rt where a big crowd had gathered. Several
men ran to the office of Judson Brown, justice of the peace, while
others went in search of the constable.

When Brown failed to answer the summons at his door, some one
discovered it was not locked, and the little group of men trooped in
to find the justice gagged and handcuffed to his bed. They lighted the
lamp and removed the gag. Then acting upon his instructions they took
a bunch of keys from his pocket and unlocked the handcuffs.

He stood, boiling with rage, while they alternately hurled questions
at him and told him of the holdup.

He ignored their questions as to how he came to be bound and gagged
and demanded more details of the robbery.

"We took him to be The Coyote," said the spokesman of the group. He
had been one of the men the bandit had lined up. "He was tall, an'
blue or gray eyes, an'----"

"A puncher from up north picked him out through the window," spoke up
one of the men who had encountered Rathburn outside the resort. "He'd
been shot in the forearm by him once--showed us the scar. The robber
was The Coyote, all right."

"Certainly it was him!" roared Brown. "He came in here, tied me up
after pulling a gun on me, an' threatening to kill me, practically, so
he wouldn't have any trouble pulling his trick. Tried to steer me off
by saying he didn't come here to make any trouble. I knew he lied!"

The constable came in as the justice was finishing his irate speech.

"I'm going to lead this chase myself!" cried Brown. "I want The
Coyote, and I'm going to get him. I raise that reward to a thousand on
the spot, and I know the sheriff will back me up. Get out every man in
town that can stick on a horse, and we'll catch him if we have to comb
the hills and desert country till doomsday!"

Already horsemen were gathering in the street outside. Feeling was
high, for Dry Lake prided itself on its record of freedom from the
molestation of outlaws. The rough element, too, was strong for a man
hunt, or anything, for that matter, promising excitement.

A quarter of an hour later Brown, who was accepted as the leader when
emergencies involving the law arose, distributed his forces. He sent
two posses of twenty men each north and northwest. A third posse of a
dozen men started southward. Towns to the west were notified by
telephone as was the sheriff's office. The sheriff said he would be on
his way to Dry Lake in an hour. He was amazed that The Coyote should
be i