Chapter XV
Lee Plays a Leading Role
A man on horseback clattered up the street and drew up at the Snaithhouse. He was a sandy-complexioned man with a furtive-eyed, apologeticmanner. Miss Bertie Lee recognized him as one of the company riders namedDumont.
"Is yore paw home, Miss Lee?" he asked breathlessly.
"Some one to see you, dad," called the girl over her shoulder.
Wallace Snaith sauntered out to the porch. "'Lo, Dumont!"
"I claim that hundred dollars reward. I done found 'em, Mr. Snaith."
Lee, about to enter the house, stopped in her tracks.
"Where?" demanded the cattleman jubilantly.
"Down the river--hid in a dugout they done built. I'll take you-allthere."
"I knew they couldn't be far away when that first hawss came in allblood-stained. Hustle up four or five of the boys, Dumont. Get 'em hereon the jump." In the face of the big drover could be read a grim elation.
His daughter confronted him. "What are you going to do, dad?"
"None o' yore business, Lee. You ain't in this," he answered promptly.
"You're going out to kill those men," she charged, white to the lips.
"They'll git a trial if they surrender peaceable."
"What kind of a trial?" she asked scornfully. "They know better than tosurrender. They'll fight."
"That'll suit me too."
"Don't, dad. Don't do it," the girl begged. "They're game men. Theyfought fair. I've made inquiries. You mustn't kill them like wolves."
"Mustn't I?" he said stubbornly. "I reckon that's just what I'm goin' todo. I'll learn Homer Webb to send his bad men to Los Portales lookin'for trouble. He can't kill my riders an' get away with it."
"You know he didn't do that. This boy--Clanton, if that's his name--had afeud with the Roush family. One of them betrayed his sister. Far as I canfind out these Roush brothers were the scum of the earth," Her bosom roseand fell fast with excitement.
"Howcome you to know so much about it, girl? Not that it makes anydifference. They may have been hellhounds, but they were my riders. Thesegunmen went into my own place an' shot 'em down. They picked the fight.There's no manner o' doubt about that."
"They didn't do it on your account. I tell you there was an old feud."
"Webb thinks he's got the world by the tail for a downhill pull. I'llshow him."
"Dad, you're starting war. Don't you see that? If you shoot these menhe'll get back by killing some of yours. And so it will go on."
"I reckon. But I'm not startin' the war. He did that. It was the boldestpiece of cheek I ever heard tell of--those two gunmen goin' intoTolleson's and shootin' up my riders. They got to pay the price."
Lee cried out in passionate protest. "It'll be just plain murder, dad.That's all."
"What's got into you, girl?" he demanded, seizing her by the arms. Thechill of anger and suspicion filmed his light-blue eyes. "I won't standfor this kind of talk. You go right into the house an' 'tend to yore ownknittin'. I've heard about enough from you."
He swung her round by the shoulders and gave a push.
Lee did not go to her room and fling herself upon the bed in an impotentstorm of tears. She stood thinking, her little fists clenched and hereyes flashing. Civilization has trained women to feebleness of purpose,but this girl stood outside of conventional viewpoints. It was her habitto move directly to the thing she wanted. Her decision was swift, theaction following upon it immediate.
She lifted her rifle down from the deer-horn rack where it rested andbuckled the ammunition belt around her waist. Swiftly she ran to thecorral, roped her bronco, saddled it, and cinched. As she galloped awayshe saw her father striding toward the stable. His shout reached her, butshe did not wait to hear what he wanted.
The hoofs of her pony drummed down the street. She flew across the desertand struck the river just below town. The quirt attached to her wristrose and fell. She made no allowance for prairie-dog holes, but went atracing speed through the rabbit weed and over the slippery salt-grassbumps.
In front of the cave she jerked the horse to a halt.
"Hello, in there!"
The tumble weeds moved and the head of Prince appeared. He pushed thebrush aside and came out.
"Buenos tardes, senorita. Didn't know you were comin' back again to-day."
"You've been seen," she told him hurriedly as she dismounted. "Dad'sgathering his men. He means to make you trouble."
Billie looked away in the direction of the town. A mile or more away hesaw a cloud of dust. It was moving toward them.
"I see he does," he answered quietly.
"Quick! Get your friend out. Take my horse."
He shook his head slowly. "No use. They would see us an' run us down.We'll make a stand here."
"But you can't do that. They'll surround you. They'll send for more menif they need 'em."
"Likely. But Jim couldn't stand such a ride even if there was achance--and there isn't, not with yore horse carryin' double. We'llhold the fort, Miss Lee, while you make yore get-away into the hills.An' thank you for comin'. We'll never forget all you've done for usthese days."
"I'm not going."
"Not goin'?"
"I'm going to stay right here. They won't dare to shoot at you if I'mhere."
"I never did see such a girl as you," admitted Prince, smiling at her."You take the cake. But we can't let you do that for us. We can't skulkbehind a young lady's skirts to save our hides. It's not etiquette on thePecos."
The red color burned through her dusky skin. "I'm not doing it for you,"she said stiffly. "It's dad I'm thinking about. I don't want him mixedup in such a business. I won't have it either."
"You'd better go to him and talk it over, then."
"No. I'll stay here. He wouldn't listen to me a minute."
Billie was still patient with her. "I don't think you'd better stay, MissLee. I know just how you feel. But there are a lot of folks won'tunderstand howcome you to take up with yore father's enemies. They'lltalk a lot of foolishness likely."
The cowpuncher blushed at his own awkward phrasing of the situation, yetthe thing had to be said and he knew no other way to say it.
She flashed a resentful glance at him. Her cheeks, too, flamed.
"I don't care what they say since it won't be true," she answeredproudly. "You needn't argue. I've staked out a claim here."
"I wish you'd go. There's still time."
The girl turned on him angrily with swift, animal grace. "I tell you it'snone of your business whether I go or stay. I'll do just as I please."
Prince gave up his attempt to change her mind. If she would stay, shewould. He set about arranging the defense.
Young Clanton crept out to the mouth of the cave and lay down with hisrifle beside him. His friend piled up the tumble weeds in front of him.
"We're right enough in front--easy enough to stand 'em off there,"reflected Billie, aloud. "But I'd like to know what's to prevent us frombeing attacked in the rear. They can crawl up through the brush tillthey're right on top of the bank. They can post sharpshooters in themesquite across the river so that if we come out to check those snakin'forward, the snipers can get us."
"I'll sit on the bank above the cave and watch 'em," announced Lee.
"An' what if they mistook you for one of us?" asked Prince dryly.
"They can't, with me wearing a red coat."
"You're bound to be in this, aren't you?" His smile was more friendlythan the words. It admitted reluctant admiration of her.
The party on the other side of the river was in plain sight now. Jimcounted four--five--six of them as they deployed. Presently Prince threwa bullet into the dust at the feet of one of the horses as they movedforward. It was meant as a warning not to come closer and accepted asone.
After a minute of consultation a single horseman rode to the bank of thestream.
"You over there," he shouted.
"It's dad," said Lee.
"You
'd better surrender peaceable. We've come to git you alive or dead,"shouted Snaith.
"What do you want us for?" asked Prince.
"You know well enough what for. You killed one of my punchers."
Clanton groaned. "Only one?"
"An' another may die any day. Come out with yore hands up."
"We'd rather stay here, thank you," Billie called back.
Snaith leaned forward in the saddle. "Is that you over there, Lee?"
"Yes, dad."
"Gone back on yore father and taken up with Webb's scalawags, have you?"
"No, I haven't," she called back. "But I'm going to see they get fairplay."
"You git out of there, girl, and on this side of the river!" Snaithroared angrily. "Pronto! Do you hear?"
"There's no use shouting yourself hoarse, dad. I can hear you easily, andI'm not coming."
"Not comin'! D'ye mean you've taken up with a pair of killers, of outlawswe 're goin' to put out of business? You talk like a--like a--"
"Go slow, Snaith!" cut in Prince sharply. "Can't you see she's tryin' tosave you from murder?"
"We're goin' to take those boys back to Los Portales with us--or theirbodies. I don't care a whole lot which. You light a shuck out of there,Lee."
"No," she answered stubbornly. "If you're so bent on shooting at some oneyou can shoot at me."
The cattleman stormed and threatened, but in the end he had to give upthe point. His daughter was as obstinate as he was. He retired involcanic humor.
"I never could get dad to give up swearing," his daughter told her newfriends by way of humorous apology. "Wonder what he'll do now."
"Wait till night an' drive us out of our hole, I expect," replied Prince.
"Will he wait? I'm not so sure of that," said Jim. "See. His men arescattering. They're up to somethin'."
"They're going down to cross the river to get behind us just as you saidthey would," predicted Lee.
She was right. Half an hour later, from her position on the bank abovethe cave, she caught a glimpse of a man slipping forward through thebrush. She called to Prince, who crept out from behind the tumble weedsto join her. A bullet dug into the soft clay not ten inches from hishead. He scrambled up and lay down behind a patch of soapweed a few yardsfrom the girl. Another bullet from across the river whistled past thecowpuncher.
Lee rose and walked across to the bushes where he lay crouched. Verydeliberately she stood there, shading her eyes from the sun as she lookedtoward the sharpshooters. Twice they had taken a chance, because of thedistance between her and Prince. She intended they should know how closeshe was to him now.
Billie could not conceal his anxiety for her. "Why don't you get backwhere you were? I got as far as I could from you on purpose. What's thesense of you comin' right up to me when you see they're shootin' at me?"
"That's why I came up closer. They'll have to stop it as long as I'mhere."
"You can't stay there the rest of yore natural life, can you?" heasked with manifest annoyance. Even if he got out of his present dangeralive--and Billie had to admit to himself that the chances did not lookgood--he knew it would be cast up to him some day that he had used LeeSnaith's presence as a shield against his enemies. "Why don't you actreasonable an' ride back to town, like a girl ought to do? You've been agood friend to us. There's nothin' more you can do. It's up to us tofight our way out."
He took careful aim and fired. A man in the bushes two hundred yards backof them scuttled to his feet and ran limping off. Billie covered thedodging man with his rifle carefully, then lowered his gun withoutfiring.
"Let him go," said Prince aloud. "Mr. Dumont won't bother us a whole lot.He's gun-shy anyhow."
From across the river came a scatter of bullets.
"They've got to hit closeter to that before they worry me," Jim called tothe two above.
"I don't think they shot to hit. They're tryin' to scare Miss Lee away,"called down Billie.
"As if I didn't know dad wouldn't let 'em take any chances with me here,"the girl said confidently "If we can hold out till night I can stay hereand keep shooting while you two slip away and hide. Before morning yourfriends ought to arrive."
"If they got yore message."
"Oh, they got it. Jack Goodheart carried it."
The riflemen across the river were silent for a time. When they begansniping again, it was from such an angle that they could aim at the cavewithout endangering those above. Both Clanton and Prince returned thefire.
Presently Lee touched on the shoulder the man beside her.
"Look!"
She pointed to a cloud of smoke behind them. From it tongues of fireleaped up into the air. Farther to the right a second puff of smoke couldbe seen, and beyond it another and still a fourth jet.
After a moment of dead silence Prince spoke. "They've fired the prairie.The wind is blowin' toward us. They mean to smoke us out."
"Yes."
"We'll be driven down into the open bed of the river where they can pickus off."
The girl nodded.
"Now, will you leave us?" Billie turned on her triumphantly. He could atleast choose the conditions of the last stand they must make. "They'vecalled our bluff. It's a showdown."
"Now I'll go less than ever," she said quietly.