o safely, on
our honor."

Colonel Carrington laughed sardonically, and I could fancy his thin lips
curling under the gray mustache before he answered:

"I hardly consider that a sufficient guarantee. Again, I will neither sign
nor tell you where the chest is. Confusion to you!"

"You're a hard man," said the other almost admiringly. "If we'd had you to
head us we'd have bluffed off Uncle Sam's troopers at the Cypress range.
Still, we've no time for fooling, and if Jim finds the chest without you
we'll risk putting up the price a thousand dollars or so. Jim is tolerably
handy at finding things. See here, you have got to sign it, and sign it
now, before this Winchester makes a mess of you!"

The Colonel glanced at the rifle coolly, as he answered: "I fail to see
what good that would do. My handwriting is peculiar; you couldn't imitate
it, while you would certainly be hanged when the troopers laid hands on
you."

This was incontrovertible logic, and the two outlaws drawing apart
conferred with each other softly, while I debated what I should do. The
casement was a double one, but I felt sure I could drive a bullet through
one of them. Still, even in the circumstances it looked too much like
murder, and to this day I have never taken the life of a man, though
occasionally forced into handling one roughly. Before any decision could
be arrived at a tramp of feet in the hall showed that somebody approached
under a burden.

"Keep the muzzle on him," said one. "I guess Jim has found the coffer, and
we'll make sure of that. I'll help him to cinch it on the horse if we
can't open it. Colonel, we'll have to fine you the further thousand
dollars."

I realized it was high time for me to vacate that position unless I wished
the couple to discover me, and so I slipped back into the shadow, just in
time, as they strode out carrying something. I watched them vanish into
the blackness, heard the scout answer their hail, and then I crawled back
swiftly--toward the door this time. A glance through the window in passing
showed me that the remaining outlaw stood with his back toward the
entrance, and his eyes fixed on the Colonel. The door was half closed when
I reached it, and for a moment I stood there shortening my grip on the
rifle and gathering my breath; then with a bound I drove it inward, and
whirled aloft the butt of the Winchester.

The outlaw twisted round on his heels; but he moved an instant too late,
for even as his fi