Part 22 (1/2)

Outside he laughed a little, as he stood under the flare of yellow light and rolled a cigarette. Knots of men stood on the corners of the street. But the area in front of the saloon was significantly vacant.

”Now if Dad had only been there,” soliloquized Pan. ”That might have put some life in him.”

He sauntered down into the street, and as he went he heard the jangle of spurs behind him. Blinky and Gus covering his rear! Presently, beyond the circle of yellow light, they joined him, one on each side.

”Wal, Pan, I was sh.o.r.e in on thet,” said Blink, gripping Pan's arm.

”Say, you called 'em flat. Made 'em swaller a h.e.l.l of a lot,” added Gus, with a hard note in his voice. ”When it come down to hard pan they wasn't there.”

”Pan, you remember me tellin' you aboot Purcell, who jumped my claim with young Hardman?” queried Blinky. ”Wal, Purcell was there, settin'

some tables back of where you made your stand. I seen him when we first went in. Course everybody quit playin' cards when you called old Hardman. An' I made it my particular biz to get close to Purcell. He was pullin' his gun under the table when I kicked him. An' when he looked up he seen somethin', you can bet on thet.... Wal, Purcell is one man in Hardman's outfit we'll have to kill.... Gus will back me up on thet.”

”I sh.o.r.e will. Purcell's a Nevada claim jumper, accordin' to talk.

Somebody hinted he belonged to thet Plummer gang thet was cleaned out at Bannock years ago. He's no spring chicken, thet's sh.o.r.e.”

”Point Purcell out to me the first chance you get,” replied Pan.

”Don't figure I expect to bluff everybody. It can't be done. Somebody will try me out--if only to see what I can do. That's the game, you know.”

”h.e.l.l, yes. An' all you got to do, Pan, is to be there first.”

”Reckon tomorrow will be sh.o.r.e interestin',” remarked Gus.

”That girl Louise gave me a hunch,” said Pan thoughtfully. ”Struck me she was square.--Blink, you've talked to her, of course?”

”Me? ... Aw!--Couple of times. I reckon. Bought her drinks. She won't look at me unless she's drunk,” replied Blink, both confused and gloomy.

”You've got Louise figured wrong, cowboy,” returned Pan. ”I'll prove it to you sometime.... Now let's get down to business, and plan Blake's release from jail. I want to lead the horse round about, so I won't be seen by anybody.”

”Sh.o.r.e, thet'll be easy,” replied Blinky. ”I'll go with you. We can keep to the slope a ways an' then go down an' come up on the other side of town. No roads an' no houses.”

They returned to camp, and replenis.h.i.+ng the fire sat around it talking of the wild-horse drive.

About ten o'clock Blinky went to the corral, saddled a horse, and led him back to the tent. There they put on the blanket and saddlebags.

Blinky produced a gun he could spare, and then thoughtfully added a small bag of grain for the horse.

”It's darker'n the milltail of Hades,” announced Blinky, ”an' thet's good fer this kind of work. I'll go ahaid, pickin' out the way, an'

you lead the hoss.”

So they set out into the black night, working along the base of the slope. No stars showed, and the raw wind hinted of rain or snow. The lights of the town shone dimly. Keen on the breeze floated the discordant music and revelry, from the Yellow Mine and other like dives, in full blast.

Descending the slope required careful slow work. The incline was steep, of soft earth and loose shale. But Blinky knew where to feel his way, and eventually they reached the flat, to find easier progress.

Blinky made a detour, and finally, as they gradually approached several lamplights, far apart, he whispered: ”You wait heah. I ain't so darn sh.o.r.e which one of them lights comes from the jail.”

Pan waited what seemed a long while. At last he heard steps, then made out an object blacker than the black background.

”Found the jail easy, but got off comin' back. p.r.o.nto now. Must be near eleven.”

Pan kept the dark silent moving form in sight. The dim light grew larger. Then the low flat building loomed up faintly in the dense gloom.

”Go ahead,” whispered Blinky. ”I'll hold the hoss.”