ee thousand dollars for his share in the capture. One of the
robbers was dead. The body of the sixth was found in the river weeks
afterward.

"I'm glad I was the first on the ground," said Blake, in anticipation of
the reward which was eventually to be handed over to him. "But Anderson
Crow turned out to be a regular trump, after all. He's a corker!" He was
speaking to Wicker Bonner and a crowd of New Yorkers.

Tinkletown began to talk of a monument to Anderson Crow, even while he
lived. The general opinion was that it should be erected while he was
still able to enjoy it and not after his death, when he would not know
anything about its size and cost.

"By gosh! 'Twas a great capture!" swelling perceptibly. "I knowed they
couldn't escape me. Dang 'em! they didn't figger on me, did they? Pshaw!
it was reediculus of 'em to think they c'd fool me entirely, although
I'll have to confess they did fool me at first. It was a desprit gang
an' mighty slick."

"You worked it great, Anderson," said George Ray. "Did you know about
the washout?"

"Did I know about it?" snorted Anderson witheringly. "Why, good Gosh
a'mighty, didn't I purty near run my legs off to git there in time to
throw down the barricade before they could get there with Mr. Bracken's
automobile? Thunderation! What a fool question!"

CHAPTER XXXIII

Bill Briggs Tells a Tale

Tinkletown fairly bubbled with excitement. At last the eyes of the world
were upon it. News of the great sensation was flashed to the end of the
earth; every detail was gone into with harrowing minuteness. The
Hemisphere Company announced by telegraph that it stood ready to hand
over the ten thousand dollars; and the sheriff of Bramble County with
all the United States deputy marshals within reach raced at once to
Tinkletown to stick a finger in the pie.

The morning after the "great pavilion robbery," as it was called in the
_Banner_, Anderson Crow and Bonner fared forth early to have a look at
the injured desperadoes, all of whom were safely under guard at the
reincarnated calaboose. Fifty armed men had stood guard all night long,
notwithstanding the fact that one robber was dead and the others so
badly injured that they were not expected to survive the day.

A horseman passed the marshal and his friend near the post-office,
riding rapidly to the north. He waved his crop pleasantly to them and
Bonner responded. Anderson stopped stock still and tried to speak, but
did no