"Then keep your trap shut." Cecil Bates glanced around. Plenty of people here now. Quite a crowd. "Me—I'm going out and get him. I'll have him back in town in an hour. We'll show those rats we got pretty alert law around here."
"You going alone, Ceec?"
"Sure am." Bates got up and walked importantly toward the door. There, he stopped and turned. "Course, if a body of citizens tagged along to see how justice works, I guess there's nothing I could do about it." He grinned and winked.
A shout of approval went up and last drinks were hurriedly slopped down and additional quickies ordered. Then they followed Cecil Bates out into the street, moving with drunken anticipation of excitement.
Loaded with the dynamite of irresponsibility.
They streamed out of town behind Cecil Bates' car, not stopping to get other cars or mount horses for fear of being left behind. There was no danger of that however. Bates was not eager to face the strange man in the cave without some show of force in his wake so he traveled slowly enough for all to follow....
Dan and Jane Parker stood on their porch watching the town empty out into the desert. Jane said, "Dan! You must do something. They're—they're dangerous!"
Dan Parker frowned. "But it's not my job. Cecil Bates is the sheriff—"
"Bates is a slovenly, dishonest—hoodlum. You know that Dan. They'll do something out there—"