"I can believe that," said I thoughtfully. "Pete," I turned on him suddenly, "don"t you know they"d skin you alive if they found out you"d been here?"
Pete was shaking violently, and at my words a strong shudder went through his frame, and his teeth struck faintly together.
"Why did you do it?"
"Ma.s.sa Fairfax is quality, sah," he replied with a certain dignity. "I jest a pore n.i.g.g.e.r, but I knows quality when I sees it, and I don"t aim to have no pore white truck kill none of my folks if I can help it."
"Pete," said I, fully satisfied, "you are a good fellow. Now get along back."
He disappeared before the words were fairly out of my mouth.
"Yank," I announced, returning to the fire, "I"ve got to go uptown. That was Pete, Barnes"s n.i.g.g.e.r, to say that they"ve got out a legal warrant for the express messengers" arrest for that killing last week. Neat little scheme."
I found Danny Randall in his accustomed place. At a hint he sent for Dr.
Rankin. To the two I unfolded the plot. Both listened in silence until I had quite finished. Then Danny leaped to his feet and hit the table with his closed fist.
"The fools!" he cried. "I gave them credit for more sense. Hit at Danny Randall"s men, will they? Well, they"ll find that Danny Randall can protect his own! Forgotten that little point, have they?"
The cool, impa.s.sive, mild little man had changed utterly. His teeth bared, the muscles of his cheeks tightened, two deep furrows appeared between his eyes, which sparkled and danced. From the most inoffensive looking creature possible to imagine he had become suddenly menacing and dangerous.
"What do you intend, Randall?" asked Dr. Rankin. He was leaning slightly forward, and he spoke in a gentle voice, but his hand was clenched on the table, and his figure was rigid.
"Do?" repeated Randall fiercely; "why, run that gang out of town, of course!"
"I thought you said the time was not ripe?"
"We"ll ripen it!" said Danny Randall.
CHAPTER x.x.xVIII
THE VIGILANTES
Danny Randall issued his orders as a general would. First he sent warning word to Cal Marsh, still nursing his shoulder. Through one of his barkeepers he caused to be called to his presence four men. Three of them were miners, the fourth a lookout at the Empire. He met them in his little room, quite openly, which, as I have explained, was in accordance with his usual custom. He detailed the exact situation in a few words.
"Now," he ended, "we get busy. Are you in?"
Each a.s.sented, with apparent deep satisfaction.
"Now," said he briskly, "Munroe, you go to the lower trail, near the big oak at the second crossing. Wait there. If the express messengers have not pa.s.sed by to-morrow morning at ten o"clock, return here. If they do come by, stop them, and tell them to proceed by the cut-off to the place they know of, and to wait there for me. Understand?"
To each of the other four men he a.s.signed a different watching on other trails, giving them the same instructions.
"Now git!" he finished.
After informing Yank of my projected absence, I waited at the appointed place until the appointed time, then returned to the Bella Union.
"That"s all right," Danny greeted my report; "they came across the Hog"s Back, and are now safely in hiding. Here," he gave me a slip of paper.
"During the day contrive to see these men. Make it casual and easy, as though you just happened to see them. Chat a few minutes and tell them this: "Danny Randall calls a secret miners" meeting at the upper horse flat at nine o"clock to-night. Slip up there without being seen." Be sure to let them understand that it is _I_ who am issuing the call.
Get them to tell you whether they will or will not come."
I took the slip of paper and read over the half dozen names it contained. They were all known to me; so I nodded my comprehension and went out.
All the rest of the day I loafed about, chatting with dozens of people, among the others with Morton himself. That individual professed great zeal for law and order, and told of the wonderful things he, as sheriff, intended to accomplish. Among the lot I contrived to include the six men whose names were on my paper, and to deliver my message. I explained as far as I knew, and got from each a definite and emphatic promise to be present.
"It"s time this thing was brought to a head," said one man. "If Danny Randall is taking hold of it, I enlist."
I returned to report these facts, received an indifferent nod, and, under further instruction, went quietly to camp to await the agreed hour.
We started up the trail about eight o"clock. Yank insisted that he was going, if he had to roll all the way; but after a little we simultaneously remembered that the Morenas had owned horses. One of these I caught, and on it Yank rode to the place of rendezvous.
The night was very black. After we had entered the woods its darkness seemed at first to hang in front of my eyes like a filmy curtain, so that I fairly groped, as one would when blindfolded. In the open a faint starlight helped us, but after we had entered the pines we had fairly to proceed by instinct. I remember feeling a shock of surprise once, when we skirted the river, at seeing plainly the whiteness of the rapids, as though the water were giving off a light of its own. Straight overhead were scattered patches of stars with misty abysses of blackness between them. Only after an interval did I appreciate that these apparent abysses were in reality the tops of trees!
We felt our way slowly, the soft muzzle of the horse at my shoulder.
Gradually our pupils expanded to the utmost, so that we caught ghostly intimations of gray rocks, of dust patches, or seized the loom of a tree or the opening of a forest aisle. Luckily the trail was well marked. We had only to stick to it.
At the Flat Rock we were halted by a low-voiced command. I gave the pa.s.sword, as instructed by Danny Randall. This experience was once repeated, a little farther on. Then, as we neared the upper horse flat, we were stopped by a man who flashed a dark lantern in our faces, scrutinized us for a moment, shut off his light, and told us to go forward.
We found a small fire behind a screen of firs, and around or near it the figures of a dozen men. They stood silent and scattered a little apart from the firelight. We could not make out their features. From time to time other men came in, singly or in couples, until probably twenty-five were gathered. Then ensued a few moments of waiting. A sudden stir proclaimed fresh arrivals, and four newcomers strode briskly to the fire. As the light fell on them I recognized Randall and the three express riders.
Danny kicked together the fire until it flared.
"Somebody put some more wood on this," he said in his natural voice.
"We"ve got to see each other."
In a moment the flames were leaping. I looked about me with considerable interest to see who of the camp had been summoned. I must confess to a few surprises, such as the gambler from the Empire, but in general the gathering consisted of those whom I should have characterized as solid citizens--Barnes, the hotel-keeper, Himmelwright, and men of his stripe.
They were all armed, and all very grave and sober. Danny ran his eye over us one by one.
"Meeting come to order," he commanded briskly. "This is a Vigilante meeting. I hope you all realize what that means. There are just thirty of us here; and Morton"s gang is probably a hundred strong when it is all together. We cannot fight them; but we can give the honest, decent men of this camp a chance to fight them. I myself believe the honest men will back us, and am willing to risk it. If any of you who are here now think differently, say so."
He paused, but no one spoke up.
"If anybody doesn"t want to go into this, now is the time to back out.
Just keep your mouths shut, that is all."
He paused again, but again no one moved.
"That"s all right," observed Danny with satisfaction. He lifted a paper.
"Listen to this: "We the undersigned agree, as we are decent men, to stand by each other to the last, to avenge the death of any one of us, and to obey the orders of our leaders. And if we fail in this may G.o.d deny us mercy." Boys," said Danny Randall earnestly, "this is serious.
If we start this now, we"ve got to see it through. We are not much on Bible oaths, any one of us, but we must promise. Frank Munroe, step forward!"
I obeyed. The little man stared up into my eyes, and I will freely confess that never have I experienced quite the queer sensation it gave me. Danny Randall had become not only formidable, but great. He seemed to see through into the back of my mind. I braced myself as though to resist some strong physical force.
"Do you, Frank Munroe, subscribe to this doc.u.ment as a man of honour, so help you G.o.d?" he demanded.
"I do," I answered solemnly, and affixed my signature below that of Danny Randall. And queerly enough, as I stepped aside, I felt somehow that I had a.s.sisted at something sacred.