The Lone Ranger Rides
Page 14
Chapter XIV
THE TRAIL LEADS DOWN
When Rangoon was tied, the Lone Ranger dragged him across the clearingand placed him with his back propped against a tree.
"You'll probably be here for some time," he said. "I'll take that gagout of your mouth if you can keep quiet."
The gag removed, the masked man studied Rangoon's face for fully aminute. "What's your name?" he asked.
Rangoon glared darkly from beneath the connected eyebrows. His mouth,already distorted somewhat by the scar on his cheek, was drawn evenfurther back when he said in a slow voice that fairly dripped with hate,"You go tuh hell."
Penny spoke. "He calls himself Rangoon."
The Lone Ranger nodded. "It seems to me that I've seen him when he hadanother name." He turned to Penelope. "You, of course, are PenelopeCavendish," he said, more as a statement than a question.
The girl nodded while her eyes remained fixed on the face beneath themask, and the mask itself. She hadn't noticed the slight limp when theLone Ranger walked; the shoulder bandage was covered by his shirt. Herfeeling was one of admiration and gratitude, but most of all resentment.She felt that Tonto had misled her. It was inconceivable that the manbefore her could so recently have been desperately in need of food. Hedidn't look helpless. He certainly hadn't acted helpless when he sawRangoon. Yet Tonto had implied that his plight was serious. Perhaps needof concealment, not starvation, had kept the masked man hidden whileTonto sought food. Though Penny liked his voice and manner and the wayhe'd handled Rangoon, she could judge him only by facts andcircumstances. He had come to the clearing--Rangoon was in the clearing.Wasn't it obvious that they came there to meet? Rangoon, known as anoutlaw--the newcomer masked. True, the masked man had fired at Rangoonwhile Rangoon fired at him, but wasn't this perhaps an act for herbenefit? Neither man was injured. These were the facts.
To Tonto, Penny said, "I didn't know your friend was an outlaw."
Tonto began to speak, but Penny continued. "If I had, I certainlywouldn't have brought food for you to take to him."
The Lone Ranger spoke quickly, "Are you the one who brought Tonto thatfood?"
"Of course. Didn't he tell you?"
"No," said the masked man, glancing at Tonto, "he did not."
Tonto was highly uncomfortable.
"If I had known where that food came from," the Lone Ranger said, "Imight not have--"
"I suppose," interrupted Penny, "the fact that you had food from theCavendish family complicates things for you."
The Lone Ranger looked at the girl somewhat surprised. She went on,speaking slowly and significantly. "It must make it a trifle difficultfor you to go ahead with your plans."
Could Penelope know his plans and suspicions? The masked man tried tofathom the enigmatic expression in the girl's face. Did she know that hefelt a strong suspicion that her uncle was hiring crooks to bring stolencattle to the Basin? Did she realize that his purpose was to fix theguilt of murder on Basin killers?
He said, "It might make everything more complicated than you realize,Miss Cavendish." He took a step toward her. "I want you to understandone thing."
"Oh, please." There was annoyance in the girl's tone. "Don't let's talkany further. You've helped me, and if you feel that I helped you, we'resquare. I'd sooner let it go at that and start for home."
"It can't go at that," the Lone Ranger said decisively. "The fact thatyou've saved my life puts me in a peculiar position." He drew acartridge from his belt. "Take this," he said offering the bullet, "andif there is any man in the world whose life means a great deal to you,tell him to carry it at all times."
Penny looked at the silver bullet in the palm of the masked man's hand.
"Silver?" she asked curiously, in spite of herself.
"Yes."
"So you want to repay me by agreeing to spare one life." She drew upproudly. "Keep your bullet. We are quite able to defend ourselvesagainst you."
Turning abruptly, she mounted Las Vegas and rode quickly away.
As Penelope guided Las Vegas downhill she felt as if a buoyant hope hadbeen punctured to sink into a black sea of despair. Her confidence inTonto had been great, and despite what she had heard about the murder ofthe Texas Rangers, some tiny voice far deep inside her kept whisperingthat she should count on the man whom the Indian called "friend." Shehad to count on someone. Yuma thought that her uncle was a leader ofkillers. Penny felt otherwise. She had hoped somehow to find a strong,stanch friend who would feel as she did. Seeing Tonto's friend, she sawa masked man. A man who offered to spare the life of the one she lovedmost, in order to repay her for food.
Now she had no one to turn to but Bryant Cavendish. Stubborn, bitter,unreasonable old man that he was, he'd have to listen to her. He must bemade to understand the forces that were piling up in his own home. Hemust be shown that Mort and Vince were scheming with Rangoon, perhapswith others; taking orders from an unknown chief; ambushing TexasRangers; murdering and Heaven only knew what else. Bryant must be madeto understand that his own life was probably in danger and must sendword out for law men, many law men, to come and help. Becky had got wordto the Texas Rangers. Bryant must find and use the same means, but thistime they must reach the Basin without being ambushed.
Bryant would be hard to talk to, but the time for diplomacy in handlinghim was past. She rode on, not knowing that old Gimlet was waiting forher with stunning news.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, instead of replacing the silver bullet in his cartridge belt,the Lone Ranger put it in his pocket. He drew the Indian aside, out ofhearing of Rangoon.
"Don't you see the spot we're in now, Tonto? If Bryant Cavendish is incharge of the Basin, as he's always been, he's the man we want. I'malive to get him, only because of what his niece did for me. She mayhave given me a life that I've dedicated to the hanging of the man shecares for. I've got to know her feelings."
Tonto nodded his agreement, looking quite dejected.
"I don't think Bryant himself did the killing, Tonto, but unless thingshave changed since the last reports came out of Bryant's Basin, he ruleshis little kingdom with a mailed fist and there isn't a thing that goeson there that he doesn't order. If killers are there, he brought themthere. The Texas Rangers must have died because Bryant Cavendish sentmen out to kill them."
Tonto studied the tall man's eyes and noted that there was a newintensity in the gray depths.
"Maybe now," he said, "we make-um camp. You need rest."
"There isn't time to rest now. Penelope Cavendish believes I'm one ofthe outlaws. If she thinks Bryant is on the level and tells him aboutseeing me, he'll make things too hot. We've got to strike before he canact. It'll soon be dark enough to get to the Cavendish house withoutbeing seen, and I'm going there.
"Cavendish is an old man. At best he hasn't many years to live. Hisniece, if she loves him, can keep him. But we're going to take thekillers that work for him and he's going to give us the evidence thatwill hang them."
The Lone Ranger spoke softly, but with a calm determination that toldTonto there was little use in trying to persuade him to postpone ameeting in a murderers' retreat.
"What's more," the Lone Ranger finished, "he's going to put thatevidence in writing."
"Tonto go with you," the Indian said. "We leave Rangoon feller tiedhere."
"No, Tonto; I'm going alone."
Tonto tried to convince the Lone Ranger that he was risking his life,that he needed help, that he should not ride unaccompanied into theBasin; but the masked man shook his head.
"My plans are better, Tonto. We're going to leave Rangoon here by thetrail these men use in going from the Basin to the outside. The firstones who come through here will find him. They'll release him and therewill be some talk. I want Rangoon to think that both of us have riddento the Basin. We'll start out down the trail, but you'll turn back andhide near by to hear what's said. I'll ride into the Basin, have ashowdown talk with Cavendish, and meet you later in our
cave in theGap."
The masked man pointed out how Tonto's natural abilities made him thelogical one to wait in the forest. No white man could maintain the vigilwith the absolute silence that was so imperative. On the other hand, theIndian's scant knowledge of white men's laws and courts of law made hima poor one to dictate the sort of statement that must be secured fromBryant Cavendish.
The two returned to the proximity of Rangoon and made ready to startriding.
"Yuh can't leave me here," the scar-faced outlaw shouted.
The Lone Ranger looked at him and said deliberately, "Why not?"
"What if I starve, what if I'm et up by animals?"
"That," retorted the masked man, "would be easier than the way the SnakeFlats homesteaders died when Abe Larkin killed them."
Rangoon's eyes went wide at the mention of the name he formerly had usedand the people he had killed.
"What d'yuh know about them?" he cried.
"The law is still keeping a noose ready for Abe Larkin."
"Where yuh goin'?" There was panic in Rangoon's voice as he saw the twomount and point their horses toward the Basin. The Lone Ranger said,"Come on, Silver."
Rangoon tugged at his ropes, struggled with them until his wrists werealmost bleeding. His courage, as darkness fell in the woodland clearing,ebbed until he was reduced to a sniveling, sobbing wretch with scantresemblance to the swaggering monster that had bullied Penelope.
"Who," he cried aloud, "who was he? Who in God's name was that maskedman with the silver bullets? He called me Abe Larkin. Who in God's namewas he?"
Somewhere, unseen in the darkness, a crouching Indian grinned.