he word you'll go forward alone, Sanders, an' call Jim out. Ask
him to come forward an' look at yore bronco's hoof. That's all you'll
have to do."

Sanders voiced a profane and vigorous protest. "Have you forgot who this
guy is you're arrestin'? Go-Get-'Em Jim is no tenderfoot kid. He's chain
lightnin' on the shoot. If he suspects me one steenth part of a second,
that will be long enough for him to gun me good."

"He'll not have a chance. We'll have him covered all the time."

"Say, we agreed you was goin' to make this arrest, not me."

"I'll make it. All you've got to do is to call him out."

"All!" shrieked Sanders. "You know damned well I'm takin' the big risk."

"That's the way I intended it to be," the sheriff assured him coolly.
"You're to get the reward, aren't you?"

The rustler balked. He polluted the air with low, vicious curses, but in
the end he had to come to time.

They slipped through the grove till they could see on the edge of the
ravine a dug-out. Prince flashed a handkerchief as a signal and Sanders
rode down in the open skirting the timber. He swung from the saddle and
shouted a "Hello, in the house!"

No answer came. Buck called a second and a third time. He waited,
irresolute. He could not consult with Prince. At last he moved toward the
house and entered. Presently he returned to the door and waved to the
sheriff to come forward.

Very cautiously the posse accepted the invitation, but every foot of the
way Billie kept the man covered.

Sanders ripped out a furious oath. "He's done made his get-away. Some one
must 'a' warned him."

He held out to Prince a note scrawled on a piece of wrapping-paper. It
was in Clanton's pell-mell, huddled chirography:--

Sorry I can't stay to entertain you, Billie. Make yourself at home. Bacon
and other grub in a lard can by the creek. Help yourself.

Crack Sanders one on the bean with your six-gun on account for me.

JIMMIE-GO-GET-'EM.

Chapter XXV

The Mal-Pais

Billie Prince laughed. The joke was on him, but he was glad of it. As
sheriff of Washington County it had been his duty to accept any aid that
might come from the treachery of Sanders; but as a friend of Jim Clanton
he did not want to win over him by using such weapons.

"Tickled to death, ain't you?" snapped the ex-foreman sourly. "Looks to
me like you didn't want to make this arrest, Mr. Sheriff. Looks to me
like some one else has been doin' some double-crossin' besides me."