"What do you think of it?" Belle laughed, turning this and that way to display herself.
Before Joan could reply, a familiar voice forestalled her: "Charming, Belle; you need only the mask to be my double."
"Let me try," she said saucily, holding out her hand.
"We've no time for play," he replied sharply. "The horses are waiting."
The scene outside was one of bustle and excitement, and the fact that every man was carrying a rifle, coupled with their own hurried departure, gave Joan a glimmering of the truth; her friends were coming to the rescue. Obeying their conductor's order, they went to his apartment. Belle's eyebrows rose when she saw the open trap-door.
"A private exit?" she laughed. "What a clever devil you are, Jeff. Come along, Miss Keith, we shall learn all his secrets."
They descended until they reached the cave where Keith had spent so many solitary months. Belle looked at the man archly.
"I wonder what love-bird occupied this comfortable cage?" she said. "you are full of surprises, Jeff."
"The best is yet to come," he returned curtly, and went to the opening which served as a window.
Joan absently opened one of the books on the table. The fly-leaf bore the inscription "Jefferson Keith" and she closed it quickly. At that moment, the Chief called them, and even Belle's self-assurance failed her when she saw the frail rope-ladder dangling aginst the face of the cliff.
"My God, Jeff, you're not expecting us to go down that, are you?" she exclaimed.
"No, I'm ordering you to," he replied forcefully. "It's safe enough--if you hold on."
Heights had no terrors for the range-bred girl. "I will go first," Joan offered.
The masked man divined that she would risk being dashed to fragments rather than remain alone with him; anger, and his natural instinct to inflict pain, brought a refusal.
"No, age before beauty," he said, dealing a double blow. "Go, Belle, and don't look down."
The taunt served its purpose. Furious, the woman crawled through the opening and commenced the descent.
She was not without courage, but this was an ordeal outside her experience, and the thought of what would happen if she fell, paralysed her. Clinging desperately to the ladder, she moved so slowly that the man above cursed impatiently. Weak and dizzy, she every moment expected to slip and feel her body hurtling through the air. When she was half-waythough she did not know that--her flimsy support began to sway under her weight and she paused, frozen with fear.
"Don't stop, damn you, unless you want death."
The strident voice, cleaving the atmosphere like a bullet, lashed her to action. Blind to everything save the ropes she must grip and the rungs she must find for her feet, she went on, and at last the watchers above saw her vanish over the bulge at the bottom of the cliff.
"That yell saved her life--in another moment the fool would have fallen," Satan said. "I expect better from you. I hate to let you go, Joan, but it is only for a day or so."
His eyes were alive now, alive with a passion which chilled and frightened. But she must play her part.
"I don't understand," she said wearily. "I know you would not hurt me--Jeff."
"I shall explain everything," he replied eagerly, his hot gaze devouring her. "Joan, I could take your kisses, but .. . Go, girl, before the nearness of you weakens my will."
She needed no second bidding; the peril she was about to face could not compare with that she left behind. So, with a light heart, she followed Belle. Holding tightly, she looked neither up nor down, keeping her eyes glued on the rocky wall before them. One thought only came to her as she dropped lower and lower--Jeff must have escaped in the. same way. Somehow, the probability gave her confidence, and almost before she realized that the task was done, a pair of huge hands lifted her from the ladder, set her on the ground, and she was gazing into the grinning face of Silver.
"Here you is, an' there's the hosses. Let's be goin'," he said.
There were four animals, one of them packed with supplies. In a brief space, they were on their way.
Chapter XXV
The first arrivals at the Twin Diamond ranch-house on the following morning were Lagley, Frosty, and Lazy. The face of the foreman wore a worried frown as he drew Sudden aside.
"Dugout has shown up ten strong but I'm fearin' we've overlooked a bet," he said. "Turvey's pulled his freight an' it ain't hard to guess where he's gone."
"But he didn't know."
"May have heard me talkin' to Frosty--he was late for supper, 'cordin' to Lazy, said his hoss was troublesome."
Before the puncher could reply, another voice chimed in.
"By Christmas, if it isn't Steve Lagley. How are you, old grumbler?"
Lagley spun round, a picture of perturbation, but he managed to grasp the extended hand, staring hard the while. "Mighty glad to see yu agin, Master Jeff," he said.
"What are you looking for--a red mask?" Keith asked slyly.
The foreman's coppery skin took on a purple tinge. "No, I on'y wanta see that once more, through the sights o' my gun."
"Don't you do it," the young man cried. "He's my meat."
"Yo're both wrong--he's mine," Sudden corrected. He looked at Keith. "There's Dealtry; go an' speak with him."
The boy hesitated a mere second, squared his shoulders, stepped to where the officer was standing, and said quietly: "Morning, sheriff."
Dealtry, who had just dismounted, turned, scanned him closely, and then said, "Well, Jeff, I've had some hard thoughts 'bout you; wrongly, as it now appears."
"I didn't shoot Dan," Keith said earnestly. "We were friends, and our difference would have been forgotten in the morning. I suppose it was my running away ..."
"Yeah, it looked bad. If you'd stayed--but there, I reckon `if' is the cussedest word in the world. What Green told me yestiddy made it plain. All I want now is to slant a gun on that--."
"Yo're fourth on the list an' ain't got a chance," Sudden grinned. "How much help yu brought?"
"There's on'y a dozen of us but we're good," was the sheriff's modest reply. "Got any plan?"
Mart Merry, the Double K foreman, and his two men joined the group, and the rancher answered the question.
"There's but two ways into the durn place. My idea is to split our force an' attack 'em both at the same time. Yu agree, Jim?"
"Nothin' else for it," the cowboy concurred. "Mart, yu an' Dealtry can take this side, an' the Double K an' Dugout men the other."
"What are yu goin' to do, Jim?" the rancher asked.
"I want a few fellas who can shoot fast an' arc willin' to gamble. Yu see, I know of another way in--hit on it by chance--an' it's possible, with trouble both ends o' the town, it may be overlooked. Once in, mebbe we can grab the leader, an' anyway, we'll have the gates between two fires. What yu think of it, Steve?"
"It's good," Lagley said. "Likewise, it's a Double K job. Here's three of us--"
"Four," Keith put in quietly.
"An' I can soon git the others--they'll all wanta come."
"Three more will do--them gates are a tough proposi tion," Sudden decided. "Go get 'em, Steve." He followed as the foreman went to his horse. "Yu know where to meet us?"
"Yeah. How d'yu learn 'bout that way in, Jim?"
"Yu showed it me," the puncher smiled.
"Yo're lettin' me down mighty easy; I ain't forgettin' it." Further preparations for the fray did not take long. Sudden had a final word.
"We won't make a move till yu got 'em real interested at both ends. So long, an' good luck."
Soon after he had gone, Merry and the sheriff set out, their men straggling behind. The cowboys, for the most part, jested and poked fun at one another, indifferent to the fact that they were about to risk their lives, but the Red Rock men rode with grave, determined faces : they were there to administer the law.
Less than an hour's ride brought them within sight of their objective, a gate of heavy timber set between unscaleable heights which, continuing f
or about a hundred yards, walled in the narrow approach. Dealtry pulled up with an exclamation of dismay.
"Phew! That's a nice nut to crack, Mart," he said. "How in blue blazes are we to git near?"
"Leave the hosses round the bend an' try to sneak up--they won't find aimin' too easy if we keep the lead flyin'."
"I'll give 'em a chance first," the sheriff replied.
Before the rancher could protest, he rode forward, alone, right hand raised, palm outwards, the Indian form of the white flag. He had not proceeded far when the ugly features of Roden bobbed up behind the barrier.
"That'll be near enough," he called. "Who are you an' what's yore errand?"
"I'm the sheriff o' Red Rock, an' I'm lookin' for a fella named Lander."
"Never heard of him."
"He hides his face behind a red mask," Dealtry went on. "Turn him over to me, surrender yoreselves, an' I'll deal with you as leniently as the law will let me. That's my only offer."
"An' here's mine," Roden retorted. "Git to hell outa here or I'll send you there. Scat!" He fired as he finished, and the bullet ballooned the dust under the belly of the officer's horse. "That's the on'y ca'tridge I'm wastin'," he added.
Dealtry paced slowly back to his companions. The horses were bestowed safely, and the men, prone on their stomachs and taking advantage of any inequality in the ground which would serve as shelter, began a steady bombardment. The besieged replied, but the hail of lead soon rendered the loopholes in the gate dangerous, and their response slackened. During a slight lull, the muffled crash of gun-fire in the distance announced that the second attack had commenced.
The Double K cowboys and their supporters from Dugout had, in fact, the harder task, and Lanky--who had been appointed leader--muttered grotesque oaths as he surveyed the narrow approach, with its perpendicular cliff on one side and precipice on the other.
"What we want is wings, an' the on'y kind we're liable to git'll have a harp thrown in," he grumbled. "Hey, Jansen, what's that young cannon yo're totin'?"
"She's an old Sharps buffalo gun," the store-keeper replied. "Kicks like a mule, but throws a two-ounce slug what'll go through a man like he ain't there."
"Can yu use her?"
"I expect there's some here could shoot better," Jansen confessed.
"Yu take my Winchester an' lemme try her," Lanky suggested.
Flattened out in a little hollow, he cuddled the stock of the weapon, took careful aim, and fired. The shrill burst of profanity and tornado of lead which followed the boom of thebig gun denoted that damage had been done. Afterwards they learned that the shot had passed through a loophole, shattered the chest of a bandit about to fire, and permanently crippled another behind him.
"She's bully," Lanky said, ejecting the empty shell and pushing in a second. "If we had six o' these, we'd knock that blame' gate to hellangone."
Meanwhile, Sudden and his party were preparing to get into the game. The topmost cave, at least, seemed to be unguarded, and a rope having been adjusted, Sudden and Lagley slid down to investigate. A cautious peep at the street below showed it to be deserted; the ladder for the next step in the descent was in position.
"Anybody watchin' will be at the bottom," Sudden said. "Call the boys."
Keith and the other four joined them. In the cave below they again found a ladder, and silence, save for the dulled, spiteful voices of the guns outside. A third stage, and a querulous remark drifted up to them: "Just our luck to be tied here, missin' all the fun. I told Turvey they wouldn't know--hello, Flicksy, how's it goin'?"
"Bad," came the reply. "Th' gate can't last much longer--they got a buffalo gun what's makin' matchwood of it. Turvey an' two more is cashed an' most of us chipped some."
"What about them?"
"I sent one over th' edge an' I reckon he won't feel th' bump when he lands, but we dassen't show a nose. I du no who cut them damn loopholes, but ..." The stream of blasphemies died away in the distance.
"Mebbe we ain't so unlucky arter all," a new voice said. There were two of them, squatting near the entrance to the cave, rifles within reach. Noiselessly as cats, the cowboys crept down the ladder, and before the surprised sentinels could utter a sound, they were roped, gagged, and carried to the floor above. So far, all had gone well, but the crucial moment had come. Sudden had his plan ready.
"Jeff an' Frosty will come with me to search out Miss Keith an' Satan," he said. "The rest o' yu can drive these dawgs from the Dugout gate an' let our lads in."
With his two companions, he ran swiftly across the open space, kicked wide the door of the Chief's quarters and dashed in, only to hear the slam of the trap as it fell into place.
"Damnation, he must have seen us," he cried.
They uncovered the opening to see the ladder lying below. Sudden did not hesitate; hanging by his hands, he dropped, landing safely; the others followed. Flinging back a second trap-door, they raced down into the room Jeff knew so well; it was empty. Sudden sprang to the window just in time to see the man they sought leap into the saddle of his black and spur the animal into the undergrowth. "You taught me that trick, Sudden," came the shouted taunt. The swinging rope-ladder seemed a further mockery.
"Can't we follow?" Keith asked despairingly.
"Yeah, when we get hosses. He had his getaway all fixed, if the cards went against him. But he was alone. C'mon, we're wasting time."
They made their way up again to find a very different scene. The eastern gate had fallen, and the Double K cowboys, shouting and shooting, were driving the remnant of its defenders before them. From the drifting clouds of thin blue smoke came spits of flame and the crack of exploding cartridges. Yells of defiance, curses and groans of stricken men added to the clamour. Though the outlaws fought with the courage of cornered beasts, Sudden could see that victory was but a matter of time.
"We gotta find someone who can give us news o' Miss Keith," he said.
At that moment, Lazy emerged from one of the caverns with a prisoner; it was Anita.
"Hi, yu Frosty fella, look what I found," he called out.
Sudden went to them. "yu've found a very good friend o' mine, Lazy," he said. "I'm obliged to yu for takin' care of her." The cowboy let go the captive's wrist as though it burned him. The girl's dark eyes asked a question.
"He escaped--for the time," Sudden told her. "We are looking for Miss Keith."
"He sent her away yesterday, with Silver, and the other woman," she replied. "I saw them pass along the valley, going west."
She could tell them no more, having had but a glimpse, but the news drove the blood from Jeff's cheeks and brought an oath to his lips. A burst of cheering from the other gate, and flying figures seeking sanctuary in the cave-dwellings from the pitiless leaden pellets, announced the triumph of the Twin Diamond contingent. Hell City was taken. The firing died out, a little breeze dispelled the veil of smoke and acrid smell of burnt powder; here and there, arms outflung, face downwards, lay the form of what had lately been a man.
The sheriff and Merry came hurrying up, both with the same question. The answer left them glum indeed.
"Me, Frosty, an' Jeff is takin' the trail soon as we get our hosses," Sudden told them.
"I'm with you," Dealtry said. "Mart, you ain't built for speed; s'pose you stay to clean house, an' then come along if we ain't back?"
"Suits me," the rancher replied.
"An' Mart, look after Miss Anita here--we owe her a lot." Sudden requested. "C'mon, fellas, let's get goin'." He started and stopped. "Which I'm shorely dumb. Where'd yu leave yore broncs, Mart? Just outside? We'll use some of 'em --that'll save time."
Shortly afterwards they were travelling westward at full speed. When they reached the split in the trail, they had to decide which turning to take. Sudden got down and studied the surface.
"Several hosses have gone to the left recent," he said, "an' one of 'em was in a hurry. Hello, what's this?"
His searching eyes had caught a gleam of white in the grass, an
d he picked it up. The find proved to be a tiny fragment of linen, embroidered with the letters, "J.K." He passed it to Jeff, who needed only a glance.
"It's a bit of Joan's handkerchief--she must have dropped it in the hope that someone would follow."
"Smart of her to leave a signpost," Sudden remarked, and smiled as he saw the boy slip the said "signpost" into a pocket. "It's a safe bet Satan is on his way to join her."
Frosty was enjoying a private joke. "We are now leavin' the place where I staged my on'y hold-up an' got away with thirty thousand cold, belongin' to the Bosviile bank," he stated, with a sly look at Dealtry.
"Best tell a straight story, or the sheriff will pull yu in," Sudden bantered. "An' keep agoin' while yo're doin' it."
The Double K rider obliged, telling the tale in a whimsical way which made two of his hearers laugh; Dealtry listened with grave intentness, his gaze on the man pounding along a pace ahead of him.
"yo're an odd number, Jim," he said. "If ever you take the crooked trail, I hope it don't lead you to these parts; you'd get us all guesin'--wrong."
The compliment brought a sardonic smile to the puncher's lips; the sheriff did not know that the man to whom he paid it had already a price on his head.
Chapter XXVI
Some eight miles past the Devil's Bowl was a similar but smaller hollow, one side of which sloped gently to the sagebrush plain which rose and fell unendingly to the horizon, while the other climbed abruptly to a jagged ridge. At the farther end, hedged in by pines, stood a great tooth of rock, streaked and splashed with reds, greens, and yellows. At the foot of it, some ten yards apart, were a couple of caves, and in front of them, a level expanse of scorched grass.
The place was known as Painted Valley, and it was here that Silver and his charges were waiting. The women, after a night passed in one of the natural shelters, were sitting in the shade of the trees. The man was squatting on a big boulder a little distance away, watching. The horses, still saddled,were tied to the pine-trunks. Joan regarded the animals wistfully. "Can't we reach them and escape?" she ventured.
"I have no wish to," Belle replied. "Even if it were possible, wandering in this wilderness without supplies doesn't appeal to me. Moreover, Silver has a gun."
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