o the talkin'. I've a notion he's more
scared of you."

The fat convict tried to make a stand against them. He pleaded ignorance.
"I don' know where they hid the stuff. They didn't tell me."

"Sounds reasonable, and you in with them on the deal," said Sanders.
"Well, you're in hard luck. We don't give two hoots for you, anyhow, but
we decided to take you in to town with us if you came through clean.
If not--" He shrugged his shoulders and glanced up at the branch above.

Miller swallowed a lump in his throat. "You wouldn't treat me thataway,
Mr. Sanders. I'm gittin' to be an old man now. I done wrong, but I'm sure
right sorry," he whimpered.

The eyes of the man who had spent years in prison at Canon City were hard
as jade. The fat man read a day of judgment in his stern and somber face.

"I'll tell!" The crook broke down, clammy beads of perspiration all over
his pallid face. "I'll tell you right where it's at. In the lean-to of
the shack. Southwest corner. Buried in a gunnysack."

They rode back across the valley to the cabin. Miller pointed out the
spot where the stolen treasure was cached. With an old axe as a spade
Dave dug away the dirt till he came to a bit of sacking. Crawford scooped
out the loose earth with his gauntlet and dragged out a gunnysack. Inside
it were a number of canvas bags showing the broken wax seals of the
express company. These contained gold pieces apparently fresh from the
mint.

A hurried sum in arithmetic showed that approximately all the gold taken
from the stage must be here. Dave packed it on the back of his saddle
while Crawford penciled a note to leave in the cache in place of the
money.

The note said:

This is no safe place to leave seventeen thousand dollars, Dug. I'm
taking it to town to put in the bank. If you want to make inquiries about
it, come in and we'll talk it over, you and me _and Applegate_.

EMERSON CRAWFORD

Five minutes later the three men were once more riding rapidly across the
valley toward the summit of the divide. The loop of Crawford's lariat
still encircled the gross neck of the convict.

CHAPTER XXVI

DAVE ACCEPTS AN INVITATION

Crawford and Dave, with their prisoner, lay out in the chaparral for an
hour, then made their way back to Malapi by a wide circuit. They did not
want to meet Shorty and Doble, for that would result in a pitched battle.
They preferred rather to make a report to the sheriff and let him attempt
the arrest of the