Chapter XXIV
BRYANT GOES HOME
Bryant Cavendish, sitting in the cave, felt curiously at ease. His woundwas almost superficial and, because of the first aid which his maskedabductor had applied, caused him no discomfort whatsoever. His onlyinconvenience was the lashings about his wrists and ankles that made himhelpless. Yet it was this helplessness that gave him the odd feeling ofbeing relaxed. For the first time that he could remember, there was nota thing that he felt he should be doing or supervising. With nothingthat could be done, he felt no pangs in idleness. He had been furiouslyangry at first when he realized that he'd been carried away bodily. Itwas a bitter blow to his pride. The trip from Red Oak had beenhumiliating as well as exhausting, but now the iron-jawed old man almostgloried in his helplessness.
He sat trying to recall vague moments in the past half day. He couldremember little after the shot in his hotel room. He must have beenunconscious during most of the trip from Red Oak to the Gap. The maskedman was in the Gap when Bryant recovered his senses, and explained in asoft voice exactly where the two were going. Then there had been asession in the cave when the first aid was administered by candlelight.Darkness again, and a resonant, kindly voice that said, "You'll be allright here for the time being. I'm going to ride out again, but I'll behere when you waken at daybreak." Bryant had slept after that, andwakened to find the masked man's promise fulfilled. The stranger waswith him, but not for long. He rode off on the horse called Silver.
Shortly after daybreak Bryant had heard a team and wagon coming close.His shouts were answered when the wagon stopped and an Indian scaled theledge and entered the cave. Bryant had demanded that the Indian releasehim, but there had been no sign that the newcomer could understand thewhite man's tongue. Bryant resented the manner in which he had beeninspected by the redskin, the way the ropes and their knots werecritically examined; then the way his bandage was removed, the woundstudied carefully and then redressed. The Indian had made no commentwhatsoever. He finished his investigation and then left the cave. Aftera lapse of several moments the team and buckboard moved away. Bryanthad noted that the outfit came from the Basin and headed in theopposite direction.
Another hour elapsed, then Yuma came. And when the cowboy came he madeit known. His entrance was accompanied by a shout. "You--" he bellowed,"yuh damned dirty schemin' crook yuh, I had tuh come here an' tell yuhwhat I think!"
Bryant looked up with his jaw set in its customary stubborn way.
"Tuh think," roared Yuma, "that I took cash money from you an' worked onthat murder ranch o' yores. Thinkin' o' that makes me turn green inside.If I had any o' that cash left I'd ram it down yer gullet an' hope it'dstrangle yuh. Why, you--" Yuma launched into some of the most colorfulexpressions the Lone Ranger, still outside the cave, had ever heard."Yuh tried tuh drill me," he went on. "Fer that I got every right tuhput a bullet through yer gizzard, but I ain't agoin' tuh do that.Shootin' you would be too damned easy fer you. Yore headin' fersomethin' aplenty worse than bein' kilt. Why, yuh even tried tuhdouble-cross Miss Penny, an', by damn, that's goin' too doggoned far. Ifyuh knowed the way that purty girl stood up in yore defense an' sassedright back at anyone that had anything tuh say ag'in yuh--but, shucks,loyalty O' that sort is somethin' yore kind wouldn't savvy."
"Yuma!" shouted the Lone Ranger from outside. "That will do."
The masked man entered the cave, and Yuma, turning, noticed that he helda folded paper in his hand. "I told you that you'd stop here just longenough to get a horse, then head for town."
"Aw-w, I know," said Yuma apologetically. "I seen this old crook,though, an' I jest couldn't help poppin' off an' lettin' him know what Ithought o' him."
"Well, you've said enough. Now take the horse and get started."
Yuma nodded and passed his masked ally. He dropped over the ledge andchecked the cinch on a big bay that stood near Silver. It was a horsethat the Lone Ranger had provided. Before he rested in the cave, afterhis arrival there with Bryant, he had gone to the Basin, found theanimal, then saddled it and brought it here. His intention had been touse it for Bryant when the two left their cavern hideout. Now, however,Yuma needed the horse, so the masked man and Bryant would both rideSilver.
Yuma mounted and called, "I'm on my way." In another moment thecowpuncher was gone. Then the Lone Ranger moved close to Bryant. Hespoke softly, "Is there anything you'd care to say to me now?"
Bryant made no reply. He simply stared unblinkingly at the mask.
"Yuma was pretty hard on you," the Lone Ranger said. "I'm sorry that heacted as he did, but there is still a lot that you don't understand. Doyou feel strong enough to leave here?"
Bryant snarled, "I'm strong enough tuh do anything you do!"
"Good. We are going to your home in the Basin."
"Sort of nervy, ain't yuh?"
"Why?"
"Yuh won't live ten minutes after I git there amongst my men."
"We'll see about that. There are some things that I want to tell you.We'll talk about them as we ride."
"I ain't ridin' in there hog-tied."
"I'm going to untie you." It was but the work of a moment to free theold man; then the Lone Ranger aided him to his feet. Bryant tried topush away the masked man's help, but found himself unable to standwithout some aid. Grumbling something about "bein' weak from loss ofblood," Bryant permitted himself to be helped down the ledge and to thesaddle. The Lone Ranger leaped behind him, and the two were on theirway.
Wallie was sitting idly on the front porch of the house when the twoarrived. He leaped to his feet at the sight of Bryant riding with themasked man. The Lone Ranger already had a gun in readiness, and spokequite casually when he saw Wallie reaching for a weapon. "I wouldn't ifI were you."
Wallie's hand froze to the gun butt. He didn't draw. "Where did you comefrom?" he demanded. Then to his uncle he said in a more fawning tone,"Uncle Bryant, I been worried sick about yuh ever since last night whenyuh was shot at."
"The hell you have," snarled Bryant. "Yuh didn't stick around town verylong tuh see what happened to me."
"But there wasn't any use hangin' around there," explained thewell-dressed one. "We all seen yuh carried off on that white hoss. Rightafter yuh left, we found that it was Mort that that stranger killed."
"Mort?" snapped Bryant. "Is he dead?"
Wallie explained the events of the previous night while he helped toease Bryant Cavendish from the saddle to the ground. The Lone Rangerstood slightly back, letting Wallie help his uncle. His keen eyes shotquick glances in all directions.
The Lone Ranger saw men going casually about their various tasks, but healso saw men who seemed to have no tasks. At least six of these stoodidly about, each one, he knew, watching him intently, waiting for asignal from Bryant Cavendish. His life wouldn't be worth much if thecommand to capture him were given. He dared not relax his vigilance fora split second.
"We'll go into the house," he told Wallie. "I'll follow you to Bryant'sown bedroom. Get him into bed; he's pretty tired. I'll take care of himwhen he's there."
Wallie started to object, but Bryant cut him off shortly. "Do what hesays!"
The three crossed the porch and entered the large living room. Themasked man noticed that the cordwood, the chair, and the table stillmade a brace between the beam of the ceiling and the trapdoor in thefloor. Bryant asked about the room's upset condition. Wallie said, "I'lltell yuh about that later, Uncle Bryant. First of all we want tuh getyuh in bed where yuh c'n rest up."
"You'll tell me now," barked Bryant. "I want tuh know what's been donetuh this yere room."
The Lone Ranger stood at the closed door while Wallie told, as brieflyas possible, about the capture of the outlaws by the masked man andtheir subsequent guarding by Tonto. He explained that he had found theIndian on guard when he came in, and that between Tonto and Penelope hehad been told the entire story. "I didn't have any idea," he said, "thatwe had killers on the payroll here. I never had much to do with therunnin' of things, you know."
br /> "Yuh would have," retorted Bryant, "if yuh spent more time here an' lesstime in Red Oak saloons."
"I guess it must have been Vince an' Mort that hired those men,"continued Wallie in a placating manner, "but we'll see that they'retaken care of, now that we know who they are."
Bryant Cavendish "h'mphed," then demanded, "where's Penny?"
"Oh, I told you last night, Uncle Bryant, that she was to go to Red Oakwith the kids an' stay with that woman I lined up there."
"I didn't say it'd be all right fer her tuh go. I told yuh tuh find somefemale that'd come here an' take care of the kids!"
"But I thought--"
"Never mind what yuh thought. How'd Penny get tuh Red Oak?"
"Well, she seemed to put a lot o' trust in that Indian, an' he waswillin' to drive her there with the buckboard, so I let him do it. Theyleft at daybreak, takin' the kids with 'em."
Wallie looked at Bryant as if anticipating an outburst because he'dpermitted the girl to leave the Basin in an Indian's care, but Bryantsimply nodded. "I reckon," he said softly, "Penelope must have passedright by me. Wonder why she didn't say somethin' when I yelled. Theredskin heard me; why didn't Penelope?"
His question was not answered. He leaned heavily on the railing of thestaircase while Wallie walked beside him with the masked man closebehind.
A window in the hallway on the second floor looked out toward thecorral. The Lone Ranger glanced in that direction and saw the cowhands,their work ignored, converging on the ranch house. He noticed also thattheir hands were on the butts of their holstered six-guns. He hadnoticed something else that didn't diminish his apprehension. Thefurniture and firewood that he had placed to block any attempt to leavethe cellar vault had been moved since his last visit. True, the tablestill rested on the trapdoor, but in a slightly different position.
When Bryant finally entered his bedroom, the Lone Ranger closed the doorand stood just to one side.
He studied every detail of the big room while Wallie helped old Bryantget into the heavy oak bed at the far wall. The room was well equippedwith furniture. There were three large comfortable-looking chairs, a biground table in the center of the room, a desk against one wall, and theusual bedroom equipment of commode, pitcher, and basin. The desk wassomething to behold. It seemed to have half a hundred pigeonholes, eachone of which bulged to the bursting point with folded papers. There wasa curious thing about it: in some of the small compartments the paperswere tucked in neatly, while in others the assorted documents werejammed in with what appeared to be a careless haste. Another point wasthat the sloppy-looking pigeonholes were all at one end of the desk. Themasked man made a mental note to have a closer look at the desk at hisearliest opportunity.
Wallie pulled a counterpane from the foot of the bed and covered Bryant."Reckon you'll be all right now, Uncle," he said consolingly. "Ifthere's anything more that I c'n do--"
"There ain't," barked Bryant.
Wallie looked at the tall man with the mask. "I'll speak to you in thehall," the Lone Ranger said.
Willie said, "Right."
"You lead the way."
Wallie opened the door and went out with the masked man close behind.
"There are a lot of things," the Lone Ranger said when the door had beenclosed, "that I must explain to you, Cavendish. You're no doubtwondering about the mask I'm wearing. I'll tell you this much about whoI am. I'm a friend of the Indian you found here."
"I know that much," said Wallie.
"I came here to find out who directed the murder of those Texas Rangerswho were killed in the Gap. You probably have heard that someone wearingmoccasins attended to their burial." The other nodded. "You've probablyguessed by this time that the man who buried them was that same Indian.Well, that's the truth. Those men I locked in the basement of thishouse, of course, had a hand in the massacre, but there was someone whogave them their instructions."
"Might have been Mort or Vince," suggested Wallie.
"It might have been, yes, but I doubt it. They wouldn't run things insuch a high-handed way without being told to do so by the boss of theoutfit."
"You mean Uncle Bryant?"
"He's the owner of this ranch, and all the different brands that areused here are recorded in his name. I understand that he isn't the typeto let someone else boss anything he owns."
Wallie mused for a moment. "But Bryant ain't--" He didn't finish hisremark.
"Wasn't it Bryant himself who helped your brother escape from jail lastnight in Red Oak?"
"Why should he?" argued the other. "He's the one that turned Mort overto the law."
"He turned him over to the law, because Mort was a murderer and Yumaknew it. That act on Bryant's part would remove him from suspicion. Yetsomeone helped Mort escape!"
Wallie said, "All this is sure surprisin' news to me, stranger. I don'tknow just what to think about it."
"I'm telling you," continued the Lone Ranger, "so you can be ready totell anything you know when the law men come."
"Law men?"
"Yuma is bringing them. He's also bringing a warrant for the arrest ofBryant Cavendish."
"Arrest? He can't be arrested on suspicions like yours! No law man wouldjail an old man on anything as flimsy as that!"
"I didn't explain," said the masked man slowly. "Yuma is charging Bryantwith attempted murder! That will be enough to jail him! In the meantime,you'll do well to get your own story straight!"
"Me?"
"You!"
"B-but, stranger," faltered Wallie, "I--I don't know anything about thethings that go on around here. I'm hardly ever here myself. I don't likethe place. I spend as much time in Red Oak as I can."
The masked man gripped the other's upper arm. He was a little bitsurprised to find the muscles beneath the fine shirt hard and firm, notflabby as Wallie's disposition and habits indicated. "Just rememberthis," he said: "the mere fact that men like Sawtell, Lonergan, Rangoon,and Lombard are working here is going to call for a lot of explanation.Every one of those four has a substantial reward on his head. You'dbetter be ready to tell all you know. It will take a lot from you toconvince the law men you aren't associated with this gang."
"I've got nothin' to hide," said Wallie. "I'll tell all I know, but thatain't much. Vince may know a few things, but me, I never hang around theBasin."
The Lone Ranger nodded. "Very well, then, but remember what I told you."He was about to re-enter Bryant's room, but Wallie halted him.
"What do you want?" asked the Ranger.
"You said somethin' about cattle-stealin' around here."
"A lot of cattle has been stolen from ranches around this part of thecountry." The masked man explained the means that had been used torebrand the stolen cattle in the Basin, give the burns a chance to heal,then sell the stock with brands that suited bills of sale. He told ofthe trail down Thunder Mountain that had been used for shuttling cattleinto and out of the Basin. Wallie seemed genuinely amazed to learn thatthings of this sort had gone on beneath his unsuspecting nose.
"You plan to stay here until the law men come, is that it?" asked Walliewhen the masked man finished.
"Yes. I want to have a talk with Bryant. Perhaps I can persuade him totell all he knows. It will save him a lot of trouble to talk first."
"He won't talk," replied Wallie.
"I don't know about that."
"I never knew a more close-lipped, stubborn man in my life. No amount ofthreatenin' could loosen his tongue. He'd put up with all the torture anApache could concoct an' never say a word."
"Nevertheless, he's not a fool. He's a shrewd man, and his whole lifehas been made up of weighing the odds, then playing his cards. I have ahunch that he'll realize the advantage of telling all he can."
"Why?"
"If he doesn't, he'll be in no position to compromise with the law andhe'll spend the rest of his life in jail for trying to murder Yuma. Ifhe's willing to talk, he might get off scot-free and be allowed to guidethe future of his niece."
W
allie nodded slowly. "Maybe," he said, "you're right. I'll bedownstairs to see that those crooks don't get out of the vault. Ifthere's anything you want, just holler."
"Thanks."
The Lone Ranger returned to Bryant's room.