“All right—pitch it down.”
Jake threw the coin, which fell on the ground a few feet in front of the trooper, who stooped to pick it up.
With one agile bound the outlaw leaped from the window and descended on the trooper’s back, which was broken by the crashing blow, and Jake rolled over him with considerable violence, but the poor man’s body had proved a sufficient buffer, and Jake rose unhurt. Deliberately taking the carbine from the dead man’s hand, and plucking the revolver from his belt, he sauntered off in the direction of the stables. These being too small to contain all the troop-horses, some of the animals were picketed in an open shed, and several troopers were rubbing them down. The men took Jake for one of the cow-boys of the ranch, for he passed them whistling.
Entering the stable he glanced quickly round, selected the finest horse, and, loosing its halter from the stall, turned the animal’s head to the door.
“What are ye doin’ wi’ the captain’s horse?” demanded a trooper, who chanced to be in the neighbouring stall.
“The captain wants it. Hold his head till I get on him. He’s frisky,” said Jake, in a voice of authority.
The man was taken aback and obeyed; but as Jake mounted he turned suddenly pale.
The outlaw, observing the change, drew the revolver, and, pointing it at the trooper’s head, said, in a low savage voice, “A word, a sound, and your brains are on the floor!”
The man stood open-mouthed, as if petrified. Jake shook the reins of the fiery horse and bounded through the door-way, stooping to the saddle-bow as he went. He could see, even at that moment, that the trooper, recovering himself, was on the point of uttering a shout. Wheeling round in the saddle he fired, and the man fell with a bullet in his brain.
The shot of course aroused the whole ranch. Men rushed into the yard with and without arms in wild confusion, but only in time to see a flying horseman cross the square and make for the gate. A rattling irregular volley was sent after him, but the only effect it had was to cause the outlaw to turn round in the saddle and wave his hat, while he gave vent to a yell of triumph. Another moment and he was beyond the bluff and had disappeared.