Show M ME wit ROBBERS B R ROOST M 0 M T by b ZANE Z A N el ga RET R copyright trel tr vl 1 CHAPTER R VII continued 9 one of his hh first shots shota lift hit a horse and his second connected with a rider who plunged like a crippled rabbit back out 0 of eight bight the others of Hoe semans outfit took alarm dodged here and there to tilde hide or ran back jim hauled day to a halt and soon the pack horses galloped by every pack riding well lincoln dashed into sight first closely followed by mac happy jack jacland and jeff all with guns smoking and lastly came slocum hatless atless li blood on his face jest barked panted slocum cutri load yer ier guns an rido ride around tile the next turn they came upon hays and hla his two riders with mother another big intersecting canyon on tile right it looked as it if pursuers w were ere held field up tip deeper and deeper grew the can you yon slid alid afternoon found the fugitives entering a less constricted area where sunlight t and open ahead attested to the vicinity of a n wader canyon surely the dirty devil and so BO it pro proved ved hays waited for lila his riders and tile to rea reach chhim him hank II atik air you alwill for thet roost you always give us a litin hunch ch about but never produced asked slocum curo ivo ive saved savea it islip up smoky for fer jest some such deal as tills this jim over the back of his horse watched bliss herrick she was tiring tiling and her head liend drooped the robber took up tier her halter and straddling his horse he spurred into the tha muddy stream an hour later he turned into a crack that could not bo be sann seen n hundred yards back and when jim reached it ithe lie waa yas amazed to see the robber leading up ti another nother narrow gorge down which ran another swift narrow stream jim appreciated that a man would havo have had bad to know where this athla entrance was or ho he could never have found it this gash wound like a snake into tile the bowels of the colored overhang ing earth presently they reached a bottom from w which aich weirdo black bold walls stoia up ir ragged of rim alna against the sky ayar wo we air called out hays throw saddles nn an packs backs let the bosses go no fear of bosses ever tills this place jims night owl eyes discerned flays lifting miss bliss on off her horse and halt half carrying her cr oft toward the rustling jim making pretense of leading his horse followed until gioya stopped at the border of what appeared a round grovo grove of cottonwoods cotton wooda woods ima impenetrable to the sight oil for G gla la Ws sake let go of root gasped the girl and sank down on the grass you ilou I 1 piny may its as well get used to thet 1 I replied iines in a lowly low voice olce do you want anything any thin to eat water only water im choking til ill fetch some an a bed for fer you little did hays realize as ho he strode wick buck to tile the horses that jim stood at there in the gloom a clutching ing hand on his gun and mad lust for blood to la his heart jim knew lid ho meant to kill hays why not now hut but as before he had the sagacity anti and the will to resist a craving soon a crackle crack loof of fire turned alu to see a growing light and elnra dark forms of men jm waited until he saw hays go to the camp fire and then ho he too joined tile tho men what kind of a roost la is it hank flank like the die dragon canyon no I 1 sten seen that place one its it a cavo cave high up forty feet debbe from the canyon bed only ono one outlet to that tha burrow an theta by tho the samo same way you como this roost bas hoa four we could never bot bo fetched in a hundred years IIan lc howd the tha lady stand the title aldo shea nil all in hank how air you colw to collect colit thet ransom now inquired lincoln iduino 1 I dunno sh ore apol led ray my plan jim watched the robber robbed chief minister to tile tho wounded latimer while lie he was bandaging tho the wound jim stole away in the darkness toward where the tha chief had left his ft was dark as aa pitch toward tile the grove of cotton wooda but jim located gray objects against tho the black grass ile ho stole closer 41 where hero are you miss herrick lie ho called in a tense whisper its it jim wall aval I 1 ito ho heard a sound made by boots on calvas ciu ivaa peering sharply he anally located her sitting up on a half unrolled bed find he dropped on one knee her eyes appeared unnaturally largo large arid black in her white face oil oh you iou must bo be careful ile iio said aalde heid hed shoot any roan man who came near me inc she whispered lae lie would lt he could authell Bu but hell thell THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING jim wall young cowpuncher from wyoming seeks a new field in utah ile ha meets hank flank hays who tells him he li is working for or an englishman herrack Herr lck who has hai located locate ds a big ranch hays flays and others are plotting to st steal al their employers catt battla a and money with hays happy jack and lincoln wall arrives at herricks ranch haya flays unfolds his plan for or getting possession of herricks head of live tock stock ile he and his lieutenants ride ariy away to drive oft off the first bunch of cattle lIe heeseman eseman hays flays rival among the cattle rustler stells tells wall Hays was once his heesemann Hee Itee semans part ner and double crossed him herrack delegates jim to go to grand junction 46 to meet helen flar herricks ricks sister jim tries to impress her with the tact fact that he jim tsa isa desperado of the wort type but the girl treats the in formation lightly hays flays betrays unusual interest in the coming of miss bliss jim finds himself falling in love lov with helen and finally kisses her hen she dismisses him but relents relent wand ancl asks aska him not to leave the ranch hays nion men return having sold tho the cattle and broughto brought 1 back the money A quick getaway Is s imperative hays flays tells his men togo on ahead that he will join them later ile he comes with helen herrack a captive explaining that he robbed herrack and stole helen for or ransom the girl will be worse off it she alls falls into Ilee Heeseman semans 5 clutches alm jim rides on with hank and nd his men heesemann Hee semans riders are discovered in pursuit never kill me miss herrick tin jim whispered back 1 I want to tell you yoi ill got get you out of this some way was or other keep up your couri courage ige fight ahlm lf ir 11 l 1 I felt save me she in ill her soft voice breaking pit oh if I 1 had only listened to you I 1 iut but I 1 afraid I 1 left both my door and windows open that how they got goi in I 1 ordered them out but lie ho made that sparrow ii roan man point a gun at me he jerked mo me out 1 of bed throwing tile nio on the floar I 1 was flag half stunned then lie ho ordered me to dress dresa to ride keep your nerve interposed jim with a backward glance toward the camp camil flie fire but ill not deceive you hank hays Is capable e of anything ilia his men are loyal n except me rin im with them though I 1 dont belong to the outfit I 1 could kill him blin any ilme but id tune have to fight the rest tile tho odds are too great id never save you that way you must help me play for time till opportunity offers 1 I trust you ill do as you say oh thank you you said lie ho robbed you went on jim with another look back at camp hays was standing erect yes I 1 had four thousand pounce in american currency the man found it also my jewelry another thing which worries mo me now lie he made roe me pack a bundle of clothes my toilet articles ahue but where 11 hero ads all this while they said paid they had tied him up in tile the living room how much money did herrick have lavo on hand III 1 I dont know but considerable I 1 it Is a good bet lie he robbed your brother tab that makes this ran som deal daal look fishy even it if there else therel there I 1 ile iio la Is coming go go I 1 you are hope without a look jim rose t to 0 glide aWa away along the he grove lie he realized realised reali sed that hat when hank hays stole this girl from her home he had broken tho the law of his band lie he had betrayed them ho fie had doomed himself no matter what loyalty they felt for hays tho the woman would hango change it it her presence alone meant disruption and death morning disclosed ns as remarkable kable a place as jim had find ever seen the grove contained perhaps twenty five acres of level sward as grassy as any pasture aside from the features that made this retreat ideal for robbers it wils was amazing dinits in its fertility in its protected isolation and in the brilliance of its many colors jim alin strode over to the camp ire fire to wash hows asked jim stopped ble bleeden edin 1 it was hays who answered this time but I 1 gotta dig out thet bullet an im plumb feared I 1 cant let it be a while afo hows ws our prisoner say all you tellers fellers askin me thet fact Is I 1 dont know she was dead to the tha world last jast night let tier her sleep that was anaw an awful ride after grub well climb up an look our roost over announced hays presently it certainly ta Is a great robbers rob bera roost agreed jim wiping his face if we set get surprised well simply g go out on the other side wal lowal we jest rant ant be surprised said hays complacently ony one lookout with a glass can watch all the approaches it I 1 was flee senian and had seen you as jie fie sure saw us id find you in three days returned jim deliberately era tely wall ill bet you two to one thet het you cant even een git out of here declared hays why ninn man you just told us all how to get out down the gully yes dut but youve never seen it an W shore be stuck wal well keep watch durin daylight fellers hays said at theand the end of the meal 1 I forgot to tell you thet we took a little money from herrick ill make a divvy on thet today I 1 this news was received with manifest satisfaction how flow much about hank asked bridges eagerly not noi much I 1 count rock reckon ona a couple thousand each thet added to what ive got will make mace me flush an im gonna keep it Il hank lank as theres no deal in sight all summer an debbe not then wo we can gamble huh gamble camble yourselves black in the face provided theres no its good we any likker hank flank whence you alman to col lect elect ransom berthe fer the girl not thet hard shooting outfit Is kampin on our trail later jim caught smoky aside digging into his pack and approached pro ached him to whisper smoky 1 I wish we had time to talk but ill say bay this right from tho shoulder its ita up to you and me to see no harm comes to this girl I 1 why you au an me jim returned S smoky his penetrating eyes on walls why I 1 wish I 1 iliad had time to kiil talk but youve got gol to take tak me straight if I 1 here do 0 your best for her my hunch bunch shoot now flow quick I 1 hays js Is suspicious wal yore a sharp cuss jim returned smoky going back to 0 his pack im with you ona of us lias has always got to be heah in camps camp day aw an night do you savval savvy yea ia thanks smoky some how rd id have sworn by you replied jim hurriedly and retraced his steps to the fire CHAPTER VIII amen AFTER FTER breakfast hays led his men except latimer up through the west outlet from which they climbed to the highest point in the vicinity every pot holni n t of tile the green holevas hol hole ewas was in plain eight every approach pa to it even that down the dark gully lay exposed brad lincoln said sarcastically so you been savin till this roost tor for your old age then jim put in his quiet opinion A band of men could h hang ang out here for twenty years unless they fought among themselves hit hal III slocum let out a single sharp exclamation they left jim on the bluff bluet to keep the first watch jim had hilss herricks word as to tile the amount acourt taken from her it was a certainty that hays had bad also robbed her brother but he had not reported tho the truth as to the amount and this was another singular proof of the disintegration of the chiefs character in all likelihood latimer was wag aware of this omission on the chiefs part probably ho he had been bribed to keep hi his mouth shut whatever there was to learn jim meant to learn long after noonday and when jim had bad spent at least six hours on watch jea jeff at bridges detached himself bel f from his comrades and labora gabort bously made hla his way up tile the long slope to the bluff upon which jim was stationed jim relinquished relInquish edthe the glass and his seat seaf to bridges ile he made his way leisurely down oft off the smooth red ledges to the slope and eventually to the valley floor door jim take a snack of grub an then come to work with us said rays hays while they were at it smoky Y suggested they erect a sun and rain shelter for the prisoner hays contented consented with a bad grace so before dark they built one for miss bliss herrick that would add materially to her comfort A tiny stream ran out from under the trees jim banked ban ked it up w with ith clean red rocks forming a alne little pool of clear cold water smoky deftly fashioned a ru rude dearm armchair which when covered with saddle blankets made an acceptable seat hays haya not to be wholly out done cut and carried a great armload of ferns corae come out miss he called into the jhb tent helen clelen emerged her eyes suspiciously red but that did not mar the flash of them hays am I 1 to gather from this kindly service that my stay hero here will be indefinite she queried wal it looks like thet you cau can send jim wall and another of your men back to star ranch ill write a letter to my brother to pay and ask no questions or make no moves 11 shore I 1 reckon jim would go its easy to see thet but none of my regular men would risk it returned hays theres a better way hank spoke up smoky send jim an me back with the girl if shell promise it well get the money 1 I give my word swiftly agreed miss herrick Herr when it suits me which Is I 1 when its safe to send f fee er thet ransom money ill do it an not before hays stalked away t toward oward the ca cook 0 k shelter 1 you your name helen asked turning to smoky will wal you can call rue me smoky drawled that worthy jim has made you a friend to help me III 1 I reckon so but fer dawds sake dont talk so loud try to savvy this deal an your part in it smoky wheeled to his task as hays strode back into earshot miss her rick entered her tent and after that little more was spoken between the men and presently at hays suggestion they quit for the day whar you bunkin smoky inquired hays I 1 under the cliff with sparrow thet poor devil needs 11 jim whar you sleeping sleep slee pin ln theres my bed and pack and saddle replied wall coln pointing aln g 11 ill II leave them there till it rains darkness soon settled down and with it the robbers worn out with their labors jim stayed up long enough to see hays stretch in hla his blankets under happys happas shelter the next day was like tho the preceding with its camp tasks and improvements prove ments the guard duty attendance upon sparrow and the universal if covert coveri observance of nils miss herrick to do her credit she kept out of lier her tent ate exercised and watched with great anilo anxious us eyes that haunted jim after that day after day full of watching and suspense tor for jim wore on the seventh day during the heat beat of the afternoon jim was on the lookout from fro inthe the bluff with his field mass glass when he returned smoky parse came to meet him sparrows been askin fer you he said moodily im aceaid nf eared hes lots when jim bent over the wasted I 1 va its up to you and me to see no harm comes to this girl 11 la latimer timer it was indeed to feel a cold apprehension what la Is it sparrow ive been on watch said jim am I 1 a goin to croak queried latimer calmly youve a fighting chance sparrow wid wal ive been shot before but I 1 never had this queer feelen now jim ilni it if I |