s shoes, and before the stub of Zephyr's
cigarette had struck the ground outside the open window Bennie was
pushing Zephyr through the door.

"Figures be hanged, and you, too. If my wits were as thick as your
tongue, they'd be guessing at the clack of it, instead of getting a
wiggle on the both of us."

The stableman had the wagon hooked up and ready. Zephyr and Bennie
clambered in. Bennie caught the lines from the driver and cracking the
whip about the ears of the horses, they clattered down the trail to the
Devil's Elbow.

Zephyr protested mildly at Bennie's haste.

"Hold your hush," growled Bennie. "There's a hell of a fight on at the
office this day. If you want to see a good man win the sooner we're back
with the safe the better."

There were no lost motions on their arrival at the Devil's Elbow. The
actual facts that had hastened Zephyr's location of the safe were
simple. He had studied the position which the stage must have occupied
before the bridge fell, its line of probable descent. From these assumed
data he inferred the approximate position of the safe in the river and
began prodding in the muddy water. At last he was tolerably sure that he
had located it. By building a sort of wing dam with loose rock, filling
the interstices with fine material, the water of the pool was cut off
from the main stream and began to quiet down and grow comparatively
clear. Then Zephyr's heart almost stood still. By careful looking he
could distinguish one corner of the safe. Without more ado he started
for Bennie.

The tackle was soon rigged. Taking a hook and chain, Zephyr waded out
into the icy water, and after a few minutes he gave the signal to hoist.
It was the safe, sure enough. Another lift with the tackle in a new
position and the safe was in the wagon and headed for its
starting-point.

Bennie was rigid with important dignity on the way to the office and was
consequently silent save as to his breath, which whistled through his
nostrils. As for Zephyr, Bennie's silence only allowed him to whistle or
go through the noiseless motions as seemed to suit his mood. The driver
was alive with curiosity and spoiling to talk, but his voluble efforts
at conversation only confirmed his knowledge of what to expect. When
later interrogated as to the remarks of Zephyr and Bennie upon this
particular occasion he cut loose the pent-up torrent within him.

"You fellows may have heard," he concluded, "that clams is hell on
keep