o."

"Well, what is to be done?"

"Just what he demands."

"What! pay him?"

"By all means, and save the girl!"

"You are right."

"But have all ready then, the moment that she is safe, to throw five
hundred mounted men on a hunt for him, have the entire country about
Dead Line surrounded, and then hunt him and his men to death," savagely
said Harding.

"Yes, it must be done; but now to tell the men what has happened," and
Landlord Larry went out, followed by Harding, to find a large crowd of
miners gathered about the hotel.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE RANSOM.

Landlord Larry was considerably nonplused by what had been told him by
Harding, and he hardly knew how to break the news to the miners.
Hundreds had assembled, for the mad race of Harding's team up the valley
had told them that something had gone wrong.

So they had hurried in twos and by half-dozens to the hotel to hear what
had happened.

They were more eager to learn it all when it was told how Harding had
made no report, but had led Landlord Larry into the office and been
closeted there with him an hour.

The panting horses had been led away to the stable, the mail had been
opened by Landlord Larry's clerk, and many had gotten letters.

But the interest in letters was lost in the desire to learn what had
happened on Harding's run in.

When the two men were seen coming out of the hotel, a wild yell greeted
them.

Landlord Larry stepped out upon the piazza, and at once a silence fell
upon the crowd, while every eye was turned upon the white face of
Harding.

"Men, I have bad news for you," said Landlord Larry. "The coach has been
held up again, and thirty-two thousand dollars in money, given to Driver
Harding to bring to Last Chance, was taken. There are some forty of you
who feel this loss, having sent your gold out to be exchanged for this
money. But that is not the worst of it.

"The mails were not disturbed, as the road-agent said that he wished no
trouble with the Government. Nor is this all, for Harding had a
passenger with him on this run, a young girl."

"Where is she?" came in a chorus of voices.

"I will tell you: There were seven road-agents, all masked, and their
chief mounted. They held the coach up at the Dead Line, and they covered
Harding with their rifles, and demanded the money which, in some way,
they knew he had.

"The young lady had hidden it for him, but as she was to be held for
ransom, she gave it up, and,