uck gave a slight start; the sheriff shook his head.

"I might have known he'd beat it," snorted Bud. "But I'll get the lyin'
son-of-a-gun yet; it was him told us yuh were in here."

Hardenberg's gray eyes narrowed slightly. "That'll come later. We'll round
up this bunch first. If you two will ride around to Main Street and get
hold of half a dozen of my deputies, I'll stay here and hold this bunch."

Rapidly he mentioned the names of the men he wanted and where they could
be found, and Stratton and Jessup hastily departed. Outside they found
three horses, their own, tied to the hitching-rack as they had left them,
and a big, powerful black, who stood squarely facing the door, reins
merely trailing and ears pricked forward. The two that had been there when
they first rode up were gone.

"Just like I thought," said Jessup, as they mounted and swung around the
corner. "That guy was planted there a-purpose to get us into the
eatin'-house. What's more, I'll bet my saddle he was the same one who came
snoopin' around Red Butte camp two weeks ago. Recollect, Gabby said he was
small, with black hair an' eyes close together?"

Buck nodded. "It's a mighty sure thing he was there again last night and
pulled our loads," he added in a tone of chagrin. "We're a pretty dumb
pair, kid. Next time we'll believe Gabby when he says his door was opened
in the night."

"I'll say so. But I thought the old bird was just fussing. Never even
looked at my gun. But why the devil should we have suspected anythin'?
Why, Lynch don't even know yore alive!"

"He must have found out someway," shrugged Stratton, "though I can't
imagine how. No use shedding tears over it, though. What we've got to do
is get Hardenberg moving double-quick. Here's George Harley; I'll take
him, and you go on to the next one."

Rapidly the deputies were gathered together and hurried back to the
eating-house to find Hardenberg holding the Mexicans without difficulty.
Half an hour later these were safely lodged in the jail, and the sheriff
began a rigorous examination, which lasted until late in the afternoon.

The boldness of the affair angered him and made him determined to get at
the bottom of it; but this proved no easy matter. To begin with, Jose
Maria, the proprietor of the restaurant, was missing. Either he had merely
rented his place to the instigator of the plot, and was prudently
absenting himself for a while, or else he was one of those who had escaped
throu