lars
down BEFORE WE START and a thousand dollars when I'm safe."

The half-breed had changed his slouching attitude. It seemed more
indolent on account of the loosely hanging strap that had once held his
haversack, which was still worn in a slovenly fashion over his shoulder
as a kind of lazy sling for his shiftless hand.

"Well, Tom, is it a go? You can trust ME, for you'll have the thousand
in your pocket before you start. I can trust YOU, for I'll kill you
quicker than lightning if you say a word of this to any one before I go,
or play a single trick on me afterwards."

Suddenly the two men were rolling over and over in the underbrush. The
half-breed had thrown himself upon the major, bearing him down to the
ground. The haversack strap for an instant whirled like the loop of a
lasso in the air, and descended over the major's shoulders, pinioning
his arms to his side. Then the half-breed, tearing open his ragged
blouse, stripped off his waist-belt, and as dexterously slipped it over
the ankles of the struggling man.

It was all over in a moment. Neither had spoken a word. Only their rapid
panting broke the profound silence. Each probably knew that no outcry
would be overheard.

For the first time the half-breed sat down. But there was no trace of
triumph or satisfaction in his face, which wore the same lowering look
of disgust, as he gazed upon the prostrate man.

"I want to tell you first," he said, slowly wiping his face, "that I
didn't kalkilate upon doin' this in this yer kind o' way. I expected
more of a stan' up fight from you--more risk in gettin' you out o' that
hole--and a different kind of a man to tackle. I never expected you
to play into my hand like this--and it goes against me to hev to take
advantage of it."

"Who are you?" said the major, pantingly.

"I'm the new sheriff of Siskyou!"

He drew from beneath his begrimed shirt a paper wrapping, from which
he gingerly extracted with the ends of his dirty fingers a clean,
legal-looking folded paper.

"That's my warrant! I've kept it fresh for you. I reckon you don't care
to read it--you've seen it afore. It's just the same as t'other sheriff
had--what you shot."

"Then this was a plant of yours, and that whelp's troopers?" said the
major.

"Neither him nor the sojers knows any more about it than you," returned
the sheriff slowly. "I enlisted as Injin guide or scout ten days ago.
I deserted just as reg'lar and nat'ral like when we passed that