Part 40 (2/2)
Olaf had come with us, leavin' Oscar with Kit, and now Horace turned to him and said: ”You and Promotheus know more about Ty Jones 'n the rest of us. I have never tried to pump Promotheus, but now I want you to tell us what you think he'll do with the Friar.”
They said 'at Ty was generally purty cold blooded, and likely to take enough time in gettin' rid of a feller to make it purty hard to tell just how it had been done; but that when he once let go of himself, he didn't care what happened, and if the Friar angered him about the woman, the chances were 'at the Friar would never leave the ranch alive.
The shadows were beginnin' to fall, down in the valley; but Ty and the Friar kept on talkin', Ty wavin' his hands now and again, while the Friar stood straight with his hands hangin' easy at his side. I couldn't stand it any longer.
”I believe 'at a feller could get almost to 'em without bein' seen, by goin' along the edge o' the ravine,” sez I; ”and I'm goin' to do it.
It'll be dark in a few minutes. If you want me to hustle to the Friar, wave a torch up and down; if you want me to come back here, wave it sideways.”
”I'm goin', too,” sez Horace.
”So 'm I,” sez Olaf and The.
”Well, that's full enough,” sez I, ”and the rest of ya keep a sharp watch, and also keep the hosses ready, in case we need 'em.”
The four of us started down the side o' the slope at good speed. There were only two places on the way down where we caught sight o' the ranch buildin's; but just before we reached the top o' the cliff, we heard a sound down below in the ravine. Glancin' cautious over the side, I saw the Friar comin' back alone, on foot and leadin' his hoss.
I drew back and whispered to the others, and we felt purty blame cheap. We hardly knew what to do, as the Friar was likely to see us if we tried to run back to our look-out before he reached the place where the path came up out o' the ravine, and most of all, we didn't want him to know 'at we were follerin' him.
He had pa.s.sed us by this time, so we looked over the edge o' the ravine at him. He was walkin' slow with his head down, and his hands in his pockets. ”He'll ride home slow,” sez I; ”and we can easy beat him.”
”Hush,” sez The, draggin' us back from the edge, ”the's two fellers follerin' him.”
”Horace,” I said, quick and firm, so as not to have any back-talk, ”you go about forty yards up the ravine, and keep your eyes on these fellers. Don't shoot 'em unless they try to pa.s.s you. Hurry, now! I've given you the most important post. If you shoot, shoot in earnest.”
Horace stooped over and ran to where a rock jutted out. ”Now, then,”
sez I, ”as soon as these fellers pa.s.s us, we'll try to bowl 'em over with one stone each, and then drop back out o' sight. We don't want to shoot unless we have to.”
”They're wavin' us to come back,” whispered The, who had took a glance at our look-out.
”Never mind,” sez I, lookin' down and seein' the two fellers crouched over and sneakin' after the Friar. ”Now then, throw and drop back.”
We stood on our knees, threw one stone each, and dropped back. They rattled in the ravine below, and we heard a sharp yelp of pain. I had only dodged away from the edge of the ravine and ran to where Horace was.
”One feller was. .h.i.t in the shoulder and knocked down,” sez he; ”but he got up again right away, and both of 'em ran back.”
”What did the Friar do?” I asked, not darin' to look over, lest he see me.
”He turned around and started back,” sez Horace. ”I was afraid he'd see my head again' the sky, so I pulled it back. I haven't heard him move since those fellers started to run.”
”Well, I don't believe 'at even the Friar would be daffy enough to go back,” sez I; ”so we'll just lay here and listen. They signalled us from above a while back, but they've stopped again.”
We waited some time without hearin' any one pa.s.s us, and then we sneaked up along the edge of the ravine. Before long we saw the Friar come up the side. He paused on top and looked back, then mounted and started for Olaf's at a slow shuffle. As soon as he was well under way, we pushed for the look-out, and mounted.
”Slim, you and Tillte wouldn't be missed as soon as the rest of us; so you trail the Friar, while we try to beat him home,” sez I. ”If you need us, shoot. Otherwise come in as unnoticeable as you're able.”
We reached Olaf's, had our saddles off and the hosses turned loose before the Friar rode in. His face was white, but this was the only thing 'at showed what he was goin' through. We made a big fuss about his gettin' back all right and asked him plenty o' questions, without overdoin' it enough to make him suspicious. He answered our questions right enough, but he didn't open up and talk free. Slim and Tillte joined us at supper without bein' noticed.
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