"Yes, sir."
"You were one of the men engaged by Wiley, I presume?"
"Yes, sir."
"It seems that Hodge trusts you?"
"He did, sir."
"What"s the trouble there?"
"Those men are plotting a heap to take the mines, sir. Hodge discovered it."
"How did he make the discovery?"
"That I don"t know. He discovers it, somehow, and he sends me with this yere message. He picks me out and asks me could he trust me a whole lot.
I tells him he could, and he chances it. I plans with him to git out in the night, and I does so."
"But you were followed?"
"Yes. One of the crew sees me a-talking with Mr. Hodge, and they suspects me. Arter that they watches me mighty close. That makes it plenty hard for me to git away. I don"t opine I am much more than out of the valley afore they finds out I am gone. I didn"t think they"d git on so quick, and so I fails to push as hard as I might at first. Shortly after sun-up I sees two hors.e.m.e.n coming miles behind me. Even then I"m not dead sure they"re arter me. But they was, sir--they was. I had a hard run for it, but I have made good by getting the message to you."
"And you shan"t lose by it, Colvin. Be sure of that. Did you know about this plot to seize the mines--before Hodge discovered it?"
"I knows there was something up, sir; but the rest of the gang they don"t trust me complete, and so I don"t find out just what was a-doing.
I sees them whispering and acting queer, and I thinks there"s trouble brewing before Hodge speaks to me about it."
"What sort of men are they?"
"A right tough lot, Mr. Merriwell. They has liquor, too. Somehow it"s brought to them, but the head one of the bunch, Texas Bland, he don"t ladle it out free at once. He seems to keep it for some occasion later."
Merry"s face wore a serious expression.
"How many men do you think there are in this plot?"
"Fifteen or twenty, sir."
"All armed?"
"Every mother"s son of them."
"If I had my Thirty!" muttered Frank.
But he was not prepared with an organized force to meet the plotting ruffians, and he felt that it would require precious time in order to get together a band of fighting men.
"Whatever do you propose to do, Mr. Merriwell?" asked Colvin.
"I see it is necessary for me to lose no time in reaching the mines."
"But you don"t go alone, I judge? You takes some good men with you?"
"If possible."
"Better do it, sir. That gang is a heap tough, and it takes twice as many men to down "em."
"Not twice as many of the right sort. I have two or three comrades I can depend upon."
"But two or three are no good, Mr. Merriwell; you hears me."
"Perhaps not; but if I can get the move on those rascals it will count in my favor."
"Now, don"t you reckon any on holding those mines with the aid of two or three backers," warned Dash Colvin. "You will never do it."
At this juncture d.i.c.k came in.
"Your horse is ready, Frank," he said. "I have given orders to have it saddled and held prepared for you."
"I may have to use it within an hour."
d.i.c.k immediately perceived that some new development had transpired, and he glanced from his brother to the stranger in the room.
"What is now, Frank?" he anxiously questioned.
"Read that," said Merry, thrusting the message into his hand.
"By Jove!" exclaimed d.i.c.k, "this is bad business, Frank--bad business!
How did you get this?"
"It was brought by Mr. Colvin here. He was pursued and barely reached me with his life."
"Which I allows I would not have done but for Mr. Merriwell himself,"
said Colvin. "My horse throws me unexpected, and the two galoots arter me has me down and is about to silence me some when Mr. Merriwell takes a hand."
"Are you sure this is straight goods?" questioned d.i.c.k.
"That"s Bart"s writing," declared Merry. "I"d know it anywhere."
"Then there can be no mistake."
"Certainly not. Colvin tells me that there are fifteen or more ruffians in this plot."
"Do you believe, Frank, that it is their scheme?"
"I can"t say."
"Perhaps this Macklyn Morgan is behind it."
"He may be."