Sudden laughed. "Also, if anythin' breaks loose to-night we might need 'em in a hurry. Owen may send word." At the Red Light, Sudden told the saloon-keeper what he had done and certain citizens were warned to be ready for instant action. When, after an evening of modest poker, the marshal and his deputy retired to their quarters, they did not undress.
Two hours after midnight found Welcome asleep. There was no moon, and the indifferent light of the stars showed the buildings only as deeper blobs in the general darkness. Then, into this silent stillness, entering from the eastern end of the town, came the shadows of mounted men, moving slowly, cautiously, one behind the other. Eight in number, they rode noiselessly along the street, the soft sand deadening the footfalls of their steeds. Each had a bandana, slitted for the eyes, covering his features. When they reached the bank, four of them got down and stepped swiftly to the side door. The others took charge of the horses, and sat waiting, rifles across their knees. The leader rapped softly. After a pause, a voice from inside asked :
"Who is it?"
"Open up, Bob," the stranger replied gruffly. "I'm from Nippert." Apparently the answer was satisfactory; bolts were withdrawn and through the slightly-opened door came the light of a flickering candle; behind it, the peering face of the banker. At the sight of the masked man, he made a desperate attempt to close the door again, but the other had flung his weight upon it, levelling his revolver at the same moment.
"One yap'll be yore last," he warned. "Stan' back, or ..." Morley knew that he was helpless; his nearest neighbours were thirty yards distant, and would be asleep. He obeyed, and watched the four bandits file in, closing the door behind them. Then the leader turned to him.
"Unlock yore safe," he said. "An' be spry about it." This was too much. The banker was an old man, but an obstinate one, with a sense of duty to those who had trusted him; these scoundrels might rob him, but he was not going to make it easier.
"you'll get no help from me," he replied, and when the ruffian gripped him by the throat, forced him to his knees, and swung his pistol aloft, added, "Shoot, damn you, and rouse the place." The threatened shot did not come. Instead, the barrel of the weapon dropped, with savage, merciless venom on the bent grey head, toppling the victim to the floor with a gashed, bleeding skull. The striker snatched up the still-lighted candle and surveyed the senseless man with malignant satisfaction.
"Guess we can help ourselves," he snarled. "That pays a score anyway. Last time we did business together it was yore turn; now it's mine. I'll trouble you for yore keys, friend." On his knees beside the stricken man, he was searching the pockets when a gasp of horror made him glance up; the banker's wife, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, was staring at the scene.
"Gag her--quick," he ordered.
One of them clapped a hand over her lips, choking the cry in her throat, while another whipped the shawl from her shoulders, muffled her head with it, and then bound her wrists and ankles.
"Lucky I fetched along these piggin strings," he chuckled, as he completed the brutal task. "She won't bother us." Jake stood up. "Here's the keys," he said. "C'mon, we gotta work fast." They followed him into the business part of the premises and soon the safe was at their mercy. A leathern satchel lay near it.
"That's just what we want," Jake grinned. "Thoughtful o' Bob to provide it." With coarse jests they packed bags of coin and packets of currency into the receptacle, and having cleared the safe of all that was of any use to them, were about to rummage the drawers and desks when two rapid pistol-shots rang out.
"What th' hell's that mean?" Jake asked.
"A signal from the boys," Javert suggested.
"Then they must be loco," was the reply. "We'll beat it; I reckon we've cleaned the place." As they hurried to the door, the leader glanced suspiciously at the supine figures on the floor, but neither appeared to have moved.
"Who fired them shots?" he demanded of the men outside.
"You tell us," one of the waiting group retorted. "They 'peared to come from inside."
"Couldn't have," Jake snapped. "None of us pulled trigger, Morley is as near dead as damn it, an' the of woman hawg-tied. Hell ! the town is wakin' up." It was true; lights were gleaming in several windows, doors opening, and men's voices could be heard.
"We gotta go--pronto," Jake decided, and turned to Dutch, who was carrying the plunder. "You know what to do. With the stuff safely hidden they can't prove a thing, even if they overtake us. Now, ride like the devil." Bunched together, with no further attempt at concealment, they shot into the open and, with a defiant yell, galloped away.
The two reports had found the marshal and his deputy on the alert, and they were the first to reach the street. Others soon joined them, some only half-dressed, but all carrying weapons, and asking the same question :
"What's the trouble?" Nobody knew, until the retreating raiders flashed into indistinct view for a few seconds, and then Sudden swore: "Damnation ! I might 'a' guessed it--the bank. Take some men an' get after 'em, Ned; mebbe yu can run 'em down."
"What are you goin' to do, Jim," Nippen asked.
"I've another plan--it's a chance an' no more. Dave, I'll need yu, but we'll have a look at the bank first." Leaving the saloon-keeper and his posse to take up the pursuit, the others hurried to the building, found the front door fastened and the side one open. The marshal stepped in and struck a match. At his feet was the candle the visitors had thrown down. Lighted, it revealed the prostrate body of the banker.
"Hurt had, but he'll pull round," Sudden announced, after a brief examination. "Lift an' carry him to the bedroom." As two of them raised the limp form a revolver clattered to the floor. Dave picked it up.
"A couple o' empty shells," he remarked. "Musta fired them shots what roused us hisself. Bravo, Bob." By this time the woman had also been found and released, but she was in a dead faint, and could give them no information. The gaping door of the safe told the rest of the story. The marshal drew his assistant aside.
"We can't do anythin' here--nothin' to go on," he said. "Let's take a ride." They got their horses and Sudden led the way eastwards until the settlement was behind them and then turned sharply to the left into a wilderness of scrub and small timber. Travelling through this in the darkness was a ticklish operation, but the marshal found a way, twisting and turning but --as his companion noticed--always coming back to a fixed line. Presently they reached a tract of pines, and the guide gave a grunt of satisfaction."There's my blaze," he said.
On the trunk of one tree, showing clearly in the gloom, was a white mark where a strip of bark had been slashed away with a knife.
"Yu been here afore?" Dave wanted to know.
"I spent some time searchin' out this trail on my way back yestiddy."
"For the love o' Mike, why?"
"We're goin' to find out," Sudden told him.
"Open up, yu clam. Nippert'll never catch 'em. What are we riskin' our necks an' hosses in this blasted brush for?" The reply was a question. "When yu rob a bank what's the first thing yu wanta do?"
"Why, yu black-haired misery," Dave began indignantly, and then laughed. "Me, I'm mighty eager to cache the coin, ain't yu?"
"That's the right answer, an' I'm gamblin' that these hombres will have the same notion. Now, if they come from the hills, they gotta cross The Step, an' their nearest point ain't far from where we lost that rustlin' gent. I've been lookin' the ground over." The next few miles were covered in silenc
e. At intervals a blazed tree was passed, telling them they were on the right path, but the journey was taking longer than the marshal had expected; darkness had doubled the difficulty and made any attempt at speed impossible. So the grey light of dawn was streaking the eastern sky when they reached their destination--the stretch of gravelly ground. On the edge of this, screened by thick bushes, they drew rein.
"If my hunch is good, they'll come this way," the marshal said. "An Injun would lose their tracks on that stuff, an' there's more on the other side o' the creek; the place was made for fellas on the dodge." For a while they waited as patiently as might be, watching the stars pale and fade before the coming of the day. It was a wearisome business, for the morning air was chill, and they dared not smoke. Dave voiced the thoughts in both their minds:
"Mebbe we've missed 'em." Sudden raised a warning hand; his sharp ears had caught the snap of a twig away to their left. Soon came the pad of a trotting horse.
"On'y one, seemin'ly," Dave murmured perplexedly.
Both drew out their rifles. The sounds became clearer, and presently a horseman emerged from the undergrowth. In the half-light, they could see that his features were blotted out by a kerchief, and secured to the cantle of his saddle was a bulky package. Unhurriedly he began to cross the open space and was less than a hundred yards away when Sudden's voice rose above the rumble of the waterfall :
"Hold on, or we'll drop yu." They saw the violent start, the snatched look at the two men, who had now ridden out, and heard the curse which greeted their appearance. Grabbing a gun, the unknown sent two bullets whistling past their ears, and then--apparently realizing that in another moment they would be upon him --bent low in the saddle and spurred his mount remorselessly.
"If he gets to the stream we'll lose him like we did afore," Sudden said, and raised his rifle.
One shot, and the fugitive flung up his arms and pitched to the ground; the pony careered on. With scarce a glance at the sprawling form, the two men raced after the the runaway, and in a short space Sudden's loop settled over its head. Pulling the brute alongside, he thumped the package, and grinned with saturnine satisfaction when he heard the unmistakable clink of coin.
Sudden Takes The Trail (1940) s-6 Page 8
