Retribution
Teddy’s eyes flashed and he drew his revolver. He made as if to urge Flash out into the trail to face the oncoming horseman, but Roy laid a restraining hand on his arm.
“Wait!” he cautioned tensely. “Not yet!”
Now the rider was nearly opposite those hidden in the brush. Roy looked at Teddy and Nick, then nodded. Carelessly the five men walked their horses into the middle of the trail, adequately covering it. The slouched horseman yelled, pulled back sharply on the reins, and brought his pony to a sudden, sliding halt.
“You crazy fools!” he shouted. “Want to send me over the cliff? What in time’s the matter with you-all, jumpin’ out on me like that?”
“Well, now, mister, we weren’t aimin’ to do just that,” Gus drawled mildly. “But we heard you comin’, an’ we kind o’ thought you might like to palaver a little.”
“Well, I don’t!” The man turned angrily toward Gus. “An’ I’ll thank you to move aside an’ let me by! I’m in a hurry!”
“Shorely you can’t be in a hurry on a nice evenin’ like this!” Nick suggested gently. “Seems like yuh ought to be ridin’ along slow like, observin’ the birds an’ the flowers, an’ maybe tossin’ sticks with paper tied to ’em down into the gully. Hey?”
“Stand aside, you locoed cow-nurse! I ain’t got no time fer no foolishness! Once more, I’m tellin’ yuh—”
Teddy saw the man’s hand go for his gun. Quick as a flash, the boy drew and the reckless horseman found himself looking into the muzzle of a blue-barreled Colt. With his hand on his belt, the man hesitated, then gave a sneering laugh.
“Kind o’ sudden, ain’t yuh? Well, suppose you speak up an’ tell me what this is all about. I come along this here trail, aimin’ to make the canyon’s end before ten to-night, when a gang of stick-up artists shoves a six-gun down my throat! If it’s money you want—” The man reached in his shirt pocket and drew out some silver, which he threw contemptuously on the ground at Flash’s feet. “Here! That’s all I got. Pretty poor pickin’, hey, boys?”
“Pretty considerable of a fool, you are,” drawled Gus contemptuously.
Teddy’s eyes narrowed.
“Take it easy,” he said in a voice that, somehow, reminded Nick of a taut violin string. “You know we’re not highwaymen. We want to ask you some questions—Reltsur.”
The man started, almost imperceptibly, then recovered his composure.
“Well, I ain’t no encyclopedia of information, but I’ll do the best I can,” he replied sarcastically. “Only hurry up. It’s gettin’ late.”
Teddy made a motion with his head, and Bug Eye moved toward the rider. He reached over and quickly yanked the man’s gun from its holster.
“Playin’ safe, hey? Afraid I’ll pull on yuh with that starin’ me in the face?” and he nodded at the gun Teddy held.
“Never mind that,” Roy said sharply. “We’ll do the asking, and you the answering. First, where’s the rest of your gang?”
“Gang?” The man laughed shortly. “Don’t know what yuh mean. I ain’t got no gang. I’m just a poor little me—all alone,” and he laughed again.
“And I suppose you don’t know where Sholo Caves are?” Teddy asked, watching him closely through the dusk.
“Sholo—Sholo Caves?” This time there was no mistaking the start. “Why—I heard tell of ’em. Back a ways, ain’t they?”
“Maybe!” Teddy rode closer. Suddenly he jammed the gun into the man’s ribs, causing a grunt of pain and surprise. “Now answer this, and answer it quick!” he snapped. “Where are Belle Manley and her two friends?”
For a moment the man seemed too stunned to speak.
“Belle—Manley?” he faltered. “I—I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. How should I know? Who are they? What—”
“Save it!” Teddy’s voice cut the air like a knife. “Once more—where is my sister?” The hammer of the gun came back with an ominous click. Wide-eyed with fright, the man stared into the piercing eyes before him. Then he gulped.
“Yuh—yuh got me cold!” he whispered. “I’m sunk! I’ll tell—I’ll tell everything!”
Suddenly, with a wild yell, he sank his spurs deep into the pony’s side. The horse, frantic with pain, leaped forward, striking Roy’s mount head on and then swerved to the fiercely pulled reins.
“Get him!” Gus yelled. “Nick, bust him wide open! Let him have it!”
Not a sound came from Teddy. Deliberately he raised his gun. There was a roar that echoed amid the canyon’s walls, proving its name, and the fleeing rider crumpled in the saddle. The next moment he slid to the ground, and the horse, free of its burden, dashed along the trail, to disappear around the bend.
Teddy quickly dismounted.
“I hated to do it, but I had to,” he said sadly. “You boys know I had to. I hope I didn’t—”
He bent over the form on the ground. As he touched the man’s arm a savage cry arose, and the figure came to life with a suddenness that sent Teddy staggering back, a dark stain on the boy’s face showing where the closed fist had struck.
“He’s all right,” Teddy said shortly, wiping the blood from his cheek. “Sit up, you! Another break and I’ll shoot off your head instead of your arm! Sit up now!”
Muttering under his breath, the man obeyed. He swayed where he sat, cuddling his arm, a look of anguish on his face. But the boys were in no mood for sympathy. There was other business on hand—business that must be transacted quickly.
“Going to answer the question?” Roy demanded, leaning over his horse and gazing at the form on the path.
“What question?” the man groaned.
“Where are those girls you brought from the 8 X 8?”
“I tell yuh I—” The grim Colt menaced his head, and the man shrank back. “Gimme time! I’m tryin’ to tell yuh, ain’t I! They’re in—”
The boys listened eagerly, their hearts thumping madly. They leaned forward, Teddy kneeling on the ground, his eyes boring into those of the wounded man.
“They’re—in—Sholo Caves!”
Then, with a sigh, the outlaw toppled over, his head hitting the ground with a thud, and he lay still.