of the building, for
a depth of a third of the distance from the front to the rear, was
divided into two of these rooms; one, the larger, being the main
office, and the other, much smaller, being the constable's private
office. The balance of the building was one large room, divided into
two old-fashioned cages with iron and steel bars. The doors to these
cages were on either side of the door into the front office and there
was an aisle between the cages and the wall separating them from the
offices.

Rathburn was taken immediately to the cage on the left of the office
door. Sheriff Neal hesitated as he stood in the cell with him, thought
for a minute, then removed the handcuffs.

"That's right fine of you, sheriff," said Rathburn sleepily, but
cheerfully, nevertheless.

"Oh, you'll be watched well enough," said Neal as he closed the barred
door behind him and locked Rathburn in. "You'll find somebody around
if you try to tear the place down."

"That wasn't just what I was getting at, sheriff," said the prisoner
with a glitter in his eyes. "I meant it was right fine of you to give
me freedom behind the bars."

Rathburn's taunting laugh rang in the official's ears as the latter
pushed the men with him into the outer office. Rathburn listened,
yawning, to the sheriff giving instructions that the prisoner be
watched constantly.

He looked about the cage which was separated from the other cell by a
wall of sheet iron. It contained nothing except a bench and a stool.
He pushed the bench against the stone wall at the rear and reclined
upon it, using his coat for a pillow. Then he turned his face toward
the wall, shading his eyes from the light, which filtered through two
windows high in the wall beyond the bars on the left side by tipping
his hat over his face.

Immediately he fell asleep.

The news that The Coyote had been captured, spread rapidly through the
town and many came to the jail hoping they might be able to see the
prisoner. All of these were denied admittance, but Sheriff Neal told
the few who stated that they had been among the number the bandit had
lined up at the point of his guns, that they would be called to
identify The Coyote on the following day. He asked each if they were
sure the bandit had two guns, and the reply in each case was in the
affirmative.

"That's funny," Neal muttered. "He only had one gun on him."

"More'n likely the other's on his horse with his saddle," Brown
pointed out.