“No hurry at all,” was the calm reply, “I want to go over our crate once more before we start that hop across to the California border, I’ve good reason to believe things are okay but a second overhauling will satisfy me better.”
“I kinder guess you won’t want me to slip over to this here town, an’ pick up a few fresh eggs, eh, boss?” and Perk’s voice actually took on a wheedling vein as he made this remark for if there was anything he dearly loved along the line of “eats” it was those same “fresh eggs.”
Jack shook his head.
“Hardly think it would be wise,” he observed; “we don’t know the lay of the land for one thing—it might be this party has some backing among his neighbors, and we’d find ourselves in a hornets’ nest before we knew what was what. No, we can stick it out here the balance of the night, which is pretty well gone right now, and be off about sunrise.”
“There’s a lot more stuff around in here that’d burn right well,” insinuated Perk; “how ’bout another bit o’ fire—this night air feels some cool to me an’ ’sides, we’d have a blaze ready so’s to boil more coffee ’fore we kick off, eh, what, partner?”
“Please yourself so far as that goes, Perk, I reckon it wouldn’t feel at all bad to have some fire, as we must hang out here several hours. But don’t make any noise if you can help it. Besides, we ought to keep an eye out for trouble, no telling what this slick chap might work off on us.”
“Oh! we’ll one o’ us keep watch off’n on,” promised Perk, starting without any further delay to gather some fuel, and get a blaze going.
While he was thus engaged Jack took their prisoner in hand, and commenced to grill him. There was nothing of the dreaded “third degree” rough-house measures in what Jack attempted but he tried to show the man where his best interests lay.
“You’re in a bad fix, my friend,” Jack told him: “and unless you come clean, so as to help us round up the balance of your outfit, you’ll be certain to get the full penalty the law lays down. We know a whole lot about Slippery Slim and his ways, and are dead certain we’re bound to end up his graft before many more days pass by. So when you’re answering my questions don’t try to lie to me, for like as not I’ll be already acquainted with the facts and know you’re trying to beat around the bush. Dangerous business, let me tell you; far better for you to hold your tongue than deceive me. Come clean, and I promise you I’ll do everything in my power to have you let off easy, besides no one need know you’ve turned State’s evidence.”
Then he started in to put pointed questions, concerning certain points that were vital to his plans. Once he caught the man squirming under the lash, and giving an answer that he very well knew was like “beating around the bush.”