on't guess you want any pearls o' wisdom from me, but I'll onload
some gratis. You let Bonita Menendez alone or Tony will camp on yore
trail till he gits you."

"Sure will," agreed Gurley, setting down his rifle. "Them Mexicans hang
together, too. We need their friendship in our business. Better lay off
them."

"I don't remember askin' your advice, Gurley."

"Well, I'm givin' it. See?"

Another sharp whistle cut the air. Gurley picked up the rifle again and
climbed the lookout rock. Presently he returned with a dismounted
horseman. The man was the one who had introduced himself to Arthur
Ripley a few hours earlier as Bill Moore.

"Howdy, boys. Got the stuff all safe?" he asked cheerfully.

From behind Wadley Pete Dinsmore was making a series of facial
contortions. Unfortunately the new arrival did not happen to be looking
at him, and so missed the warning.

"Never saw anything work prettier," Moore said with a grin as he put
down his saddle on a boulder. "Ridley hadn't ought to be let out without
a nurse. He swallowed my whole yarn--gobbled down bait, sinker an' line.
Where's the gold, Pete?"

"In a sack back of the big rock." Pete was disgusted with his brother
Homer, _alias_ Bill Moore. They would probably have to divide with young
Wadley now, to keep his mouth shut.

Rutherford jumped at the truth. His father had told him that he was
going to give Art Ridley a try-out by sending him to the fort for a
payment of gold. Probably he, Rutherford, had mentioned this to one of
the gang when he was drunk. They had held up the messenger, intending to
freeze him out of any share of the profits. All right--he would show
them whether he was a two-spot.

"Bring out the sack. Let's have a look at it," he ordered.

Gurley handed the sack to Pete Dinsmore, and the men squatted in a
circle tailor-fashion.

"Smooth work, I call it," said Homer Dinsmore. He explained to Wadley
why he was of this opinion. "Steve heard tell of a wagon-train goin' to
Tascosa to-day. If Ridley slept overnight at the fort he would hear of
it an' stay with the freight outfit till he had delivered the gold to
yore dad. We had to get him started right away. So I pulled on him a
story about hearin' the boys intended to hold him up. He hired me as a
guard to help him stand off the bad men. Whilst I was keepin' watch I
fixed up his six-shooter so's it wouldn't do any damage if it went off.
Best blamed piece of work I ever did pull off. I'd ought to