Show WILLIAM MACLEOD A L E D RAINES RAINE'S E the COPYRIGHT WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE RAINE SERVICE i CHAPTER XIU IIII-Continued XIII Continued 21 21 I Theres only one thing to do with us said Ruth You can take us to Tail Holt and leave us at Ma Well We'll be safe there You'll have us under your eye ee all the time All right Lee assented Ill take you with me both me-both both of you I wouldn't If U I could help It but theres there's nothing else to do as you say You and Nelly fix up your war We may be there two- two three days While were we're at TaU Tall TailHolt Holt you'll stay right In the house every minute Understand Ruth said she understood They took the road two hours aft aft- after after after er midnight Steadily they rode through a lovely night of stars that softened the harsh and desiccated face of Arizona to a strange ghostly love love- liness Even the with their intimation of old age-old decay were like magnificent candelabra waiting to be lit Peace reigned over the land Jeff Gray was a light sleeper steeper Awakened by the furious barking of the blacksmiths blacksmith's dog almost instantly in in- instantly instantly he was out of the bunk and at the window Silhouetted in the moonlight on the brow of the little hill bill in front of the cabin were a number of men They were move moving moving ing toward the cabin The marshal counted eight of them He called to his companion Wake up Hank and come here Ransom struggled to conscious conscious- ness Lord love ye man what are ye doing at the window he be asked The dog was still barking savagely savage ly at the intrusion of so many night visitors found out where I am amand amand amand and are coming to get me Gray replied The blacksmith Joined him The scalawags are scattering to cover more ground He lifted his Win Winchester chester from the walL Any chance for me to slip sUp out of the back door down Il to the rocks in inthe inthe inthe the creek Jeff inquired Not a chance Ransom said grimly Then Ill I'll have to surrender They'll only hold me prisoner if Sherm Howard is running the show His son is out at the L C C. Ill I'll step out o t with my hands up Wait Walt a minute the old Indian fighter objected Ill go out and make a bargain with them Better tie them up to an agreement If U there weren't so many Id I'd say for forus forus forus us to stand em off but I dont don't reck reek reckon on we can do that thatA A gun cracked The dog no longer long er barked The leathery face of the black blacksmith smith twitched Some damned scoundrel has killed Laddie he said Yes Gray was thinking that a aman aman aman man who could shoot down a faith faith- faithful faithful ful dog was a villain and not to be trusted Im going to wave the white flag and make terms Hank HankI I Youre You're not in this Im I'm the man they want First thing is to get you out out of this He sat down on the bed pulled on his boots and buckled round his waist the gun-belt gun lying on a chair Im not in this aint I 11 the blacksmith blazed After they've killed my Laddie The marshal returned to the win win- window dow The men outside were about sixty yards from the house Jeff Jet put a hand on the shoulder of his friend Weve got to play our cards the way they are dealt us us old old- timer Im I'm going out with my hands bands up You stay under cover After they have me they wont won't both both- bother er you Gray unbolted the door and whipped it open He stepped into the moonlight mo light and lifted a hand handt palm o Jt 0 r f. f There was a yell of rage A bul but bullet bullet butt t let knocked a dirt chip from the thet t adobe wall back of the officer An An- Another Another r.- r. other dusted his hat bat The roar of a rifle deafened him From just back backof of him Ransom had fired Lead spattered against the build build- ing Hank lurched against his shoulder shoulder der and fell Im hit hitt he cried and caught at his right leg Jeff Jell snatched the rifle from him Crawl back into the house he or or- dered Come on boys weve we've got him I a voice shouted The line of attackers moved for for- ward The marshal fired and missed 1 j fired fired again and hit A running j. j man cried out and stopped stopp d abrupt abrupt- i ly The others faltered Their guns barked angrily Gray stepped back Into the house I 1 and slammed the door I Get any of cm em his companion asked if One The officer was at the win dow For right now they've had enough and are hunting cover Ive I've i sure got you in a fine jam Hank You hurt bad My leg is plugged Its It's not bleed bleed- bleeding bleeding ing bad I reckon the bullet missed fin an artery Look after you ou in a minute f Jeff said Got to fix the fort so sowe sowe sowe we can hold It IL ItHe It He found an axe and knocked a bunk to pieces Ransom told him where to find nails The window he boarded up leaving an Inch or two for a loophole Both doors he bar bar- barricaded barricaded as best he could Mean Mean- Meanwhile Meanwhile while Ransom crawled across the floor and with a hatchet cut a spy hole In the adobe wall He made it large enough for shooting purposes Id like rate first-rate to get that bull rattler Morg Norris Ransom said Ive a notion if we we picked off that slit eyed cabron and maybe one or two more the rest of the lads would drag it Gray was of another opinion By this time the whole village would know what was going on and the attackers would be recruited if necessary necessary necessary essary by others Reinforcements were likely to come in from the hills Having gone so far Sherm Howard would feel that safety lay in finishing the job But the mar mar- marshal marshal marshal did not say what he thought I certainly picked me a top hand for a partner this trip he said lightly beginning to close in on us I better discourage that th t. t 1 j r Z 1 1 19 s 1 1 ri f 1 4 i r r i r. r k r 4 i r o. o 5 f i s T to a hand h nd pardner ho he drawled He took aim at a dodging figure and fired Get him asked Ransom scraping the dirt out of the hole he had dug No Some of them are moving up the hill Going to take us in the rear I reckon The rifle of the blacksmith boomed Hank gave a yell yeU One of em wont won't take us in front or rear Hes He's down A bullet tore through the window and the plank with which Jeff had I shuttered it It broke a glass in inthe Inthe inthe the cupboard The defenders could hear others showering dirt from the adobe wall Ransom dragged his wounded leg across the room to his in inthe inthe inthe the rear Where did those fellows go he asked after a time No N 0 sign of them back here funny They headed to to- toward toward ward the rimrock Four F ur or five of them Must be figuring to work back of us dont don't you reckon Love of Moses the old sol sol- soldier soldier dier cried They re going to crash boulders down on us The marshal knew at once that that Ransom was right The cabin lay in the path of an old slide At the edge of the rimrock a hundred feet above them lay hundreds of loose boulders large and smalL A half halfton halfton halfton ton of rock hurtling down that pre pre- precipitous precipitous slope would crash through the soft adobe wall as if it were paper I Ive got to stop that Hank the down younger man said The firing here Is a bluff bl fI to keep our minds the cabin busy They wont won't charge till those above have smashed it Im I'm going up to stop their game if you dont don't mind sticking it out here alone pick you off before youve you've gone a dozen yards boy the blacksmith told him Maybe not The moon is under undera a cloud now For one thing they wont won't be expecting me up there They must have someone watch watch- watchIng Ing tog the back door In this Not near enough to see darkness See you later old Jell Jeff tore down the planking with which he be had reinforced the th back backdoor I door I and did not Ransom said Sure I believe that either of them would be alive an hour from then Bolt the door after me I may come back on the jump Be ready to let lct me in The marshal opened the door and slipped out Clouds were scudding across the sky Jeff lay behind a woodpile eyes and ears alert Someone must have been bee 1 sent len sent lento to to make sure the trapped men did not escape by the back door The man was probably crouched back of a rock some distance dis dis- distance distance tance from the cabin He Hc might or might not have seen the door open since the sky was now overcast Gray wished he knew whether he had been observed If U he moved from the shelter of the woodpile he was likely to find out He crept up the hill taking ad ad- advantage advantage vantage of every rock and bit of cactus that would give him cover From the front of the house came the occasional rack of a gun This was good news since it told him the attackers were not rushing the house yet but were waiting for the rolling rock brigade to drive out the doomed men He was close to the top when a sound brought him to rigid stillness A man was standing on the crest just above him He was striking a match to light a cigarette For a moment the flare fiare of light showed Jeff Jell a face he did not recognize yet one that seemed oddly familiar In Inan Inan Inan an Instant the man would look down and see him The marshal did not wait for discovery a hand pardner he be drawled The match went out Who in hades are you a heavy voice rasped Bud Taylor Jeff Jet said evenly Sherm sent me with a message The man above lent a hand to pull the climber cUmber over the edge Looking at the iron-gray iron hair the scarred cheek the shifty eyes Jeff Jet remembered where he had seen that face before It had been in a sheriffs sheriff's office in Texas on a photo photo- photograph photograph graph beneath which had been written writ writ- written written ten the caption Clint Doke Wanted Want Want- Wanted ed for the robbery of the Texas and Southern Flyer A fraction of a second later the light of recognition began to dawn on the hairy face of the outlaw He had seen this man once in San Antonio had had him pointed out as the famous man hunter Jefferson Gray Doke opened his mouth to let out outa a cry Already Grays Gray's fist was traveling trav trav- traveling eling in a powerful short-arm short jolt toward the drooping chin The cry materialized as a strangled groan and the outlaw pitched down as if he had been hit with the back of an n axe Jeff Je did not dare to leave him to recover in a minute or two He pistol whipped the fallen man across the temple His gun he kept for immediate use Someone called Come here Clint Jeff stepped behind a boulder He could see three men grouped to to- together together gether against the skyline With Dokes Doke's gun he fired three times tunes rap- rap rapIdly rapIdly rapIdly Idly above their heads One of the men gave a yell of consternation He started to run Another fired in the direction of the marshal Jeff Jell pumped lead at him Lets get out Mile High the third man shouted shrilly Were being bushwhacked It might be true Mile MUe High did not wait walt to find out In another moment it might be too late to es cape He flung one last defiant shot and followed his companions Into the darkness Jeff Jet started to descend the rim rim- rock It was time for fot him to get back to Ransom As soon as Morg Norris learned of the fiasco above he would rush the cabin At the foot of the rimrock rim rock Jeff broke into a trot jog-trot reckless of being seen by the watcher at the back Abruptly he stopped Four or ot five figures came into the open as asif asIf asif if from the creek bed bcd and ran to to- toward toward ward the cabin He heard shout shouting shouting ing but could not make out the words There was the crack of a gun The figures vanished into the house From inside it came the crash of revolvers Jell Jeff Grays Gray's heart died within him He lie knew that Ransom had been killed The old soldier had come to his death after he had apparently deserted him If he had stayed in inthe Inthe inthe the cabin they might have driven back the attack In any case he could have gone down fighting with his friend Sick with despair Jeff turned to the left reached the foot of the slope and dropped down into the creek He could neither see see nor hear anybody Through the brush he made a circuit and reached the cottonwood grove Occasionally O he could hear the spitting of guns The best thing he could do was to get down to the Alamo corral and force Reynolds at the point of a gun gunto gunto gunto to lend him a horse If 11 possible he must ride back to the L C and get the reinforcements Lee Chis- Chis Chiswick Chiswick wick had promised He lIe knew that Lee could stir up some of the other cattlemen and that a large fighting force could be organized That excitement In the village had reached a high point he could see Many men were In the street most of them farther uptown in the little business center He had to wait walt for a chance to get across the road unobserved More than once someone some some- someone someone one appeared just as he was about to start He took the street at a run and swarmed over the same wall he had gone over on the night of his adventure with Frank Chiswick He passed the blackened site of the sta sta- stable stable stable ble that had been burned crossed the creek and moved down along its bank Another burst of gunfire filled the night Jeff could not understand this unless the victors were setting off o I fireworks in celebration cel of their victory The officers jaw set grim grim- ly They had better wait walt until they had finished the job He intended to make them pay for what they had done to Hank Ransom if they did not get him before he could slip sUp out of town There were too many people afoot As he made a circle around the house boarding-house three men carrying rifles walked toward him He did the only thing possible possible ble dodged into the same saine door he had entered some hours earlier when he had been looking for Curly The men stopped to talk for a moment at the door One of them was coming into the house Jeff gathered from what he said Gray went gingerly up the stairway He heard a crisp See you later and knew that the man map was coming up up- upstairs upstairs stairs too Jell Jeff Je had no time to pick and choose He whipped open the first door he saw walked into a room and closed the door behind him On the table there was a lighted lamp At the window a woman stood limbed clean-limbed and slender She turned toward him a haggard face eyes shadowed and fear For Foran Foran Foran an Instant she looked at him Her amazement was no greater than his own The woman was Ruth Chiswick A dressing dressing- gown open at the throat was wrapped tightly around her lithe long body Beneath the edge of it here bare bar feet peeped out Jeff was aware without giving giving giving ing the matter any weight that Nelly lay asleep in the bed You she cried I 1 thought thought-I I Iwas I was afraid Her tremulous voice broke quivering quivering quivering ering with emotion What are you doing here he asked I made Father Fa ther bring me He came to help you you after after Lou How How- Howard Howard ard got away Got away TO BE CONTINUED |