e Kennedy was
waiting. He swung into the saddle, ignoring Rebstock's abjurations,
and with Kennedy rode away.

"It is hard to do anything with a man that is scared to death," said
Smith to his companion. "Then, too, Rebstock's nephew is probably in
this. In any case, when Du Sang has got Rebstock scared, he is a
dangerous man to be abroad. We have got to smoke him out, Farrell.
Lance Dunning insisted the other day he wanted to do me a favor. I'll
see if he'll lend me Stormy Gorman and some of his cowpunchers for a
round-up. We've got to smoke Du Sang out. A round-up is the thing.
But, by Heaven, if that round-up is actually pulled off it will be a
classic when you and I are gone."

Thirty minutes afterward, messengers had taken the Frenchman trail for
Lance Dunning's cowboys.

CHAPTER XXX

THE FIGHT IN THE CACHE

A clear night and a good moon made a long ride possible, and the
Crawling Stone contingent, headed by Stormy Gorman, began coming into
the railroad camp by three o'clock the next morning. With them rode
the two Youngs, who had lost the trail they followed across Goose
River and joined the cowboys on the road to the north.

The party divided under Kennedy and Smith, who rode through the Door
into the Cache just before daybreak.

"I don't know what I am steering you against this morning, Farrell,"
said Whispering Smith. "Certainly I should hate to run you into Du
Sang, but we can't tell where we shall strike him. If we have laid out
the work right I ought to see him as soon as anybody does. Accidents
do happen, but remember he will never be any more dangerous than he is
at the first moment. Get him to talk. He gets nervous if he can't
shoot right away. When you pull, get a bullet into his stomach at the
start, if you possibly can, to spoil his aim. We mustn't make the
mistake of underestimating him. Rebstock is right: he is a fright with
a revolver, and Sinclair and Seagrue are the only men in the mountains
that can handle a rifle with him. Now we split here; and good luck!"

"Don't you want to take Brill Young with you?"

"You take both the Youngs, Farrell. We shall be among rocks, and if he
tries to rush us there is cover."

Stormy Gorman with four Crawling Stone cowboys followed Whispering
Smith. Every rider on the range had a grievance against Williams
Cache, and any of them would have been glad to undertake reprisals
against the rustlers under the wing of Whispering Smith.

Just how in