CHAPTER VI

THE REAL LOW-DOWN

They rode on in silence. When they reached the north end of the ridge the man in the lead turned west on a slope studded with large boulders and rock outcroppings. There was considerable shale here, too, and they had to proceed cautiously in spots, both for fear of sliding down the shale and to prevent making much noise.

"If they follow us up here, we can hear 'em before they get to us,"

said the man who called himself Percy, with a shrug and a frowning look at his companion.

Rathburn did not reply.

They continued across the slope and descended into a large bowl or pocket, guarded by huge boulders and scattering trees on the slope above.

"Guess it's safe to rest our horses here," said Percy. "We can hear 'em coming either way; but I don't think they'll get up here."

However, neither he nor Rathburn knew how many men Brown had at his command, nor did they know that the sheriff of the county, with two deputies, had raced to Dry Lake by automobile, procured horses, and hastened to join Brown on the east trail, which seemed the most likely route of escape for the outlaw.

There was a spring in the pocket surrounded by a small meadow of good gra.s.s. The pair watered their horses, loosened their saddle-cinches, and permitted the animals to graze with reins dangling.

Rathburn took his slicker pack from the rear of his saddle and spread it open on the ground.

"Reckon it's safe to build a small fire here?" he asked cheerfully.

"I'm powerful hungry, an' I've got some emergency provisions--being trail-broke."

Percy, too, was hungry, as his eager look toward the pack testified.

"I'll climb up to the top on the lower side an' keep an eye out while you fix some grub," he volunteered. "You needn't be scared of me jumping over the other side. There's a drop of about five hundred feet over there."

"Go ahead and jump if you want," said Rathburn. "Me--I'd rather live.

That's why I want to eat."

While the other climbed to his lookout position Rathburn made a fire.

Then he took a small frying pan and coffeepot, minus its handle, from the pack, removed the packages stuffed in them, and soon was making coffee, frying bacon, and warming up beans. This, with some hard biscuits and some sirup out of a bottle, const.i.tuted their meal, which Rathburn soon had ready.

Again he looked closely at Percy's face as the latter scrambled down from his perch to appease his hunger.

Suddenly he burst out laughing; but it was a belittling laugh, half sneering, which brought the blood to the face of the captive while Rathburn watched him closely.

"If I had to-day's actions to do over again you mightn't be so tickled," said the man viciously.

"I'm laughing to think how lucky you are for a rank beginner an'

botcher!" said Rathburn as they began to eat. "You must have took a course in outlawing from some correspondence school," he continued.

"Maybe you could have done better," hinted the other.

"Quite likely I could," admitted Rathburn. "In the first place I'd have shut that back door after I came in so n.o.body could pot shot me from behind. Yes, I reckon I'd have done that."

Percy glared at him thoughtfully.

"Then I wouldn't have let myself get in line with the front and side windows," Rathburn taunted. "Lots of men are shot through windows.

Ever hear of such a thing?"

His listener didn't answer.

"An' now that I think of it," Rathburn droned on, "I'd have lined those men up against the wall with their faces turned away from me.

That puts 'em at more of a disadvantage, an' they can't see what's going on."

Percy now was regarding him keenly.

"Let's see," said Rathburn, with tantalizing slowness. "Oh, yes, Percy. I wouldn't have taken anything from the cash drawers but the bills. I don't like to take the time to monkey around with a lot of silver; besides, it sort of weights one down."

He paused long enough to let that sink in, then continued: "The thing I'd have paid most of my attention to--excepting for keeping a watchful eye on the men against the wall an' the windows an'

doors--would have been the safe. The big money's usually in the safe, an' the bartender can be induced to open the safe just as easy as he can be persuaded into opening the cash drawers. An' say, Percy, I'd never let a bartender get as close to me as you let that fellow get to you. He might start something, then you'd have to begin shootin' an'

that would alarm the town an' ball up the program."

"You talk like you'd had considerable experience," observed Percy warily.

"Maybe so. Maybe I have. But if I have, I can say I've never pulled anything quite so raw as the way you pulled that stunt last night down in Dry Lake, Percy. That is the real low-down on that. You just naturally laid yourself open to attack from all quarters."

His captive looked at him both respectfully and sheepishly.

"An' there's only one reason why you got away with it," said Rathburn, his eyes narrowing.

"Because I was lucky like you say, I suppose," sneeringly answered Percy.

"No!" thundered Rathburn. "You got away with it because they thought you were The Coyote!"

The captive started; stared at Rathburn with widened eyes.

"That's why you got away with it," continued Rathburn in a hard voice.

"An' you thought you'd cinch it when you told 'em before you went out that they could tell their funny judge you called!"

Rathburn's eyes blazed with angry contempt. "Trading on somebody else's name," he mocked. "Trying to make out you was the goods, an' I believe they thought you was The Coyote, at that. Man, I saw the whole dirty business."

Percy's face went white. However, his emotion was more anger than fear, and he was prey to an overpowering curiosity.

"How do you know I _ain't_ The Coyote?" he asked shrewdly.

Rathburn stared at him--stunned. Then he leaped to his feet and his gun flashed into his hand in a movement too swift for the eye to follow.

"Go over there and look at the brand on my horse," he commanded.

"Remember how that printed bill read that put it in your fool head to try an' masquerade as The Coyote, an' then read the brand on that horse!"

The captive rose and without a look back walked to where Rathburn's horse was cropping the gra.s.s. The left side of the animal was toward him and for a few moments he stood looking with bulging eyes at the CC2 on the shoulder. Then he turned slowly.