De Spain perceived that
warnings were wasted. He lowered his sights, and, waiting his chance
as the leader of the foot-hill pursuers rode into a favorable range,
he fired for his horse's head. The beast jumped convulsively and
pitched forward, head down in a half somersault, throwing his rider
violently to the ground. Scott and Lefever yelled loudly.

Out of the cloud of dust the man scrambled to his feet, looked coolly
around, and brushed the alkali disgustedly from his eyes just as a
second bullet from de Spain tore up the earth a few feet to one side
of him. He jumped like a rabbit at this summons, and did not even make
a further pretense at composure. Grabbing his hat from the ground, he
ran like mad toward the hills. Meantime his mounted companion had
turned about. De Spain sprang to his feet, jerked up his horse and
cried: "Now for the canyon!" Pushing Sassoon into the saddle and
profiting by the confusion, the railroad men rode hard for their
refuge, and reached it without more molestation than an occasional
shot from their distant pursuers on the main trail. De Spain and his
scouts now felt assured of their escape. The foot-hills contingent was
left far behind, and, though their remaining pursuers rode in at times
with a show of rushing, the chase was a stern one, and could be
checked whenever necessary. Halting at times in this way to breathe
their horses, or to hold off the rear pursuit, de Spain with his two
companions and their prisoner rode into Sleepy Cat, locked Sassoon up,
and went to the Mountain House for breakfast.

CHAPTER VII

MAINTAINING A REPUTATION

The abduction of Sassoon, which signalized de Spain's entry into the
stage-line management, created a sensation akin to the exploding of a
bomb under the range. The whole mountain country, which concentrates,
sensibly, on but one topic at a time, talked for a week of nothing
else. No such defiance of the traditions of the Morgan rule along the
reaches of the Spanish Sinks had been attempted in years--and it was
recalled more than once, when de Spain's feat was discussed at the
ranches, on the trails, and in the haunts of gunmen in Calabasas, that
no one of those who had ever braved the wrath of the Sink rulers had
lived indefinitely to boast of it.

Experienced men, therefore, in the high country--men of that class
who, wherever found, are old in the ways of the world, and not
promptly moved by new or youthful adventure--dismissed the i