y sheriff a fair deal."

There was a murmur among the men. Mannix, after a moment of
hesitation, stepped forward.

Rathburn swung on Sautee. "Tell him!" he commanded in a voice which
stung like the crack of a whip on still air.

"I--I had a hand in the business," said Sautee frantically. "It was
Carlisle and me. We--we framed the robberies."

Mannix's eyes narrowed.

"Tell him where I got that money last night," Rathburn thundered.
"Tell him, Sautee, or, so help me, I'll drill a hole through you!"

Sautee cowered before the deadly ferocity in Rathburn's voice. "I had
it in the--office--downtown," he stammered. "There was blank paper in
that package, Mannix. Let him go--let him go, Mannix, or we'll all be
killed!" Sautee cried.

Rathburn was looking steadily at the deputy. "Carlisle is roped an'
tied up the trail by the big rocks," he said. "Send up there for him
an' bring him down here."

Several of the men who were mounted spurred their horses up the steep
trail. There was utter silence now among the men. Mannix, too, was
cool and collected. He had not drawn his gun. He surveyed the quaking
Sautee with a look of extreme contempt. The mine manager's nerves had
gone to pieces before Rathburn's menacing personality. All he cared
for now was his life. The black reputation he had given to Rathburn
led him to believe that the man could not be depended upon, and that
he was liable to carry out his threat and blow them all to bits. He
wet his lips with a feverish tongue.

"Where's the money you an' Carlisle got away with?" demanded Mannix.

"I've got all I took," whined Sautee. "I'll give it back. I don't know
what Carlisle's done with his. It was his scheme, anyway; he proposed
it when he hit this country a year ago."

"And the other man----" suggested Mannix.

"Mike Reynolds," cried Sautee. "But he was only in on the truck driver
deal and--last night. Let The Coyote go, Mannix----"

Then Sautee, in a frenzy of fear, an easy prey to the seriousness of
the situation and his shattered nerves, told everything. He explained
how it had been Carlisle who proposed getting Rathburn out of jail and
making him the goat. He told of the worthless contents of the package
he had given Rathburn to carry to the mine, how they had planned to
rob him on the way and thus put him in a situation where he would have
to get out of the country. He explained how Carlisle had pointed out
that they had a club over Rathburn's head in the