"He's done hed hit all ther time," she announced. "You fellers hes
done been staunch friends ter me--and I've got ter crave yore
forgiveness ef I hain't trusted ye full free from then start." She
paused and added solicitously, "But ye sees, ye forewarned me erginst
them real robbers--an' Jase Mallows forewarned me erginst _you_. I
'lowed he war lyin'--but I couldn't take no chances. Thar war jest one
feller I knowed I could trust without question, an' thet feller was
Bud. So he tuck ther money an' thet bundle I rid away from bank with
was jest make believe. I aimed ter lead 'em over a false trail."

"Outwitted ther pack of us," bellowed Halloway gleefully. "Afore God,
I takes my hat off ter ye--but why didn't ye suffer some man ter tote
ther dummy bundle?"

"Ef airy man had undertook hit," she responded gravely, "they'd most
likely hev kilt him first--an' s'arched him 'atterwards."

Bud had dropped down on a step of the stile that led from the road to
the yard. His heavy lidded eyes were full of weariness and pain. His
limp arm sagged but he said slowly:

"Thet's why I run away, Mr. Brent. I had to. Two of us couldn't cross
thar without goin' slow--and I couldn't let them saddle-bags git lost."

"So ye couldn't be quite sure who you could trust," repeated Halloway.
"I hopes ye knows now."

But Brent, watching the light in the great fellow's eyes did not miss
their hungry gleam and in a low voice he said, "Jack, _I'm_ not sure
yet."

CHAPTER XIII

The conspiracy fathered by Lute Brown and Jase Mallows had its
inception in a small coterie whose ambitions had been stirred to
avarice by the bait of sharing among them a sum of over four thousand
dollars. Ramifications of detail had necessitated the use of a larger
force; a force so large, indeed, that anything like an equal
distribution of booty would have intolerably eaten into the profits of
the principals. Therefore the rank and file of employes were merely
mercenaries, working for a flat wage.

But in such an enterprise the danger of mutiny always looms large and
the bludgeon of blackmail lies ready to the hand of the mutineer.
Therefore the actual handling of the money had been a matter of extreme
care to Lute and those in his closest confidence. When the leader had
taken most of his men out of the mine he had led away those of whom he
had felt least sure--and had left the saddle-bags to the custody of the
supposedly reliable minority.