"This is a very unfortunate affair, young man," said the hypocritical money king. "I am sorry it has happened."
"Are you?" asked Frank derisively.
"I am, I am," nodded Morgan. "It"s very bad--very bad."
"If you feel so bad about it, sir, it"s the easiest thing in the world for you to bring it to an end."
"But you are the one to terminate it, young man."
"How do you make that out?"
"You know how you can settle this affair without delay. You heard my proposition in Prescott."
"I believe I did. It was very interesting as the proposition of a thoroughly unscrupulous man."
"Don"t get insulting, Mr. Merriwell. I am doing my duty. Milton Sukes was my partner. Do you think I can conscientiously ignore the fact that he was murdered?"
"I fail to understand what that has to do with me."
"You know I have proofs," said Morgan sternly. "You know they will convict you."
"I know nothing of the sort. You have no proofs that are worth being called that."
"Everything points accusingly and decisively at you. You were Mr. Sukes"
bitter enemy. It was to your advantage that he should be put out of the way. He annoyed you. He gave you great trouble."
"And I fancy, Macklyn Morgan, that I annoyed him a little. But why do you pretend that it is on his account you are carrying out this lawless piece of business? You know its nature. You know in your heart that you are a hypocrite. You have even offered, if I turn over my property to you here, to make no proceeding against me. Is that the way you obtain justice for your dead partner? Is that the sort of justice you are looking for, Morgan? Don"t talk to me of justice! I know the sort of man you are! I know you from the ground up!"
"Be careful! Be careful! You are making a mistake, young man. Mr. Sukes annoyed you and hara.s.sed you because he believed you held property that he should possess--property that rightfully belonged to him. He obtained no satisfaction from you. If I am willing to settle with you by securing possession of this undeveloped mine here, which I now offer to do, you ought to think yourself getting off easy. It is not often that I enter into an affair of this sort. It is not often that I take hold of it personally. I allow my agents to carry such things through under my directions. In this case, however, I have considered it best to see the matter to an end myself. I confess that it seemed probable that you might be too slick for my agents."
"No thanks whatever for the compliment. Have you anything new to propose, Mr. Morgan?"
"My proposition is this: that you and your companions retire at once from this vicinity, and if you do I give you my word that you will not be molested. It is an easy and simple way to settle this whole affair.
If you comply, we will let the Sukes matter drop where it is. You will escape prosecution for murder. Think well of it--think well. It is the best thing you can do. You are trapped now. You are penned in here and you can"t get out. If we see fit, we can lay siege to this place and keep you here until we starve you out. In the end you will be compelled to surrender. In the end you will lose everything. If you force me to such a course, not only will I obtain possession of this undeveloped mine, but I tell you now that I shall do my best to see you hanged for the murder of Milton Sukes."
Frank laughed in the man"s face.
"It"s plain," he said, "that even now, Macklyn Morgan, you don"t understand me. It"s plain that you still fancy it possible to frighten me. You are wasting your time, sir. Go ahead with your siege and see what comes of it."
This seemed to enrage Morgan, for suddenly he violently shook the flag at Frank and cried:
"Then take the result of your obstinacy!"
Instantly there were several puffs of white smoke from beyond the distant rocks and Frank pitched forward upon his face.
At the same moment Macklyn Morgan made a spring and dropped behind a little pile of bowlders, where he was fully protected from the defenders of the valley.
Apparently Frank had been treacherously shot down in cold blood while under the flag of truce.
The watchers of the defense were horrified as they saw Frank fall. d.i.c.k uttered a savage cry and would have rushed out from behind the rocks had he not been seized by Brad Buckhart.
"Steady, pard--steady!" warned the Texan, finding it difficult to detain young Merriwell.
"Let go!" panted d.i.c.k. "Don"t you see! My brother! The dastardly wretches have shot him!"
"And do you propose to prance out there and let them shoot you up, too?
Do you propose to let these measly galoots wipe out the Merriwell family in a bunch? Cool down, pard, and have some sense."
Bart Hodge had been no less excited than d.i.c.k, and nothing could have prevented him from rushing forth to Frank had he not suddenly made a discovery as he sprang up. His eyes were on his chum of school and college days, and he saw Frank quickly roll over and over until he lay close against a bowlder, where he would be protected in case the enemy fired again. Then, as he lay thus, Merry lifted the hand that still clutched the white handkerchief and waved it in a signal to his friends.
Hodge was shaking in every limb.
"He is not killed!" he exclaimed.
"Heap keep still," came from old Joe. "No shot at all. Him all right.
Him see gun flash, him drop quick, bullets go over um. Him fool bad palefaces a heap."
"What"s that?" fluttered d.i.c.k. "Do you mean that he wasn"t hurt, Joe?"
"No hurt him much," a.s.serted the old savage, "Strong Heart he have keen eye. He watch all the time. He see gun flash. He see smoke. He drop quick."
It was not easy to make d.i.c.k believe his brother had not been hurt, but Frank managed to convey to them by signals that he was all right. Their relief was unbounded. Indeed, d.i.c.k"s eyes filled with a mist of joy, although his anxiety was intense, for he feared that his brother might still be in a position where the enemy could get further shots at him.
Frank, however, hugged the rocks closely, and there was no more shooting.
On the other side of the bowlders lay Macklyn Morgan, his evil heart filled with triumph, for he believed Merriwell had been slain. His astonishment was unbounded when he heard Frank"s voice calling his name.
"Morgan," called Merry, "can you hear me?"
"Yes, I hear you," answered the astounded villain. "So they didn"t kill you outright, did they?"
"Hardly that," returned Merry. "They didn"t even touch me."
"What did you say?" burst from Morgan. "Why, those men were the best shots in our party! They were carefully chosen for this piece of business."
"A fine piece of business, Macklyn Morgan!" contemptuously retorted Merry. "And you planned it, I presume! You are a smooth-faced, hypocritical man of wealth, known far and wide and greatly respected because of your riches. Yet you have descended to a piece of business like this! Sukes was bad enough, Morgan; but you"re a hundred times worse. You have failed in your most dastardly plot, just as you will fail in everything. Lie still, Macklyn Morgan. Keep close to those rocks where you are, for if you show yourself you will be riddled by my watching friends. From this time on your life will not be worth a pinch of snuff if they get a chance at you."
So the two men, the fearless youth and the treacherous money king, lay each sheltered by the bowlders while the sun sank in the west and day slipped softly into night. When the shadows had deepened sufficiently, Frank crept away on his stomach toward the valley, taking the utmost pains not to expose himself, and, through his skill in this, returned at last in safety to his friends, who welcomed him joyously.
"Heap well done!" grunted old Joe. "But now Strong Heart him know more than to trust um bad men. No do it some more."
d.i.c.k was able to repress his emotion, although Frank read in the few words his brother said the intense anxiety he had felt.
"What will be their next move?" exclaimed Hodge.
"They will attempt to overpower us by some sudden move to-night," said Frank. "We must remain on the alert every moment."
The stars came out bright and clear, as they always do in that Southwestern land, and, if possible, their light seemed more brilliant than usual. The night advanced, and still the enemy before them remained silent. It was Curry who discovered something down in the valley that attracted his attention and interested him. He called the attention of Frank, who saw down there a light waving to and fro and then in circles.