t leg of his late antagonist and without the least ceremony
dragged the senseless man several feet just as he might a bag of
meal--when head-over-heels in a real scrap Perk counted his opponents as
so much junk whose fate it was to be handled without ceremony and yet
after the row was over, no one could be more solicitous about binding up
their hurts than Gabe Perkiser.

"Use the rope to fasten his ankles together," advised Jack, standing
guard meanwhile with his automatic ready for business and his keen eyes
roving around in search of signs along the trouble line, "and knot it
half a dozen times so it would take a knife blade to get free."

"All done up brown and slick, Jack old hoss, now what?" announced Perk a
minute or so later.

"Clap that new pair of bracelets on his wrists," further explained the
head pilot briskly, "and be sure to frisk him for a gat or even a knife.
You see, we're going to have our hands full with the boss and can't fool
around with this chap any longer."

"His name is Mud!" scornfully declared Perk briskly as he completed his
task with the manner of one to whom it had become an old story.

The fellow, it seemed, had recovered his senses for he tried to bite
Perk's hand and received a solid thump on the head for his pains.

"So far, good," Jack was saying, half to himself. "Now let's move along
to the house and make sure our bird hasn't skipped out while we were so
busy at the well here. Got all the drink you want, Perk--we can't be
coming back every little while just to wet your long neck!"

"It's okay with me, boy, let's go," the other announced with a chuckle.

Leaving their prisoner lying there they started an advance on the shack.
Both eyed it carefully as they crept along and it was Perk who noticed
the first favorable sign.

"Door's shut, partner, but the light's still on--you c'n lamp a streak
down near the sill, think he's on deck yet--ain't cut an' run like a
blue streak?"

"We'll soon find out," Jack assured him. "'Twouldn't be like a guy with
his reputation as a scrapper to clear out so quick. I'm wondering
whether he's fixing up some hot reception for us when we break in."

"Hot ziggetty! that is sure some rummy scrap," Perk muttered as he kept
close tabs on the shack now close by as though he more than half
anticipated seeing it suddenly burst into flames, or go up in fragments
under the influence of an explosion.

Now they had reached the door and Jack made a slight