Part 45 (1/2)

”You won't dare to shoot,” put in Link Merwell. ”You won't dare!” He tried to be brave but his voice was shaky.

”What's the row here?” burst in another voice, and Abe Blower sprang up, followed by Tom Dillon.

”h.e.l.lo, them two skunks!” cried Tom Dillon. ”What do they want?”

”They wanted to make off with our stores,” answered Dave, and pointed to the goods tied up in the rubber cloth.

”So that's the trick, eh?” bellowed Abe Blower.

”First the hosses an' now the stores!” roared Tom Dillon. ”Humph! Ye deserve to be shot full o' holes!” he went on, for he had lived in the times when the stealing of a horse, or of a miner's food, was considered by everybody a capital offense.

”I--I beg of you, have mercy!” cried Job Haskers, as he got unsteadily to his feet. ”I--I--this was not my plan at all--Merwell suggested it.

We--we were not going to--er--to steal anything.”

”No? Then wot was ye goin' ter do?” demanded Abe Blower, sarcastically.

”We were--er--only going to hide the stuff,” stammered Link Merwell, and he glared at Job Haskers savagely for having tried to place the responsibility of the raid on his shoulders.

”I don't believe a word of it!” came sternly from Tom Dillon. ”You wanted to leave us to starve here, or compel us to go back to town--so you could hunt for that lost mine alone. I see through the trick. We ought to shoot you down like dogs!”

”It's jest wot they deserve, consarn 'em,” muttered Abe Blower.

”We don't want anybody shot!” said Dave, to his chums. He saw that the two old miners were angry enough to do almost anything.

”Let us--er--go this time and we'll never bother you again,” pleaded Job Haskers. He was so scared he could scarcely speak.

”Step over here, by this rock, and keep your hands up,” said Tom Dillon.

”We'll talk this over a bit further.”

There was no help for it, for Merwell and Haskers were now virtually prisoners. They stepped to the position mentioned, with their hands still upraised.

”Go through 'em, Abe,” went on Tom Dillon. ”Take their shootin' irons away from 'em.”

”See here----” commenced Merwell, when a stern look from the old miner stopped him. Haskers said nothing, for he was still fearful of being shot.

In a few minutes the two intruders were disarmed by Abe Blower. While this was being done Roger whispered to Dave.

”Don't you think we ought to search 'em thoroughly?” he asked. ”They may have something belonging to me--some map of the lost mine, or something like that? I don't exactly remember what I had in that suit-case Merwell got from the porter on the train.”

”Certainly, we'll have them well searched,” declared Dave, and spoke to Tom Dillon about it. As a consequence, despite their protests, Abe Blower turned out every pocket of the prisoners.

”There is one of my letters!” cried Roger. ”It tells about the Landslide Mine. I had forgotten it,” and he put the communication in his pocket.

But little else of value belonging to Roger was found, and their own things the prisoners were allowed to retain, all but their weapons.

Those, even to their pocket-knives, Tom Dillon confiscated.

”What are you going to do with us?” asked Link Merwell, surlily, after the search was at an end.

”We'll tie 'em up for the night,” said Tom Dillon. ”Boys, get a couple of ropes.”