CHAPTER XXXII
TO "APPREHEND" A MAN
As if to make up for its silence of the blast when the two reached itlate the night before, Eldara was going full that evening. Kilrain wentstraight for Doc Young, to bring him later to join Nash at the house ofDeputy Glendin.
The front of the deputy's house was utterly dark, but Nash, unabashed,knocked loudly on the door, and went immediately to the rear of theplace. He was in time to see a light wink out at an upper window of thetwo-story shack. He slipped back, chuckling, among the trees, and waiteduntil the back door slammed and a dark figure ran noiselessly down thesteps and out into the night. Then he returned, still chuckling, to thefront of the house, and banged again on the door.
A window above him raised at length and a drawling voice, apparentlyovercome with sleep, called down: "What's up in Eldara?"
Nash answered: "Everything's wrong. Deputy Glendin, he sits up in a backroom playin' poker and hittin' the redeye. No wonder Eldara's goin' tohell!"
A muffled cursing rolled down to the cowpuncher, and then a sharpchallenge: "Who's there?"
"Nash, you blockhead!"
"Nash!" cried a relieved voice, "come in; confound you. I thought--nomatter what I thought. Come in!"
Nash opened the door and went up the stairs. The deputy met him, clad ina bathrobe and carrying a lamp. Under the bathrobe he was fully dressed.
"Thought your game was called, eh?" grinned the cattleman.
"Sure. I had a tidy little thing in black-jack running and was pullingin the iron boys, one after another. Why didn't you tip me off? Youcould have sat in with us."
"Nope; I'm here on business."
"Let's have it."
He led the way into a back room and placed the lamp on a table litteredwith cards and a black bottle looming in the centre.
"Drink?"
"Nope. I said I came on business."
"What kind?"
"Bard."
"I thought so."
"I want a posse."
"What's he done?"
"Killed Calamity Ben at Drew's place, started a fire that near burnedthe house, and lifted Duffy's hoss."
Glendin whistled softly.
"Nice little start."
"Sure, and it's just a beginnin' for this Bard."
"I'll go out to Drew's place and see what he's done."
"And then start after him with a gang?"
"Sure."
"By that time he'll be a thousand miles away."
"Well?"
"I'm running this little party. Let me get a gang together. You canswear 'em in and put me in charge. I'll guarantee to get him beforemorning."
Glendin shook his head.
"It ain't legal, Steve. You know that."
"The hell with legality."
"That's what you say; but I got to hold my job."
"You'll do your part by goin' to Drew's place with Doc Young. He'll behere with Shorty Kilrain in a minute."
"And let you go after Bard?"
"Right."
"Far's I know, you may jest shoot him down and then come back and sayyou done it because he resisted arrest."
"Well?"
"You admit that's what you want, Steve?"
"Absolute."
"Well, partner, it can't be done. That ain't apprehendin' a man. It'sjest plain murder."
"D'you think you could ever catch that bird alive?"
"Dunno, I'd try."
"Never in a thousand years."
"He don't know the country. He'll travel in a circle and I'll ride himdown."
"He's got somebody with him that knows the country better'n you or me."
"Who?"
The face of Nash twisted into an ugly grimace.
"Sally Fortune."
"The hell!"
"It is; but it's true."
"It ain't possible. Sally ain't the kind to make a fool of herselfabout any man, let alone a gun-fighter."
"That's what I thought, but I seen her back up this Bard ag'in' aroomful of men. And she'll keep on backin' him till he's got his toesturned up."
"That's another reason for you to get Bard, eh? Well, I can't send youafter him, Nash. That's final."
"Not a bit. I know too much about you, Glendin."
The glance of the other raised slowly, fixed on Nash, and then loweredto the floor. He produced papers and Durham, rolled and lighted hiscigarette, and inhaled a long puff.
"So that's the game, Steve?"
"I hate to do it."
"Let that go. You'll run the limit on this?"
"Listen, Glendin. I've got to get this Bard. He's out-ridden me,out-shot me, out-gamed me, out-lucked me, out-guessed me--and takenSally. He's mine. He b'longs all to me. D'you see that?"
"I'm only seein' one thing just now."
"I know. You think I'm double-crossin' you. Maybe I am, but I'mdesperate, Glendin."
"After all," mused the deputy, "you'd be simply doin' work I'd have todo later. You're right about this Bard. He'll never be taken alive."
"Good ol' Glendin. I knew you'd see light. I'll go out and get the boysI want in ten minutes. Wait here. Shorty and Doc Young will come in aminute. One thing more: when you get to Drew's place you'll find himactin' queer."
"What about?"
"I dunno why. It's a bad mess. You see, he's after this Bard himself,the way I figure it, and he wants him left alone. He'd raise hell if heknew a posse was after the tenderfoot."
"Drew's a bad one to get against me."
"I know. You think I'm double-crossin'?"
"I'll do it. But this squares all scores between us, Steve?"
"Right. It leaves the debt on my side, and you know I've never dodged anI.O.U. Drew may talk queer. He'll tell you that Bard done all that workin self-defence."
"Did he?"
"The point is he killed a man and stole a hoss. No matter what comes ofit, he's got to be arrested, don't he?"
"And shot down while 'resistin' arrest'? Steve, I'd hate to have you outfor me like this."
"But you won't listen to Drew?"
"Not this one time. But, Lord, man, I hate to face him if he's on thewarpath. Who'll you take with you?"
"Shorty, of course. He was Calamity Ben's pal. The rest will be--don'tlaugh--Butch Conklin and his gang."
"Butch!"
"Hold yourself together. That's what I mean--Butch Conklin."
"After you dropped him the other night?"
"Self-defence, and he knows it. I can find Butch, and I can make him gowith me. Besides, he's out for Bard himself."
The deputy said with much meaning: "You can do a lot of queer things,Nash."
"Forget it, Glendin."
"I will for a while. D'you really think I can let you take out Butch andhis gunmen ag'in' Bard? Why, they're ten times worse'n the tenderfoot."
"Maybe, but there's nothin' proved ag'in' 'em--nothin' but a bit ofcattle-liftin', maybe, and things like that. The point is, they're allhard men, and with 'em along I can't help but get Bard."
"Murder ain't proved on Butch and his men, but it will be before long."
"Wait till it's proved. In the meantime use em all."
"You've a long head, Nash."
"Glendin, I'm makin' the biggest play of my life. I'm off to find Butch.You'll stand firm with Drew?"
"I won't hear a word he says."
"S'long! Be back in ten minutes. Wait for me."
He was as good as his word. Even before the ten minutes had elapsed hewas back, and behind followed a crew of heavy thumping boots up thestairs of Glendin's house and into the room where he sat with Dr. Youngand Shorty Kilrain. They rose, but not from respect, when Nash enteredwith Conklin and his four ill-famed followers behind.
The soiled bandage on the head of Butch was far too thick to allow hishat to sit in its normal position. It was perched high on top, andsecured in place by a bit of string which passed from side to side underthe chin. Behind him came Lovel, an almost albino type withstraw-coloured hair and
eyes bleached and passionless; the vacuous smilewas never gone from his lips.
More feared and more hated than Conklin himself was Isaacs. The latter,always fastidious, wore a blue-striped vest, without a coat to obscureit, and about his throat was knotted a flaming vermilion necktie,fastened in place with a diamond stickpin--obviously the spoil of somerecent robbery. Glendin, watching, ground his teeth.
McNamara followed. He had been a squatter, but his family had died of afever, and McNamara's mind had been unsettled ever since; whisky hadfinished the work of sending him on the downward path with Conklin'slittle crew of desperadoes. Men shrank from facing those too-bright,wandering eyes, yet it was from pity almost as much as horror.
Finally came Ufert. He was merely a round-faced boy of nineteen, proudof the distinguished bad company he kept. He was that weak-minded typewhich is only strong when it becomes wholly evil. With a differentleadership he would have become simply a tobacco-chewing hanger-on atcross-roads saloons and general merchandise stores. As it was, feelingdignified by the brotherhood of crime into which he had been admitted asa full member, and eager to prove his qualifications, he was asdangerous as any member of the crew.
The three men who were already in the room had been prepared by Glendinfor this new arrival, but the fact was almost too much for theircredence. Consequently they rose, and Dr. Young muttered at the ear ofGlendin: "Is it possible, Deputy Glendin, that you're going to use thesefellows?"
"A thief to catch a thief," whispered Glendin in reply.
He said aloud: "Butch, I've been looking for you for a long time, but Ireally never expected to see you quite as close as this."
"You've said it," grinned Butch, "I ain't been watchin' for you realclose, but now that I see you, you look more or less like a man shouldlook. H'ware ye, Glendin?"
He held out his hand, but the deputy, shifting his position, seemed tooverlook the grimy proffered palm.
"You fellows know that you're wanted by the law," he said, frowning onthem.
A grim meaning rose in the vacuous eye of Lovel; Isaacs caressed hisdiamond pin, smiling in a sickly fashion; McNamara's wandering starefixed and grew unhumanly bright; Ufert openly dropped his hand on hisgun-butt and stood sullenly defiant.
"You know that you're wanted, and you know why," went on Glendin, "butI've decided to give you a chance to prove that you're white men anduseful citizens. Nash has already told you what we want. It's work forseven men against one, but that one man is apt to give you all plentyto do. If you are--successful"--he stammered a little over the rightword--"what you have done in the past will be forgotten. Hold up yourright hands and repeat after me."
And they repeated the oath after him in a broken, drawling chorus,stumbling over the formal, legal phraseology.
He ended, and then: "Nash, you're in charge of the gang. Do what youwant to with them, and remember that you're to get Bard back in townunharmed--if possible."
Butch Conklin smiled, and the same smile spread grimly from face to faceamong the gang. Evidently this point had already been elucidated to themby Nash, who now mustered them out of the house and assembled them ontheir horses in the street below.
"Which way do we travel?" asked Shorty Kilrain, reining close beside theleader, as though he were anxious to disestablish any relationship withthe rest of the party.
"Two ways," answered Nash. "Of course I don't know what way Bard headed,because he's got the girl with him, but I figure it this way: if atenderfoot knows any part of the range at all, he'll go in thatdirection after he's in trouble. I've seen it work out before. So Ithink that Bard may have ridden straight for the old Drew place on theother side of the range. I know a short cut over the hills; we can reachthere by morning. Kilrain, you'll go there with me.
"It may be that Bard will go near the old place, but not right to it.Chances may be good that he'll put up at some place near the oldranchhouse, but not right on the spot. Jerry Wood, he's got a houseabout four or five miles to the north of Drew's old ranch. Butch, youtake your men and ride for Wood's place. Then switch south and ride forPartridge's store; if we miss him at Drew's old house we'll go on andjoin you at Partridge's store and then double back. He'll be somewhereinside that circle and Eldara, you can lay to that. Now, boys, are yourhosses fresh?"
They were.
"Then ride, and don't spare the spurs. Hoss flesh is cheaper'n your ownhides."
The cavalcade separated and galloped in two directions through the townof Eldara.