“Well, what is it?” snapped out Sautee.
Rathburn blinked in the light. “I––I was held up,” he said sheepishly.
The mines manager stared. First he stared into Rathburn’s eyes, and then he glanced to the gun in the holster on his thigh.
“Couldn’t have been very much afraid of you,” he said sneeringly. “I see they didn’t even take your gun.”
“It all come from my not knowin’ enough about the trails, I guess,” Rathburn explained lamely. “Got me on the far end of the hogback. Two of ’em. Had their guns in my face before I knew it. Couldn’t have drawed if I wanted to. They’d have shot me out of the saddle in a wink. All I could do was hand over the package an’ beat it.”
“And they said you were a gunman,” said Sautee in derision. “How do I know anybody stopped you and robbed you? Maybe you’ve come back here with that story to cover up the theft of the money. I guess I made a mistake in ever thinking of trusting a man of your caliber.”
“I was afraid of that,” said Rathburn. “I was afraid if anything like this was to happen you might think I was lying and was taking the money 140 myself. But I fooled ’em, Mr. Sautee,” he finished in triumph.
“What’s that?” Sautee asked sharply.
“Look here,” cried Rathburn excitedly as he took off his hat and recovered the package he had put in it before starting toward the mine.
He held up the package. “I was scared they might get wise an’ get the drop on me,” he said. “So I opened the package an’ took out what was in it and put it in my hat. They got the original package, all right, but it was stuffed with an old glove of mine. Here’s the money. I didn’t go right on to the mine for fear they’d find out their mistake an’ pot me from the timber. This is the money you gave me, minus the seals an’ the string an’ box. I wanted you to see that I was on the square.”