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Show !C.-:,- ERGO ST MH'W ZAN : 'A GRY that battle and surely, to the last of Heeseman's outfit. CHAPTER XI JIM picked up tlie field glass and slinging it on his elbow, essayed a descent Into the cave. On the shelf he hesitated and sat a moment locked In thought. A second time he started start-ed down, only to halt straddling the notch. The battle had worked out fatefully and fatally. Would he see Smoky again? Yet nothing had changed the Issue. The end was nut yet. With his blood surging back to his heart, Jim leaped down to meet the robber chief. "Where's Smoky?" called Jim, his lynx eyes on Hays' right hand. "Cashed In," boomed Hays, fastening fas-tening great hollow eyes of pale fire upon Jim. "fie had cover. lie plugged I don't know how many. Cut Morlcy's outfit had throwed In what had made hlni bulge bo and Klve the impression of stoutness, " !" fl"'t l was lean. lie hung this belt over a projecting point of wall. "In case I don't git back," he added. add-ed. "An' there's a bundle of chicken feed change in my pack." There was somelhlng gloomy and splendid about him then. Iu'ar of Iod, or man, or death was not In him. Hi lie in hand he crept to the corner on the left and boldly exposed ex-posed himself, drawing a volley of ! shots from two quarters. Then he disappeared. "What's Hays' idea?" asked Jim. "He must know a way to sneak-around sneak-around on them." A metallic, spanging sound accompanied ac-companied rattier than followed by a shot, then a sodden thud right at hand choked further speech. Happy Jack had been cut short in one of his low whistles, lie swayed a second sec-ond upright, then uttering an awful aw-ful groan, he fell. Smoky leaped to liim, bent over. "Dead! Hit in the temple, Wbere'd thet bullet come from?" "It glanced from a rock. I know the sound." "Jim, the only safe place from thet Is hyar, huggiu' this corner," declared Smoky. "An' there ain't room enough fer the two of us." "Keep it. Smoky. I'm not going to get hit. This is my day. I feeJ something In my bones, but it's not death." "Huh. I feel somethin' too clear to my marrow an' it's slckish an' cold. . . . Jim, I'll sneak out an' crawl back of them. Thet's my idee. I don't have wrong idees at this stage of a fight" That was the last he spoke to Jim. Muttering to himself he laid a huge roll of bills under the belt Hays had deposited on the little shelf of rock. Then he vanished. Scarcely had he gotten out of sight when Jim thought of the field glass. Smoky should have taken it. Jim risked going back to his pack to secure it, and had the fun of dodging another bullet. He could command every point with the aid of the field glass, without with-out exposing his head. An Instant later a far-off shot thrilled Jim. That might be Smoky. Suddenly a dark form staggered up, flinging arms aloft, silhouetted black against the sky. That must be the sharpshooter. Smoky had reached him. Headlong he pitched off the .cliff, to plunge sheer Into the wash 'mm-'K n It . -i.r. Slocum returned. 'Nothln' left eept Hank's lied," he panted "I couldn't locate thet." "Listen !" "What do you hear?" "Hosses." "Jim, keep your eye peeled on the dirt," said Smoky, and stole forward for-ward under cover of the brush. Presently a white puff of smoke showed above the ragged rim, Spang I The fight was on. One of Hays' men Bridges let out a hoarse bawl and swayed over, almost losing his balance. Jim looked no more at him, but concentrated his gaze on the rim. Another puff of white! Something dark a man's slouch hat bobbed up. Jim's rifle, already raised, swerved a trifle cVacked. The hat went flying. The horses came over the bench, frightened, but not stampeding, and Mac drove them Into the corral. This was around the corner from the range of the sharpshooter of the rim. Bridges, reeling on the horse, followed Mac, who ran out of the corral to catch him as he fell. Then, as they came along close to the wall, Hays arrived from the other direction. direc-tion. "Heeseman with his outfit nine in all," he heaved. "They're scat-terin' scat-terin' to surround the roost. . . . But they can't cross below us an' across there it's out of range. . . . We're all right." A bullet thudded Into the wall, followed by the report of a rifle. "Duck back ! That was from somewhere else," shouted Hays. They dove twenty feet farther back. Here they were apparently "Flesh Wound. Nothln' to Fuss Over This Minnit." CHAPTER IX Continued' 12 Say, It's you who'll shet his trap," vp Mod Hays, stridently. "Or you'll !:;t a dose of the medicine I gave :;r:ui Lincoln." j "Not from you you yellow dog of woman thief !" I Smoky Slocum ran out in time to ':;t lu front of Jim. j "Hyar! Hyar!" he called, plero .-.;ly. "Is this a time fer us to each other? Cool dewn, Jim. I'lake allowances for Hays. He's jvuss'n drunk." "1 don't care a d n if there's ten pints on our trail. He can't talk j me that way. . . . And, Smoky, tiwkon you're presuming on friend tip." "Shore I am," returned Slocum hrriedly. "I'll not do It again, Jim. ilays Is what you called him. But ! ave your dispute till we settle with heeseman." "All right You're talking sense, plied Jim. He had been quick to i;:asp the opening made by Hays There must be ten riders in Heese-ban's Heese-ban's outfit." "Wal, thet suits me," rejoined ;ie robber, harshly. "Now think fast," snapped Smoky Hays pulled himself together Mac, you an' Jeff run to fetch hat hosses you can find quick . . Jack, you an' Smoky an' Wall bstle the grub, cook kit, packs an ?d3 into thet cave across the wash pi git up high an' watch. When I !ell, dig fer cover." "You aimin' to fight or run?"quer-ii run?"quer-ii Smoky. j "We might git packed light. If smethin' holds them op. But we ian't leave the way we come tn. flrty Devil too high. Heeseman lis stumbled on the next best way. .' we had plenty of time. . . . But ptle, everybody." Mac and Jeff were already in lum :?ring flight up the oval. And Hap-? Hap-? Jack, not concerned enough to ,;:op his whistling, was sacking his :ensils. Hays made for the notch 3 the bluff west of the cabin. Jim orang into action, while Smoky ushed off toward the cottonwood ,-ove. Upon Jim's first return trip from :e cave he encountered the girl :nlened with her effects. "Helen, I'll carry that Hurry." At the back of the cave there was : crack deep enough to proteel .Helen. He directed her to hide in die and await developments, j Jim ran on toward the camp, re plving to withhold a shell in his He and to keep a sharp watch on Xvs. j The next quarter of an hour was lied with strenuous and unceaslngac bin. Their united efforts collected jil the supplies, utensils, saddles ad packs, and several of the beds i the three-cornered cave back and i one side of the shack. A huge ab of stone lay Lcross the top ol THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Jim Wall, young cowpuncher from Wyoming, seeks a new field in Utah. He meets Hank Hays, who tells him he is working for an Englishman, Herrick, who has located a big ranch. Hays and others are plotting to steal their employer's cattle and money. He and his lieutenants ride away to drive off the first bunch of cattle. Heeseman, Hays' rival among the cattle rustlers, tells Wall Hays was once his (Heeseman's) partner and double-crossed him. Herrick delegates Jim to go to Grand Junction to meet Helen, Herrick's sister. Jim tries to impress her with the fact that he (Jim) is a desperado of the worst type, but the girl treats the information lightly. light-ly. Hays betrays unusual Interest in the coming of Miss Herrick. Jim finds himself falling in love with Helen, and finally kisses her. She dismisses him, but relents and asks him not to leave the ranch. Hays' men return, having sold the cattle and brought back the money. A quick getaway Is imperative. Hays tells his men to go on ahead, that he will Join them later. He comes, with Helen Herrick a captive, explaining that he robbed Herrick Her-rick and stole Helen for ransom. Realizing the girl will be worse off if she falls into Heeseman's clutches, Jim rides on with Hank and his men. Heeseman's riders are discovered in pursuit. After a battle tn which Latimer, Lat-imer, one of Hays' men, is wounded, Hays leads the gang into a canyon The Robbers' Roost. Before he dies, Latimer tells Jim and Smokj' Slocum that Hays has held out some of the money he stole from Herrick. Heeseman's Heese-man's riders are seen approaching and the desperadoes prepare to fight. with Heeseman. An when thet gambler Stud broke an' run Smoky had to head him off. They killed each other." "Who got away? I saw four men; one crippled." "Morley an' Montana fer two. I didn't recognize the others. They shore run, throwin' rifles away." "They were making for their horses, tied half a mile back. Where'll they go, Hays?" "Fer more men. Morley Is most as stubborn as Heeseman. An' once he's seen this roost of ours he'll want it, an' to wipe out what's left of us." "Heeseman?" "Wal, he didn't run, Jim. Haw ! Haw! He's dead." The chief strode to the mouth of the cave and stared around. Jim remained re-mained at the spot he had selected, to one side, between the robber and Helen's covert. "Jack an' Mac, too?" he ejaculated ejacu-lated In amaze. "How come? No more of thet outfit sneaked down in hyar." "Mac stuck his noodle too far out of that hole in the cave. And Happy Jack stopped a glancing bullet, There's just two of us left, Hays. By the way you going to bury your dead?" "No. If I do anythin' at all it'll be fer my gurl. Them stiffs ain't a pretty sight" If Jim Wall needed any galvanizing galvaniz-ing shock to nerve him to the deed he had resolved upon, that single possessive word was enough. "I'll bury them later," he said. "Good. I'm all In. I climbed more'n a mile to git to them fellers." fel-lers." Hays sat down heavily, and ran his right hand Inside his shirt to feel of the bulge on his shoulder. shoul-der. Jim saw him wince. Blood had soaked through his shirt "You got hit, I see." "Flesh wound. Nothln' to fuss over this minnit. An' I've got a crease on my head. Thet hurts like sixty. Half an inch lower an' " "I'd have been left lord of Robbers' Rob-bers' Roost?" "You shore would, Jim. Lousy with money, an' a gurl to look after. But It Jest didn't happen thet way." "No; it didn't But it will!" That cool statement pierced the robber's lethargic mind. "What kind of a crack was thet?" he demanded, de-manded, puzzled. "Hays, you forget." "You're sore thet I didn't divvy square?" "Hays, I take It yon double-crossed double-crossed me same as you did them." "Uh-huh. Wal, you got me In a corner, I reckon. Thar's only two of us left I'd be crazy to quarrel. quar-rel. . . . Would a third of my money square me?" "No." "It wouldn't. Wal, you air aimlu' at a bargain. Say half then?" "No." A tremor ran over the robber's frame. That was a release of swift passion hot blood that leaped again. But he controlled himself. "Air you tryin' to pick a Cglit safe, except from the grassy ridge of the oval In front, which it was unlikely any sharpshooters could reach in daylight After a careful study Jim crept Into the brush, stirred by, a renewal of firing from the west rim. Almost Al-most at once he caught a movement of a dark object through a crevice in the rim. The distance was great for accurate shooting at so small a target But with a rest he drew a coarse, steady aim and fired once. The object flopped over. A shrill cry, unmistakable to any man used to gunplay, rent the air. Jim knew he had reached one of the Heeseman Heese-man gang, to disable him, if no more. Next Instant a raking fire swept the brush on both sides of Jim. He dropped down into the cave. Smoky stood there, In the act of climbing. "They near got me," sang out Jim. "I hit one of them way over where they shot at Bridges. There's a bunch of them hid on that cliff to the right of the outlet, you know, where Jeff went up to scout. They're below the ridge now. Look sharp, Smoky, or they might get a couple of shots in first." "Wal, If they do I hope both bullets bul-lets lodge In Hank's gizzard." "My sentiments exactly. . Smoky I saw something shine. Ti? of a rifle. Right-to the right. . . . Ah!" "Take the first feller, Jim. . . One two three." The rifles cracked In unison. Jim's mark sprang convulsively up, and plunged down to roll and weave out of Mit The man Smoky had shot .,t 'sank flat and lay still. Next moment a volley banned from the ,-HlT and a storm of bullets swept hissing and spanging uncomfortably below. Smoky had at least carried out his Idea. Suddenly Jim espied Hays boldly mounting the slope. But It appeared that he had not been discovered yet. Those on top were facing the unseen peril to the west. Jim marveled at the purpose of the robber chief. Still another shot from Smoky the last! But Hays had reached high enough to see over. Leveling the rifle he took deliberate de-liberate aim. Then he fired. "Heeseman !" hissed Jim, as sure as if he himself had held that gun. Hays, working the lever of his rifle, bounded back and aside. Shots boomed. One knocked him to his knees, but he lunged up to fire again. Again he was hit, or the rifle was, for it broke from his hands. Drawing his two revolvers he leveled lev-eled them, and as he fired one, then the other, he backed against the last broken section of the wall. Jim saw the red dust spatter from the rock above. The shots thinned out and ceased. Hays was turning to the left, his remaining re-maining gun lowered. He was aiming aim-ing down the slope on the other side. He fired again then no more. Those who were left of Heeseman's outfit had taken flight Hays watched them, strode to the side of a big rock, and kept on watching them. Soon he turned back and, sheathing sheath-ing one gun, took to reloading the other. It was at this moment that Jim relinquished the field glass to take up his rifle. With naked eyes through the aperture in the brush, he could see Hays finish loading his gun. This moment, to Jim's avid mind, was the one in which to kill the robber, rob-ber, lie drew a bead on Hays' breast. But he could not press the trigger. Lowering the hammer, Jim j f'm's Rifle, Already Raised, r I Swerved a Trifle Cracked. The Hat Went Flying. 3 'is. triangular notch Id the cliff 3 pie wall had been hollowed by tin Hon of water. A small stream 1 i 'wed out from the base of . the 3 -all. ' I It was the best place for defense ' 13 the oval, and Jim believed Hays a '-Hit could hold It Indefinitely y Uugh they couldn't save the horse? d !' H ;ame to a -siege they could l-e l-e i "leased. j CHAPTER X e blOKY came panting in will Hays' pack, and started off again j "That's enough, Smoky," called j5 Jim slid and leaped to the floor of lhe cave below. Smoky, by lyms "own lowered the rifles to him, and then came -scrambling after. Hays had slouched back to them, ollowed by Happy. "Jack gimme Jell's gun an belt .ya ,l , and receiving them he hucklcd them over his own. Next 'opened his pack to take out a , of rifle M h?,br0U; pen to drop the contents In his coat ot on the left side. After that T opened his shirt to strip off a Z & ntoney belt This was watched Hays' stride up among the rocks, to disappear. Jim leaped up out of the hole to have a better look. Far beyond the red ridge he discerned men running along the white wash. There were three of them, scattered. A fourth appeared from behind a bank, and he was crippled. He waved frantically fran-tically to the comrades who had left him to fare for himself. They were headed for the cove where the horses still stood. And thpir precipitate precipi-tate Cight attested to the end o with me?" At this Jim laughed. "'Cause if you air, I jest won't light I'd be senseless. You an' Lie can git along. I like you. We'll throw together, hide somewhere a while, then build up another outfit" out-fit" "It can't be done." "I'll give you two-thirds of the mjuev." TO II OONTO.TJEIX |