CHAPTER XXII
A SECOND CAPTURE
Rathburn rode straight up the trail which led from the powder housetoward the pass over the big mountain. His eyes were gleaming withsatisfaction, but several times they clouded with doubt, and he feltthe bank notes in his coat pocket. Each time, however, he would shakehis head and push on up the trail with renewed energy.
Looking backward and downward, he could see the posses gathering inthe street of the mine village. He sensed the excitement which hadfollowed the sudden disappearance of Sautee and smiled grimly. He sawthat the automobile from the hogback had reached the village. Scoresof men were clustered about it. He knew Mannix was taking personalcharge of the man hunt; but there was a chance to get away!
He looked wistfully eastward. Somewhere off there, beyond the rollingfoothills, was the desert. He thrilled. It had been there he had madehis first mistake. Goaded by the loss of his small cattle ranch he hadtaken revenge on the man who had foreclosed on him and others in asimilar predicament. He had held up the bank and restored a smallmeasure of the losses. Even then the profit of the unscrupulous moneylender had been enormous.
But the law had marked Rathburn. The gunmen who were jealous of hisreputation as an expert at the draw had forced him to fall back uponthat draw to protect his life. Thus he had been driven to obtain aliving in the best way he could, and something in the dangerous,uncertain life of the outlaw had appealed to his wild blood.
Sautee had said the money in his pocket was a good haul. Why not? Helooked again to eastward. Over the big mountain--into the timber--acircling back--a straight cut east----
He knew he could do it. He had evaded posses before--posses composedof trained men who were accustomed to take the man trail. It wouldactually be rare sport to play with the crowd below. His left handdropped idly into his coat pocket, and he started as he fingered whatwas there. Then his brow became furrowed, and he scowled.
"Maybe I ain't such a good guesser after all," he muttered. "Maybe I'mjust what I told Sautee--a fool."
He caught sight of a man and a boy above him. Another instant and theywere lost to view.
Rathburn suddenly put the spurs to his horse, and the dun surged upthe steep trail. As he rode, Rathburn took his rawhide lariat from itsplace on the saddle. At a point above where the trail twisted about ahuge outcropping of rock he turned off, dismounted, and crept to thetop of the rocks. Quickly he surveyed the trail above. Then he slippedback down to his horse, got in the saddle, and took up a position justat the lower end of the outcropping, some little distance back fromthe trail and above it. He held the lariat ready in his hands.
He sat his horse quietly--listening. The wind had died with the dawn,and there was no sound in the hills. The sun was mounting in the skyto eastward. Rathburn looked out over the timbered slopes below withwistful eyes. Suddenly his gaze became alert. The sound of horses uponthe rocky trail above the outcropping came to his ears.
Gradually the sound became more and more distinct. He could hear thehoofs of the horses striking against the rock of the trail. He shookout the noose of his rope, and it sang as it whirled in the air.
The head of a horse had hardly pushed past the rock when Rathburn'snoose went swirling downward and dropped true over its target. The manin the saddle loosed a string of curses as he felt the rawhide lariattighten about his arms and chest. His horse shied, and he was draggedfrom the saddle, landing on his feet, but falling instantly.
The second horse reared back, and Rathburn's gun covered the boy inthe saddle. Rathburn, keeping tight hold on the rope hand over hand,and retaining his gun in his right hand at the same time, ran down theshort pitch. The boy's horse became still, and while the youth staredRathburn trussed up the first rider and then stood off to look athim.
"Just takin' a mornin' ride, Carlisle?" he asked cheerfully. "Or didyou forget something? Don't make any false moves, kid. I ain't in aplayful mood."
The boy continued to stare, but Carlisle's face was black with rage,and curses flowed from his lips.
"That won't get you anything," Rathburn said coolly. "You might betterbe doin' some tall thinking instead of cussing. You ain't got thecards stacked for this deal, Carlisle."
"What's your game?" Carlisle managed to get out.
"It's a deep one," Rathburn replied dryly. "An' it's too complicatedto tell you now. I'm goin' to give you a chance to do the thinking Imentioned a while back. I ain't takin' your gun or your horse. Theonly thing I'm takin' is a chance, an' I ain't takin' it on _your_account."
For an instant Rathburn's eyes burned with fury. Then he draggedCarlisle into the shelter of the rocks, to the side of the trail, andtied his horse near by. Mounting, he motioned to the boy to ride downthe trail ahead of him. He looked at the big hat and the overalls theboy wore. The youth looked wildly about and then drove the spurs intohis mount and dashed down the trail with Rathburn close behind,calling to him to take it easy.
Just as they reached a spot directly above the powder house the boyreined in his horse. Rathburn saw he was looking down at the turbulentscene in the street of the little village below the mine. Then the boyswayed in the saddle, and Rathburn had just time to fling himself tothe ground and catch the senseless form in his arms as it toppled.
He put his burden down on the grass beside the trail and led his horseinto the timber and tied him. Next he picked up the boy and made hisway down to the powder house. The shouts of many men came to him fromfar below. He succeeded in getting out the keys and unlocking thepadlock which secured the door of the powder house. Then he opened thedoor, covered the frightened mine manager with his gun, and carriedhis burden in with one arm.
"One of the accomplices," he said briefly to Sautee, as he put the laddown and loosened the shirt at the throat. "He'll come around in aminute."
Sautee's eyes were popping from his head. He leaned back upon thecases of dynamite and passed a clammy hand over his brow.
"I've got Carlisle, too," said Rathburn. "Takin' it all around fromunder it ain't a bad morning's haul."
Sautee now stared at him with a new look in his eyes--a look in whichdoubt struggled with terror.
"I don't believe you _are_ The Coyote!" he blurted out.
"Who do you reckon I might be, if I ain't?" Rathburn asked quietly.
"You might be some kind of a deputy or something."
Rathburn laughed harshly. "It just happens I'm the man some folks callThe Coyote," he said. "I don't like the name, but it was wished on me,an' I can't seem to shake it off. If I wasn't the man you think I amyou wouldn't be in such a tight fix, Sautee."
Rathburn's words conveyed a subtle menace which was not lost on themine manager. Sautee cringed and rubbed his hands in his nervoustension.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"Listen!" exclaimed Rathburn.
From below came the echoes of shouts and other sounds which conveyedthe intelligence that a large body of men was on the move up to themine and the mountain slope above.
"They're after me," said Rathburn bitterly. "They think I stole thepay-rolls. They can't get me, Sautee--not alive. An' if they get methe other way I'm goin' to see to it somehow that I don't get blamedfor these jobs up here. Now, do you begin to see daylight?"
Sautee wet his dry lips. The figure on the floor stirred. The shoutsfrom below sounded more distinct.
Rathburn's gun leaped into his hand. "You better start hoping theshootin' don't begin till we understand each other, Sautee," he saidgrimly. "We've come to the show-down!"
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