From the lookout point among the rocks where he was stationed Overstreetshouted a warning to his companions below.
"Fellow with a white flag ridin' in. Looks like he might be a Ranger."
Pete Dinsmore dropped a coffee-pot and took three strides to his rifle.His brother Homer and Steve Gurley garnished themselves promptly withweapons. They joined the lookout, and from the big rocks could seewithout being seen.
The man coming to their hang-out had a handkerchief or a flour sack tiedto the barrel of his rifle and was holding it in the air. He joggedalong steadily without any haste and without any apparent hesitation. Hewas leading a saddled riderless horse.
A rifle cracked.
Pete Dinsmore whirled on Gurley angrily. "What you do that for?"
Malice, like some evil creature, writhed in Gurley's face. "It's thatfellow Roberts. We got him right at last. Leggo my arm."
"I'll beat yore head off if you shoot again. Lucky for you you missed.Don't you see he comes here as a messenger. Ellison musta sent him."
"I don' care how he comes. He'll never go away except feet first." Theman who had been horsewhipped by the Ranger was livid with rage.
Dinsmore swung him round by the shoulder savagely. "Who elected you bossof this outfit, Steve? Don't ride on the rope or you'll sure git afall."
The eyes of Pete were blazing. Gurley gave way sullenly.
"Tha's all right. I ain't aimin' noways to cross you. I can wait to gitthis fellow if you say so."
The Ranger had pulled up his horse and was waving the improvised flag.Pete gave directions.
"Homer, you an' Dave go down an' find out what he wants. Don't bring himin unless you blindfold him first. We don't wanta introduce him to theplace so as he can walk right in again any time."
The two men named walked out to meet the Ranger. They greeted him withgrim little nods, which was exactly the salutation he gave them. Thehard level eyes of the men met without yielding an eyebeat.
"Don't you know a flag of truce when you see it, Dinsmore?" demandedRoberts.
"Excuse that shot, Mr. Ranger," said Homer evenly. "It was a mistake."
"Gurley does make 'em," returned Jack, guessing shrewdly. "Some dayhe'll make one too many."
"I take it you came on business."
"Why, yes. Captain Ellison sent me with his compliments to get RangerRidley."
"Lost him, have you?"
"You can't exactly call him lost when we know where he is."
"Meanin' that he's here?"
"You ring the bell first shot."
Overstreet broke in, to mark time. "You think we've got him?"
"We do. Don't you?"
"And Ellison wants him, does he?"
"Wants him worse 'n a heifer cow does her calf." Roberts laughed softly,as though from some fund of inner mirth. "He's kinda hopin' you'll provestubborn so as to give him a chance to come an' get him."
"Where is Ellison?"
The Ranger smiled. "He didn't give me any instructions about tellin' youwhere he is."
"H'mp! You can come in an' talk with Pete. We'll have to blindfold you,"said Dinsmore.
The envoy made no objections. He dismounted. A bandana was tied acrosshis eyes, and the men led him into the pocket of rock. The handkerchiefwas removed.
Jack told again what he had come for.
"How did you know we were here?" demanded Pete.
"It's our business to know such things." Jack did not think it wise tomention that he had been here once before, the same day he foundRutherford Wadley's body a few miles away at the foot of a bluff.
"Ridley told us he was alone--no Rangers a-tall with him, he said."
"Did he?" Jack showed amusement. "What did you expect him to tell you?He draws pay as a Ranger."
"What's Ellison's proposition?"
"Captain Ellison hasn't any proposition to make, if by that you meancompromise. You're to turn Ridley over to me. That's all."
"An' where do we get off?" snorted Pete. "What does that buy us?"
"It buys you six hours' time for a get-away. I've got no business to doit, but I'll promise to loaf around an' not report to Captain Ellisontill after noon. I'll go that far."
"I don' know's we want to make any get-away. We could hold the fort righthere against quite a few Rangers, I reckon."
"Suit yourself," said Jack indifferently.
Pete chewed tobacco slowly and looked down sullenly at a flat rockwithout seeing it. Anger burned in him like a smouldering fire in peat.He hated this man Roberts, and Ellison he regarded as a natural enemy.Nothing would have pleased him more than to settle his feud with theRanger on the spot with a six-shooter. But that meant a hurried exitfrom the Panhandle at a sacrifice of his accumulated profits. This didnot suit Dinsmore's plans. His purpose was to leave Texas with enoughmoney to set him up in business in Colorado or Wyoming. It would not doto gratify his revenge just now. Nor did he dare to carry out his threatand let the Rangers attack him. His policy was to avoid any conflict ifpossible.
"Have to talk it over with the other boys," he said abruptly. "You waithere."
Jack sat down on a rock while the rustlers retired and discussed thesituation. There was not room for much difference of opinion. TheRangers had forced their hand. All they could do was to slip out of therim-rock and make for another zone of safety. This would involve losingthe stock they had rustled, but their option was a choice of two evilsand this was decidedly the lesser.
Pete announced their decision truculently, his chin thrust out.
"One of these days we'll tangle, you 'n' me, young fellow. But notto-day. Take Ridley an' git out _pronto_ before I change my mind. For aplug of tobacco I'd go to foggin' the air right now."
The prisoner was brought forward. His weapons were restored to him. Withthe long strain of fear lifted at last from his mind, it was hard forhim to keep down a touch of hysterical joy. But he managed to returnJack's casual greeting with one as careless to all appearance.
He had caught the drift of the talk and he played up to his friendpromptly. "I was rather lookin' for you or one of the other boys aboutnow, Jack," he said. "Mighty careless of me to get nabbed asleep."
Ten minutes later the two Rangers were outside the pocket riding acrossthe plain.
"Hope Pete won't change his mind an' plump a few bullets at us. He's aright explosive proposition," said Roberts.
It was all Arthur could do to keep from quickening the pace. His mindwouldn't be easy until several miles lay between him and his latecaptors.
"Where's Captain Ellison waiting?" asked Ridley.
"He's probably at Tascosa or Mobeetie. I haven't seen him since youhave."
"Didn't he send you to the Dinsmores after me?"
"Why, no."
Arthur drew a deep breath of relief. If he had weakened in his storythat he was alone and had told the truth, he would have brought ruinupon both himself and his friend.
"You mean you went in there on a pure bluff, knowing how they hated youand what a big chance there was that they would murder you?"
"I took a chance, I reckon. But it looked good to me."
"If I had told them you and I were alone--"
"I figured you wouldn't do that. I had a notion my bluff would stick.They wouldn't think I'd come to them unless I had strong backin'. Thebigger the bluff the better the chance of its workin'."
"Unless I had told that there were only two of us."
"That was one of the risks I had to gamble on, but I felt easy in mymind about that. You'll notice one thing if you stay with the Rangers,Art. They can get away with a lot of things they couldn't pull off asprivate citizens. The law is back of us, and back of the law is theState of Texas. When it comes to a showdown, mighty few citizens want toget us after them good and hard. We always win in the end. The bad-menall know that."
"Just the same, for cold nerve I never saw the beat of what you didnow."
"Sho! Nothin'
to that. A pair of deuces is good as a full house whenyour hand ain't called. We'll swing over to the left here an' gather upthat bunch of rustled stock, Art."
Late that afternoon, as they were following the dust of the drive,Ridley voiced a doubt in his heart.
"Isn't there a chance that the Dinsmores will follow us and find outwe're alone?"
"Quite a chance," agreed Jack cheerfully. "If so, we're liable to swapbullets yet. But I don't reckon they'll do that hardly. More likelythey're hittin' the trail for Palo Duro to hole up."
The outlaws did not molest them during the drive. Four days later theyreached town with their thirsty, travel-worn herd.
Captain Ellison was at the hotel and Jack reported to him at once.
The eyes of the little Ranger Chief gleamed. "Good boys, both of you. Bydog, the old man won't write me any more sassy letters when he readswhat you done. I always did say that my boys--"
"--Were a bunch of triflin' scalawags," Jack reminded him.
The Captain fired up, peppery as ever. "You light outa here and see if asquare meal won't help some, you blamed impudent young rascal."