His horse was brought to a stop, and an expert hand reached up and disarmed him.
“Hullo Bob! Much obliged for bein’ so consid’rate,” said the outlaw, his head averted. “You’re jest the man I want to see.”
“I’ll bet I am,” chuckled Sheriff Warburton grimly. “Le’s see yore hands! All set, now.” He snapped the handcuffs on his prisoner.
Billy Gee turned and looked at his captor. He was afoot. Some distance off, his mule stood partially hidden by a clump of brush.
“If you don’t figger on losin’ me, we better start. That roarin’ layout is the Quintell bunch. They’re after me. They all but dynamited the Huntington place last night,” said Billy Gee evenly.
Warburton scowled. “What’s this you’re givin’ me?”
He glanced toward the ranch and made out the tiny figure of Mrs. Liggs standing in the garden, her face buried in her hands, and the scarecrow one of old Tinnemaha Pete, arms waving above his head, raging about in insane fashion.
The mob had collected and, slouching in its saddles, listened to Big George Rankin’s reasons why the chase should not be continued. Daylight had brought the leader of Geerusalem’s underworld face to face with the gravity of the night’s activity. Masked men were likely to fall into the toils of the law, even in so lawless a locality as this. Rankin did not relish being identified with the Huntington job. He had too much to lose. He did not care to take any unnecessary risks. What he told his confederates, however, was that they would be wasting time trying to track down an outlaw who, besides riding superior horseflesh, knew every square foot of the vast Mohave Desert.
At last, they started on their return to camp, tired, hungry, in no genial mood. Their raid had in great measure been for naught. Their plans to intimidate Lemuel Huntington into leaving the country, had been frustrated by the unexpected interference of Billy Gee. They had to confront Jule Quintell and his clique and admit miscarriage of those plans.
From discussing the matter among themselves, their bitterness toward Huntington, and every one who had to do with Huntington, increased. Lex Sangerly, Dot, and Mrs. Liggs came under a new scheme of persecution which they presently determined on, as they rode along. They would raid the ranch again that night, declared Rankin, and burn it to the ground, and they would take precautions that no Billy Gee would be about to defeat their aims. It is not strange that, with other more important matters in contemplation, the absence of Shorty and Logan—delegated to kill Lennox—was not noted. In fact, Shorty and Logan were not missed until late that afternoon.