ould make out, he was sitting with his back to the wall and his knees
drawn up, and by listening intently I could hear his measured breathing.

It required a greater amount of brute courage than I had thought it
would to spring to a sitting posture on the cot and cover the squatting
figure with the rifle slewed into position across my knees. The man
made no move to obey when I ordered him to hold up his hands. Then I
spoke again.

"I've got the drop on you, Dorgan--or Murphey; whichever your name is,"
I said. "If you move I shall kill you. You see, I know who you are
and what you are here for."

A voice, harsh but neither threatening nor pleading, came out of the
shadows beside the safe.

"You ain't tellin' me nothin' new, pally. I spotted you a good while
back, and I knowed you'd lamped me. You was lookin' f'r me to bust in
here to-night?"

"I was. After you followed me to Cripple Creek and back I knew about
what to expect."

"And you was layin' f'r me alone?--when you could 'a' had Collins and
Nixon and half a dozen more if yous 'd squealed f'r 'em?"

"I didn't need any better help than this," I answered, patting the
stock of the Winchester. "The jig's up, Dorgan. You can't crack this
safe while I'm here and alive. I suppose you got in by the window: you
can go out the same way."

"You're aimin' to turn me loose?" said the voice, and now I fancied
there was a curious trembly hoarseness in it.

"You heard what I said."

"Listen a minute, pally: if you'll hold that gun right stiddy where it
is and let out a yell 'r two, you can earn five hundred doughboys. Ye
didn't know that, did you?"

"I know you broke jail and skipped for it, but I didn't know how much
the warden was willing to pay to get you back."

"It's five hundred bones, all right. Study a minute: don't you want
the five hundred?"

"No; not bad enough to send you back to 'stir' for it."

There was a dead silence for the space of a long minute, and while it
endured the man sat motionless, with his back against the wall and his
hands locked over his knees. Then: "They'd all pat you on the back if
yous was to let out that yell. I brought ten years with me when the
warden give me my number, and I'm thinkin' they was comin' to me--all
o' them."

"But you don't want to go back?"

"Not me; if it was to come to that, I'd a damned sight rather you'd
squeeze a little harder on that trigger you've got under your finger;
see?"

"Then w