CHAPTER XXIII
QUICK FACTS
Disregarding the sounds which continued to come from below, Rathburnstood, gun in hand, regarding Sautee with a grim countenance and acold look in his keen, gray eyes.
"I saw that truck driver held up, Sautee. I was on a ridge below thedivide. I saw the tall man in the black slicker, his pardner, an' theboy. I didn't figure it would do any good to tell Mannix I'd taken inthe show, an' I was on my way to the desert. I'd be there now ifCarlisle hadn't overstepped the mark in that Red Feather place."
Sautee pricked up his ears. "You let them arrest you," he said."Why----"
"Because I knew Mannix didn't know who I was an' didn't have anythingon me," said Rathburn quickly. "An' I got peevish at Carlisle an'plumb suspicious when he tried to make things look bad for me rightthere at the start. I began to wise up to the whole lay when you gotme out of jail."
Sautee's face went white again.
"Your fine explanations of why you couldn't get that money up to themine were thin as water, Sautee. You could get that money up there ifyou wanted to, an' when you asked me to carry the package to the mineit was a dead out-an'-out give-away. I reckon you didn't play me tohave any sense, an' I don't think you gave Carlisle credit for havin'the brains of a jack rabbit, either."
Rathburn laughed as the mine manager stared at mention of Carlisle'sname again.
"Don't worry," he said contemptuously. "I know it was Carlisle whoheld me up. I take it he figured that you'd actually put money in thatpackage. Wouldn't be surprised if it was him that you got to try thatstunt. An' he started away with the package as soon as he got itinstead of sneakin' back home to split with you. He double crossed youan' you double crossed him an' me. Now I'm double crossing the two ofyou."
Sautee's look had changed to one of anger. He glared at Rathburn,forgetting his predicament.
"You'd have a fine time proving any of this nonsense," he found thecourage to say.
"I'm not only goin' to prove what I've said so far, but I'm goin' toprove that these robberies were a put-up job between you an' Carlisle,with somebody helping you," said Rathburn. "I've been in the mininggame myself, Sautee, but in our country men spend their lives huntingmetal to make some bunch of stockholders rich. Maybe they getsomething out of it themselves, an' maybe they don't; but they'resquare, an' the men that run the mines are square 'most always. Anywaythey develop properties, an' that's more'n you're doing. You're notdoing this camp any good. You're bleeding the mine an' the company,too."
"And I suppose you--The Coyote--are taking a hand in this business asa matter of principle," sneeringly replied Sautee.
"I didn't take a hand," Rathburn pointed out sternly. "You an'Carlisle forced a hand on me, an' I'm goin' to play it out. I'veanother reason, too," he added mysteriously.
"Did you say you had Carlisle?" Sautee asked in feigned anxiety.
"I've got him dead to rights," replied Rathburn shortly, taking somepaper and a pencil from a pocket.
Sautee looked at him curiously as he started to write on the paper."Going to write it all out and leave it?" he asked sneeringly.
"I'm going to put it outside the powder house in a place where Mannixor some of the others will be sure to find it," was the puzzlinganswer.
"I suppose they'll believe it quicker if it's in writing," said Sauteebravely.
Rathburn finished writing, folded the paper, and placed it in theleft-hand pocket of his coat. He carefully put away the pencil. Hisnext act caused Sautee real concern.
Using a drill which was there for the purpose, evidently, Rathburnbroke open a box of dynamite caps and a box of dynamite. A single coilof fuse was lying on a box. He quickly affixed the cap to a stick ofthe dynamite and crimped on a two-foot length of fuse. Then he movedthe opened box of dynamite to the doorway and struck the stick withcap and fuse attached into it.
"There," he said, evidently greatly satisfied with his work. "Thatfuse will burn about two minutes----" He paused. "That's too long," heconcluded.
Perspiration again stood out on Sautee's forehead as he watchedRathburn cut off a foot of the fuse.
"That's better," said Rathburn with a queer smile. "That'll burn abouta minute. Time enough."
Sautee stared in horrified fascination at the foot of fuse which stuckstraight out from the box of dynamite in the doorway. "What--what areyou going to do?" he gasped out.
"Listen, Sautee," said Rathburn coolly. "When that stick of powderexplodes it'll set off the box an' the other boxes, an' instead of apowder house here there'll be a big hole in the side of themountain."
"Man--man--you're not going to do--_that_!" Sautee's words came in ahoarse whisper.
"I reckon that's what I'm goin' to have to do," said Rathburn as hebent over the form on the floor of the powder house.
The boy's eyes were open and were staring into Rathburn's.
Rathburn lifted him to his feet, where he stood unsteadily. Again thegun was in Rathburn's hand.
"This party is goin' to leave us," he said to the frightened minemanager. "I'm goin' to step just outside for a minute. It's yourchance to make a break, Sautee; but if you try it I'll send a bulletinto that cap. Maybe you heard somewhere that I can shoot tolerablywell," he concluded in his drawl.
Sautee gripped the sides of the boxes piled behind him.
Rathburn led the boy outside and said quickly: "Just what is this manCarlisle to you?"
A look of fear, remorse, dejection--all commingled and pleading--cameinto the dark eyes that looked up into his.
Rathburn didn't wait for a verbal answer.
"Your horse is just up the trail a piece," he said hurriedly. "Get upthere--go up behind the powder house, so the men below can't see you.Swing off into the timber to the left and get down out of here. I'llkeep their attention. Go home."
He waited a moment until he saw that his instructions were beingcarried out, then he leaped again to the doorway of the powder house.
Sautee's face was livid, and his teeth were chattering. Rathburn tooka match from his shirt pocket.
"Stop!" screamed Sautee. "I'll talk. You were right. It was aframe-up. I'll tell everything--_everything_!"
The perspiration was streaming from his face, and his voice shook withterror.
"You'll have a chance to talk in less than a minute," said Rathburncalmly.
A chorus of shouts came from the trail just below the powder house asa number of men came into view.
Rathburn stepped in front of the door with the match in his left handand his gun in his right.