Show T CHAPTER XIV continued 14 with the instant nil all strength left lC kelleen elleen the knife dropped from his sneers angers and lie rested motionless scarcely gc arcely breathing his eyes eres starin staring g up cp into the dark ne ile had won he as not seriously hurt yet ret for the moment could not even realize tits his vic vl tory yet ret gradually era dually he knew the knife he bad wielded the knife he bad killed the man an whoever he was he be had bad killed him he lay there now beside him in the dark dead the very horror borror of it started anew the blood in ills his veins that dead man lying there motionless becoming cold with open eyes staring up at the tunnel root roof and he had killed him killed bin with the knife yet it had bad been a fair fight man to man a and ad one of them had to die he could breathe better now non and he be sat up trembling sad nd shrinking back from contact with the lie depo dead body ile he could not see it but tie be knew it was there erileen struck a match which gave forth at first a dim spectral light between his trembling fingers then glowed lowed into a sudden flame ile he thrust it forward over the body of the dead man inan and stared down at the upturned face for K r moment not a muscle relaxed his big form that of a statue as his eyes searched those ghastly features where had he seen the man before that hatry hairy face those long misshapen arms dead of course bourre he was dead but who wa he be somewhere in his memory dim indistinct clung a recollection which would not become wholly clear then the vision cime his lips uttering a startled exclamation by 0 d dl I 1 I 1 know cow its manuel gomeri its the ape danl man 1 manuel gomez the murderer the outlaw the dread scourge of northern mexico that bloodthirsty wretch whose crimes had made him an object of detestation on both sides of the line for years manuel gomez the killer 0 of women and children the destroyer of towns raider thief bandit and in sur recto the ape mant man I 1 kelleen had never seen him before but he knew there could be no other like that anti and every story he previously had bad heard of the fellow came trooping back to ills mind bind in vivid memory cruel remorseless mor seless without mercy hunted like a wild beast yet ever escaping the tolls tolis he had bad left a trail of blood over all that land iana well he be was dead now I 1 yet how came lie to be there was this his big hiding biding place or was the man there for some new crime it if so what and bob meager juan juaa sanchez were they also sharers in his villainy could they be members of this fiends gang was it from here te be led his hellhounds hell bell hounds over the desert and nd plain the recurrence of these names instantly brought back to kelleen a realization of his own peril gomez was wag dead killed by his hand unwittingly unknowingly there in the dark in des desperate ferate combat he had avenged a hundred murders by the thrust of a knife but these others they were alive they would surely come there could be no doubt of that all that deborah had bad told flashed across his hi mind her encounter with this tame mexican ruffian why she had bad even described the fellows long apelike arms but he be never once had bad thought of gomez of her bar creeping onward along the tunnel the sudden change in its direction and her stumbling over a dead body in the dark he recalled the story of her escape creeping up that narrow passage through which she could barely squeeze her body the firing after fter her from below and her aimless shot sent rent in n return then the des P pati ati str struggle which ended on the desert above and what then meaker bob meager going straight to that tame same hole bole and calling down for mantel lie using his hl very name well there was no manuel now on piard guard there but he could not face these other arm M alone and they would surely be abr ahm e b by dawn at least lie ile arose rose to his feet still dazed and confused hardly able to tell directions but driven hy by a wild impulse to escape to get safety safely out of that silent black blach liess that grae ernie in which lie felt aril imprisoned ills his groping lingers fingers discovered a crevice in the itolle one Is as though the solid rock had teen own rent asunder a deep irregular rash ash yawning the length of his arm lie e even advanced a step into the strange fissure wondering at its existence tempted to explore its secret ile in they camel ile he heard them pressing aside the vines and clamber ing g to the top of the rock which helped conceal the entrance they did this apparently parent ly without fear with no impend 1139 6 tense sense of danger and then dropped to the floor of the tunnel there were Z 0 o of them he be could tell that by the lourid meager nod and sanchez but where there then was deborah Mer meredith edithl I 1 CHAPTER XV the light goes out telle jelleen le lleen ell waited in on an agony of sus EUS r his thought with the missing girl rather than on tits his own peril or the nearness of thoo tho o men groping 1 blit blindly idly toward him in the darkness eliat they hoy ir were ere surprised slat startled tied at lot ot being greeted by gomez was plainly i A evidenced from the lie first gruff utter luce nce 01 lils cars where the h 1 Is the fellows fel lowr 7 If eRper exclaimed 1 angrily I told you id I 1 called him from up above above and got no 0 o answer now by G d dl I 1 be even en down here oh ob bee he here nil all right there was BY RANDALL El ANDALL PARRISH Covy ight by AC act C no cliance chance for his getting away without our knowing it we had our men about here all the time your meni meager laughed scornfully those greasers they would only be playthings for manuel n H 1 danl you and your gang even keep your eyes on frisco he sure told me one d n straight story ile he seemed to know about all was going on rd id heard beard a lot about him knew he be was a friend of yours and supposed him all right and spilled all you knew d n a mex anyhow well aint her aint he what ile he aint nothing just now I 1 did run with him ar a bit of course down below the line but kelleen waited in an agony of suspense he invited into this game and his being with garrity was just an accident at least I 1 took it that way ay at first now I 1 sorter reckon it maybe was all a put up job I 1 aint exactly made up my mind what the guy was up to just suspected something was going on and decided to butt in I 1 reckon but after he be got out here snooping around there nothing to do but put him out 0 6 the way specially after he stole my horse 1 I aint so BO sure he stole your horse what do you mean just what I 1 told you before youre so bullheaded nobody can tell you nothing I 1 never did think that fellow you shot was alone he was talking to somebody when we crept up op I 1 heard him talking to himself you never saw nobody but him I no I 1 he was up on that rock against the sky but there might have been somebody else out 0 sight on the ground you yon was in such a d n hurry to get to casebeer you do anything else course I 1 know kner the kid wis wag alone and after that tumble he took bother no more N W had to get case beers gang out of here before daylight 1 11 I dont know why you told me much why you let the outfit go on what did you want to unload the mules here for and then send them back q 1 I get any chance to tell you it was after you left last night that I 1 got the dope why I 1 had to ride out here myself by gd G d on my wedding night lie ile laughed out loud say sanchez Sun chez theres some real girl let roe me tell you thinks ashes knocked me out rapped me with a gun when I 1 was drunk and got away D d if she the little vixen ive got to go back and show her what kind of a heman he man 1 I am when im sober she got mad at you I rather tather that I 1 thought she was the soft sort but ashes a wildcat got me the first swipe but she shell 11 never find me so dead easy the next time ill teach her chos boss when I 1 get this job out of the way what was it you asked why you stopped casebeer what garrity came to tell me hed got on to something theres a leak somewhere we get the stuff through tonight a bunch of cavalry are up in box canyon 11 II 11 ii 11 what brought em there the judge know lie ile got it from somebody at the post the outfit started south but where they were bound ayou you dont suppose they knoer know sure not only suspect that stuff Is being run through along trail all we got to do Is in lie ile low awhile vo no one lias has seen gomez tie ile put his big bend bead out of this hole you seen him yourself juan come on he must be back in there asleep somewhere now likely keep ono one hand on the lie wall sa s1 shall jail I 1 strike a match senor yo kno not here wait till we turn the bend then it will not show outside banjo cant be long now till daylight comes kelleen silently pressed into the rift of the rock roch the dead man at I 1 his As feet could mark the passage of the two cleat clearly ay by the scraping of feet an they groped their way along tha th tone floor following the opposite wall they would miss any contact with gomez body and there was nothing he could do but stand and let them pass the two men had turned the sharp corner the slight sound of their movements ceasing to rench reach his ears then the faint glow of a match reflected along the rock wall the silence broken by mengers Mon gers voice lantern juan in that niche see here turn up the wick the flame brightened suddenly but the outer tunnel yet remained black only in the th e distance the light flickered along the walls casting weird shadows one of the men evidently held the lantern up peering about curiously lies not here senor wheres the old devil anyhow they moved forward with the light and Re delleen lleen all fear swiftly lost in his intense interest crept on to the curve in the tunnel from which point he could see their dim sh shadows idols behind him but unnoticed daylight began to be visible through the mantle of vines concealing the entrance the dark figure on the floor assumed vague outline the two men in the lantern glow came to a halt thrusting the light forward peering at the object which had attracted them the mexican identified it first in a sudden cry its a body a dead man lie he exclaimed ile he has been killed manuel manucl V 1 meager held back tho coward gripping him but sanchez bore the lantern forward desperate to learn the truth ills startled voice came down the passage not gomez he cried and no face I 1 ever saw before perhaps you know the man no but there has been a fight or a murder see he has been eliot and in the back by G dl gomez must have done this job but what has haa become of the old devil and who was tills this kid what was he doing here see it if there Is anything in his pocket pock et ct juan give me the lantern lie he held it up as the mexican dropped to his knees and began to rummage through the dead mans clother clothen the increasing daylight of the desert found entrance far above and stole down the narrow passage lu in a faint ghastly glimmer which only added to the ghastliness of the scene the strain was too much for Me meaders Mea gera agers nerves and he be swore gruffly come on he said fiercely bring the light well search every inch of this d d hole kelleen turned his first impulse being to escape to rush toward that dim glimmer of light now plainly marking the cave entrance yet tet the futility of such an effort came to him instantly there was a better way than that and be whirled back to face them as the two came cautiously forward the glow of the lantern glimmering like a red star the hand band with the weapon in it fell to a level and he fired the glass flickering into a thousand pieces the light instantly extinguished gui shed Kel leena leens plan of action had bad formed swiftly in his mind lie he had a glimmering of what this conspiracy meant but must learn more only ono one method was possible a confession from bob meager the real secret of this tunnel was in hla his possession now that manuel gomez was dead ile he must be made to talk the advantages in this encounter were altogether on his side he knew them where they were they possessed no knowledge of his big exact position who he was or whether they faced one opponent or a dozen they had bad been taken completely by surprise startled by the sudden attack confused in the darkness lie ile had both bo of them absolutely at his mercy the silence was intense after that first startled second there was no movement not even the sound of breathing audible the two stood motionless ti crouched back against the wall peering into the blackness from whence that tongue or of flame had leaped into their very faces yet t revealing nothing they could i belth neither er r nor act who lind fired manuel gomez some enemy who had trapped them were they facing one man or a dozen into what had bad they blindly walked confident of his own safety realizing that lie he had the whip hand nelleen kelleen smiled grimly every nerve tense his revolver poised the situation pleased him drop your guns both of youl he be commanded ster sternly rily quick bowl ive got you against the light who the b 1 stop thail drop them or I 1 shoot something besides a in lantern its a hair bair trigger im playing with lie heard both weapons fall to the floor meager cursing impotently but the mexican silent kelleen laughed rick kick them away from you right I 1 not bad fellows when properly handled I 1 see now up with your bands and back against the wall there lie he could not see the fellows not so much its as an outline of them yet knew they obeyed the order it was a bluff which worked because they half believed themselves silhouetted against that aliat distant gray bar of light far down the passage targets not to be eartly missed that cool stern voice unfamiliar in tho the echoing tunnel business rasped like a tel steel nl big ca Me meager agers irv by G dl who are you your he snarled savagely what the h 1 do you want the first Is of no importance meager returned kelleen with emphasis but ill answer the latter question unbuckle your belt go on I 1 know what youre doing yes take it off ive got you boys covered make one on false move more and sure taste lead now throw that belt about the mexican sure I 1 know who you both are I 1 came here gunning tor for you two guys around his big arms now d n you draw it tight 1 yes exactly what I 1 mean strap them to hit him body just what bat happened Is not clear kelleen could not see he dare not take a step closer to make ture sure the chances are that sanchez had two guns gun at his waist lie ile had discarded one but the other yet remained not certain that he was not outlined against the background of light he be dare not attempt to draw but now hla his hands lowered as meager drew the belt about his arms desperate bitter with hate his fingers must have gripped the tha buts butt with one convulsive effort he fired in the direction of the voice the bullet struck the side wall sent a splinter of rock tearing into kelleen Kel leena 8 cheek check yet even as he staggered back half blinded in the flame he bad glimpse of the maddened mexican running blindly down the passage an instant the fellow stood out clear his head bead thrust forward his arms still held by abe belt clasp then kelleen pulled trigger and the runner sprawled out flat and motionless into the very center of that little pool of daylight it was the swift work of an instant then darkness and meaders mongers Mon Me gers agers huge bulk crushed kelleen against the wall in one mad effort to kill for a moment the smaller man taken completely by surprise struggled helplessly to escape the stranglehold strangle hold of those clutching fingers the revolver dropped from his hand and he be was forced backward strangled unable to tear loose that viselike vt grip As the two fell however meaders Mc |