“No, sir.”
“You know the lay of the land; what do you suggest?”
“Remove the rocks that I have piled up until you come to the slab. Tell the men—there are six in there—to lay down their arms and come out, one at a time. Should they refuse, you might tell them you will keep them bottled up until they surrender, even if it takes a month.”
The loose stones were immediately removed, as Grace had suggested; whereupon the sheriff delivered his ultimatum to the bandits. Lieutenant Wingate, in the meantime, had formed the posse on the upper side of the tunnel opening.
Several minutes elapsed without a sound being heard from the tunnel, then a voice called to Sheriff Collins.
“We surrender! Don’t shoot!”
“Look out for tricks!” warned Grace Harlowe. “I think that is Con Bates speaking.”
The bandits pushed the slab from the opening and came out singly and apparently unarmed.
“Look out!” cried Grace sharply.
Almost in the same instant a revolver in the hands of Con Bates was fired. The five other bandits instantly began banging away at the posse, at the same time scattering and starting to run.