ighting--well, if I kill you what do I
get out of it? Also, you might quite possibly kill me."

"If I only knew she was in the cabin, he could go and welcome," was
rushing through Scott's brain. "But I don't and I mustn't let him get
away."

Suddenly, a sound broke upon their ears--the sound of an automobile. It
was coming down the canyon and coming fast. Merriam seized his horn.

"We can't have 'em coming down on us in this narrow place!" he cried,
honking furiously. The other car answered. The Mexicans turned at the
sound and Pachuca, casting a hurried glance at them over his shoulder,
reached for his bridle. Scott raised his gun instantly.

"You stay where you are!" he yelled. "If those are your people we'll get
the lot of you; if they're not we've got you, anyhow, _sabe_?"

Pachuca gave one look at Scott and another at his flying friends. Then he
threw himself upon his horse's back, thrust the spur in deep, and as the
horse reared, drew his gun. His shot and Scott's rang out together as they
had done once before in front of the store at Athens--but with a different
result. Pachuca reeled, recovered, spurred the horse again and tore off in
the direction taken by the flying Mexicans; Scott stood looking furiously
at him for a moment then staggered to the machine.

"He got me, Henry," he muttered, as he toppled over. "Look after the
girl."

And the other machine came rumbling on through the dusk.

CHAPTER XX

TREASURE TROVE

Polly Street went up to her room after leaving Scott but she did not go to
bed. Nor did she behave in any way which suggested an alarming amount of
headache. Instead, she opened her window and looked out. Her first glance
showed Scott pacing scowlingly up and down the narrow veranda. Further
down the street she saw Mendoza's car parked in front of its owner's
favorite saloon, next door, in fact, to the butcher's, in whose yard hung
the remains of the steer--an unhappy evidence of the truth of the adage
that in the midst of life we are in death. Mendoza was not visible, but it
needed no stretch of the imagination to locate him.

With a little sigh of satisfaction, Polly withdrew her head and remained a
moment in thought; then she ran downstairs again. A cautious peep into the
office showed Clara and Hard in conversation with Sam Penhallow. She
glided into the dining-room where she found the good-looking Mabel
finishing the clearing off of the tables. Polly looked winningly into t