Essential Western Novels - Volume 4. Max Brand

awhile 'till I see what I can do. I know this country better than anyone, and if I can't find her nobody can."

      "I'll think over what you have said," replied White noncommittally.

      "I reckon I'll go and get me something to eat," said Cory. "I aint eat since breakfast, and I may not get a chance to eat again for some time."

      As he ran up the steps and entered the house, some of the party returned to the veranda; but John White detained Dora Crowell. "Don't you think now that you were mistaken about Blaine?" he asked. "He certainly had no part in the abduction, and it is evident that he is terribly cut up about it."

      "Nevertheless, Mr. White, if I were you, I wouldn't call off those telegrams," said Dora. "If those men are so desperate, they are not going to let Cory Blaine take Kay away from them single- handed."

      "I guess you are right at that," said White, "and it won't hurt to give him all the help that we can get for him, but still I can't help having confidence in him."

      "I wish I could," said Dora.

      Butts had gotten the horses up, and after considerable difficulty he managed to get ropes on two of them. These he had saddled and tied to the corral posts, and then he had gone to the bunk house.

      Rummaging in the duffle bag that was tucked beneath his cot, he finally extracted a piece of note paper. The bunkhouse was dark, and no one had seen him enter it from the veranda of the ranch house; nor did they see him emerge, but presently they saw him hurrying excitedly toward them.

      "Look here," he cried as he reached the foot of the steps. "Here's a note from the kidnappers. It was stuck to the side of the bunkhouse door."

      White took the slip of paper from him eagerly and, followed by the others, went into the ranch house where, by the light of the kerosene lamp, he deciphered the crude scrawl.

      "Tell Mr. White," it read, "that if he wants to see his daughter alive again to have one hundred thousand dollars in twenty dollar bills ready one week from today at TF Ranch. He will get further instructions then how to deliver the money and get his girl. No funny business or we'll slit her throat."

      There was no signature, and the characters were printed in an obvious effort to disguise the hand.

      Cory Blaine had eaten, and as he joined them White handed him the note. "What do you think of it?" asked White, after Blaine had read it.

      "Where did it come from?" demanded Blaine.

      "I found it stickin' on the side of the bunk house beside the door," said Butts. "It sure gave me a shock when I read it."

      "How could you read it?" asked Dora Crowell. "There is no light at the bunkhouse."

      Just for an instant Butts' jaw dropped. Perhaps no one noticed it, for he caught himself so quickly. "I seen the paper and I struck a match," he said.

      "Oh!" was Dora's only comment.

      "What would you advise, Blaine?" asked White.

      "I might fail, Mr. White," replied Cory; "and after all the first thing we care about is getting Kay back, so maybe you better get the money in case I do fail."

      "If you get in touch with them, Blaine, you may offer them the reward in my name," said White. "It is a great deal of money; but I think that I can raise it; and, of course, it is needless to say that I would make any sacrifice to get Kay back alive and well."

      "I'll sure do all I can, Mr. White," said Cory. "You may absolutely depend on me."

      "I got two horses up, Cory," said Butts. "I'm goin' with you."

      "You stay here," said Blaine. "I don't need no help, and if any other clue should turn up while I'm gone there ought to be someone here who knows the country and who can ride hard."

      Butts said nothing, but he accompanied Blaine as he walked down to the stable for his horse. "One of us has got to be here," said Cory. "If anything goes wrong and it aint safe for me to return, light a fire on the hill. I'll make a signal on Horsecamp Butte on my way back. You keep your eye peeled for it, and if I don't get no signal from you that night I'll know that everything is jake and I'll come on in."

      "All right," said Butts, "but I hate to have to hang around here. I feel sort of nervous."

      "Why?"

      "That Crowell girl. She came near getting me. I sure do hate all them damn dudes."

      "Keep your mouth shut, and you won't get in trouble," advised Blaine.

      A minute later he had mounted and ridden off into the night.

      ––––––––

      XVI

      AT BRYAM'S CABIN

      BRUCE MARVEL conserved the energies of his horse, for he knew that he might have a gruelling grind ahead of him. His, he realized, was an endurance race in which speed might readily prove a liability rather than an asset; for were he to reach his goal with an exhausted mount, failure must be his only reward.

      He believed that he was pitted against a hard and desperate gang and that even should he be so successful as to wrest Kay White from them, his ability to return her in safety to the TF Ranch might still depend solely upon what of stamina and speed were left in Baldy.

      He rode steadily until shortly after midnight when he dismounted and removing the horse's saddle and bridle permitted him to roll.

      A short time previously he had watered him in Mill Creek; and now when he had stretched his muscles in a good roll and both of them had rested for five or ten minutes, Bruce gave the animal a small feed of oats; and after he had cleaned them up they were soon on the trail again.

      All night he rode; and just before dawn he halted again for a brief rest, during which he removed the saddle and bridle from Baldy, rubbed down his back, turned the blanket and re-saddled immediately.

      As he mounted he glanced back down the valley, his eyes immediately attracted by a twinkling light ten or a dozen miles away.

      "That must be the sheriff and his posse," he thought, "for there wasn't nobody there when I came past."

      And far up, toward the head of Mill Creek Canyon, other eyes saw the light—the eyes of a watcher posted on the hillside above Hi Bryam's cabin. "Not so good," muttered the watcher, and, descending, he awakened two men who were sleeping outside the shack.

      "What's wrong, Mart?" demanded one of them.

      "They's a campfire this side of Mill Creek camp," replied the man. "I think we better be movin'. There shouldn't be nobody comin' this way that would build a campfire."

      "Cory told us to rest here for one day."

      "I don't care what he told us. I'm lookin' after my own neck, and I aint goin' to wait around here for no man."

      "Me neither," said Bryam. "He sure give us credit for sense enough to get out of here if you fellows were followed, and it looks like you was, all right."

      "It's all the same to me," said the third. "I aint hankerin' to have no one see me with this girl here, whether they're followin' us or not."

      "He was just figurin' on givin' the girl a rest, thinkin' she couldn't stand so much ridin'," said the first speaker.

      "She's had five hours rest now," said Bryam, "and that's all she's goin' to get for awhile. You and Mart get saddled up, while I rustle some grub. We got plenty time to eat and get a good start, even if they start now, which like as not they won't."

      "Probably they'll be waitin' till mornin'," said Eddie, "thinkin' they could pick up our trail better then."

      "That's sure a long way off," said Mart. "I don't see how you seen it in the first place, Eddie;" and, in truth, the