CHAPTER IX.
THE ASSAULT ON THE JAIL.
"Why don't Hank put on ther water?" groaned the deputy sheriff. "Et'llbe too late in a minute!"
Crash! crash! The assailants were using a heavy battering ram, and thedoor was beginning to give.
"Oi'm afraid it's all up with poor Frankie!" gasped Barney.
A wild yell came from the mad mob at the door.
"Death to Black Harry!"
Bang--splinter--crash! The door was breaking, and the battering-ram wasbeing driven against it with renewed force.
There was one last great shock, and down went the door before theassault.
"No water yet!" cried Gilson. "Now it is too late!"
He flung down the hose, taking to his heels before the gang of maskedmen that swarmed into the doorway.
Barney Mulloy heard a hissing noise, and then he leaped forward andcaught up the nozzle of the hose. He turned the large stop-cock, and abar of water shot out, striking the leader of the lynchers in the neck,and hurling him, gasping and stunned, back into the arms of thosebehind.
"Hurro!" trumpeted the Irish lad, in delight, his blood aroused. "Comeon, an' git washed off th' face av th' earth!"
This method of defense proved unpleasantly surprising to the attackingparty. The stream of water swept men off their feet and flung them,half-drowned, back from the doorway into the night. In less than half aminute Barney had cleared the doorway.
"Hurro!" he shouted, once more. "This is th' kind av sport! We'll howldth' fort till th' last drop av warther is gone!"
There was a lull, and Hank Kildare came panting to the side of the ladwith the hose. When he saw the broken door an exclamation of dismay camefrom the lips of the sheriff.
"Something wuz ther matter, so I couldn't turn ther water on," he said."An' now they've got ther door down!"
"But Oi bate 'em off!" shouted the Irish lad, triumphantly.
"They'll come in when ther water fails."
Barney had not thought of that, and his feeling of triumph turned toanxiety and dismay.
"Pwhat kin we do?"
"Where is Gilson?"
"Th' spalpane run whin the dure wur broke."
"We might fight, but what if we did shoot down a few o' ther critters?It w'u'dn't stop 'em, an' we'd hev killed somebody. Stay hyar--hold 'emback long as yer kin."
"Pwhat are ye goin' ter do?"
"Git ther prisoner up onter ther roof. Mebbe we kin hold 'em back fromgittin' up thar."
"All roight. Oi'll do me bist here."
Kildare ran back along the corridor and disappeared.
Of a sudden rocks began to whistle about Barney's head, and then onestruck him, knocking him down. The nozzle of the hose fell from hishands, and he lay prone and motionless on the floor.
Wild yells of savage delight broke from the mob.
Then, with a clatter of hoofs, a band of masked horsemen came tearingdown the street, whirled into the open space before the jail, and beganshooting into the mob. The horsemen were dressed in black, and every manwas masked.
"It's Black Harry's Braves!" screamed a voice that was full of fear.
Twenty voices took up the cry, and the mob, utterly demoralized, brokeand ran in all directions.
Some of the masked horsemen sprang from their animals and dashed intothe jail, springing over the prostrate body of the unconscious Irishlad.
Kildare was removing Frank from his cell when those masked men came uponthem. In a moment the boy had been torn from the sheriff, and the menwhirled him away.
Out of the jail rushed Black Harry's Braves, the boy was placed astridea horse, and away they went, with him in their midst.
Frank had believed them lynchers, and he thought them lynchers as theybore him away.
"It's all up with me," he mentally said.
But his hands were free, and he was watching for an opportunity toescape. He meant to make one more effort for life, if given anopportunity.
Through the town tore the wild horsemen, yelling like so many fiends,shooting to the right and left.
Out of Elreno they rode, and then the man on the right of Frank leanedtoward the boy, saying:
"We came just in time, chief. If we'd been ten minutes later, thelynchers would have had you sure."
"The lynchers?" gasped the bewildered boy. "Why, you----"
"They had the door down when we reached the jail, but a dozen shots setthem scattering."
"But--but--I don't understand."
"We didn't mean to strike before midnight, but Benson brought word thatthey were liable to lynch you, and so we lost no time in getting here.We rode twenty miles like we were racing with an express train. You mustallow we did a good job this time, chief."
"Chief? Why I----"
Frank stopped short, choking the words back. At last he realized whothese men were.
They were Black Harry's Braves, and they believed him to be Black Harry!
He reeled upon the horse he bestrode.
"What's the matter?" asked the man, quickly. "Are you hurt any way?"
"No."
The boy's voice was hoarse and unnatural.
"What can I do?" he thought. "How long will it be before they discovertheir mistake? I must keep up the deception, and I may find anopportunity to escape."
In a moment he had recovered his composure. As old readers know, Frankwas a boy of nerve, and he began to feel very well satisfied with thesituation.
"I have escaped lynching," he thought, "and these men believe me theirleader. I am out of jail and now I shall be given a chance to fight formy life and honor. In order to prove my own innocence, I must captureBlack Harry. This may lead me to the opportunity."
But for one thing his heart would have been filled with exultation. Thatone thing was the memory of Barney Mulloy, whom he had seen lying proneand motionless just within the broken door of the jail. Had they killedhis faithful friend?
He feared the Irish lad had met death while trying to hold back thelynchers.
The outlaws did not seem to fear pursuit, and they slackened their pacesomewhat as soon as they were out of town.
"Where shall we go, chief?" asked one.
Frank was at a loss to answer, for he knew that a slip might betray him,and he was determined to be on his guard all the time. His hesitationwas observed, and the man said:
"I reckon it will be safe to return to Cade's Canyon for a while."
"I reckon so," said Frank. "We'll go there."
"I warned you that you would make a mistake if you ventured intoElreno," said the talkative outlaw, "but you were determined to haveanother look at that girl, and so you took chances. Girls have causedmore trouble in this world than everything else combined."
"That's right," admitted Frank, who was wondering what girl the fellowmeant.
"Did you see her?" asked the man, with a sly chuckle.
"Oh, yes, of course."
"Ha, ha! I like the way you say that, chief. No offense, but Benson saidyou saw her in the railway station as soon as you landed in Elreno."
Now Frank knew that Lona Dawson was meant.
"Yes," he said, "she was there, and she informed the public in generalthat she had seen me before."
"I don't suppose you will bother with her any more, and so we'll move onas soon as possible, and get out of this part of the country? It'sgetting right hot here."
"It is all of that," admitted Frank; "but I am not for running away, asif we were scared out."
"Well, you know our original plan."
"Certainly."
Frank spoke as if he knew it well enough, but he was wondering what itcould be. However, the man soon explained.
"We are to carry the expedition through into Indian Territory, anddisband when the Arkansas line is reached. Then we can scatter and defypursuit, and we can come together at Ochiltree, in the Panhandle, at thetime set."
Frank felt like thanking the fellow for the information.
"That's right," nodded the boy
, speaking carefully; "but this littleaffair has made me rather mad, and I don't feel like running away sovery fast."
"Especially from the girl."
"Hang the girl!"
Frank felt that it would not do to allow the fellow to become sofamiliar.
"You didn't talk that way after seeing her last night. Why, you weresorry we didn't carry her off when we left the train."
"Oh, well, a fellow has a right to change his mind. I have seen her bydaylight."
"And she didn't look so well?"
"Hardly."
"Still, she is something of a daisy."
"She'll do; but I can't waste my time with her. There are others."
"Now you're beginning to talk right, chief. The boys felt a littledoubtful of you when you went racing off after that girl, and they willbe mightily relieved to know you have come to your senses."
Frank grunted, but spoke no word. During the entire ride, he talked aslittle as possible, but he kept his ears open.