“Oh, well, no matter. Now you–”
“I’ll tell you the reason I was sent out,” I broke in, just thinking of something.
“What is it?”
“I can say all there is to say as well as anybody, but I’m a poor shot, so it was decided that if I didn’t get back it wouldn’t make much difference in the matter of shooting you fellows down if you come any nearer.”
He pulled his collar down and looked at me 160 over his crooked nose. Kaiser began to growl, but I poked him in the ribs with my foot to let him understand that there was a flag of truce on and he must behave himself. I guess Pike didn’t like it, because this sounded as if we couldn’t trust him, but he didn’t say anything.
“Well,” he broke out, “there’s no use of us standing here and talking. We’ve come after that $5,000, and you fellers know it.”
“We told you all we had to say about that in the letter.”
“Then we’ll bust that safe and burn your town,” he said, like a savage.
“Go ahead and try it,” I answered. “We’re ready for you.”
His face, which had looked black as night all the while, now turned white with rage.