One by one Danny Randall called us forward and administered his simple oath. The fire leaped, and with it the mighty shadows. Outside the circle of light the tall pines and fir-trees watched us like a mult.i.tude standing witness. The men"s faces were grave. There was about the roughest of them something n.o.ble, reflected from the earnest spirit of justice.
Randall had the plans all made, and he detailed them rapidly. We were to arrest four men only, and he named them--Morton, Scar-face Charley, who had recovered, a gambler named Catlin, and Jules, the proprietor of the Empire.
"Crawford is back in town," said some one.
"Make it five then," said Danny instantly.
We had a long discussion over all this. Many other names were suggested.
Danny agreed that they were those of men guilty of the worst crimes, but maintained that the first thing to do was to get hold of the real leaders, the brains and motive power of the gang. The five first designated filled that description.
"Can we really prove anything against them?" asked someone.
"No," said Danny instantly, "we cannot. Does any one here think any of them guiltless? Consult your consciences, gentlemen. I agree with you that it is a fearful thing to take a man"s life. Vote carefully. Consult your consciences."
We balloted at last on each name separately, and the five leaders were condemned to death.
Next came up the vital questions of ways and means. Many were in favour of a night surprise, and an immediate hanging before the desperadoes could be organized for defence. Danny had a hard time showing them good reasons against this course, but at last he succeeded.
"This must be done deliberately and publicly," he maintained. "Otherwise it fails of its effect. We"ve got to show the gang that the camp is against them; and that won"t be done by hanging some of them secretly."
"Suppose the camp doesn"t back us up?" queried a miner.
"Remember your oath, gentlemen," was Danny"s only reply to this.
It was decided at last that five committees should be appointed to arrest each of the five men, that the prisoners should be confined in a certain isolated log cabin, and that the execution should take place in broad daylight. There remained only to apportion the committees. This was done, and at about two or three o"clock we quietly dispersed. I was instructed to cooperate with three of the miners in the arrest of Catlin.
With the members of my committee I returned to our own camp, there to await the appointed hour of seven. This had been selected for several reasons: it was daylight, the roughs would be at home, and the community, although afoot, would not yet have gone to work. While waiting we cooked ourselves some hot coffee and made some flapjacks. The chill, gray time of day had come, the period of low vitality, and we shivered with the cold and with excitement. n.o.body had much to say. We waited grimly for the time to pa.s.s.
About six o"clock Yank arose, seized his long rifle and departed for the log cabin that had been designated as the jail. His lameness had prevented him from being appointed on one of the arresting committees, but he had no intention of being left out. A half hour later we followed him into town.
It was a heavenly fall morning of the sort that only mountain California can produce. The camp was beginning to awaken to its normal activity. I remember wondering vaguely how it could be so calm and unconcerned. My heart was beating violently, and I had to clench my teeth tight to keep them from chattering. This was not fear, but a high tension of excitement. As we strolled past the Bella Union with what appearance of nonchalance we could muster, Danny Randall nodded at us from the doorway. By this we knew that Catlin was to be found at his own place.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "WE MARCHED OUR PRISONER IN DOUBLE-QUICK TIME ... TO THE AGREED RENDEZVOUS"]
CHAPTER x.x.xIX
THE VIGILANTES (_continued_)
Catlin dwelt in a detached room back of the Empire, together with one of the other professional gamblers. We lounged around the corner of the Empire building. The door of the cabin was shut. Outside we hung back, hesitating and a little uncertain. None of us was by nature or training a man of violence, and we experienced the reluctance of men about to plunge into cold water. n.o.body was more than pardonably afraid, and of course we had every intention of seeing the affair through. Then suddenly in the actual face of the thing itself my excitement drained from me like a tide receding. My nerves steadied, my trembling stilled.
Never had I felt more cool in my life. Drawing my revolver, I pushed open the door and entered the building.
Catlin was in the act of washing his face, and him I instantly covered with my weapon. His companion was still abed. On my entrance the latter had instinctively raised on his elbow, but immediately dropped back as he saw the figures of my companions darkening the door.
"Well, gentlemen?" demanded Catlin.
"You must come with us," I replied.
He showed no concern, but wiped carefully his face and hands.
"I will be ready in a minute," said he, throwing aside the towel, and rolling down his shirt sleeves. He advanced toward a bench on which his coat had been flung. "I"ll be with you as soon as I can put on my coat."
I glanced toward that garment and saw the muzzle of a revolver peeping out from beneath it.
"I"ll hand your coat to you," said I quickly. Catlin turned deadly pale, but spoke with his usual composure.
"What am I wanted for?" he inquired.
"For being a road agent, a thief, and an accessory to robberies and murders," I replied.
"I am innocent of all--as innocent as you are."
"There is no possibility of a mistake."
"What will you do with me?"
"Your sentence is death," I told him.
For a single instant his dark face lit up.
"You think so?" he flashed.
"Hurry!" urged one of my companions.
With one man on either side and another behind, revolvers drawn, we marched our prisoner in double-quick time past the rear of the stores and saloons to the agreed rendezvous. There we found Danny Randall and his committee with Morton. Within the next few moments, in rapid succession, appeared the others with Scar-face Charley, Crawford, and Jules.
The camp was already buzzing with excitement. Men poured out from the buildings into the streets like disturbed ants. Danny thrust his prisoners into the interior of the cabin, and drew us up in two lines outside. He impressed on us that we must keep the military formation, and that we were to allow no one to approach. Across the road about twenty yards away he himself laid a rope.
"That"s the dead-line," he announced. "Now you keep the other side!"
In no time a mob of five hundred men had gathered. They surged restlessly to and fro. The flash of weapons was everywhere to be seen.
Cries rent the air--demands, threats, oaths, and insults so numerous and so virulent that I must confess my heart failed me. At any instant I expected the mob to open fire; they could have swept us away with a single volley. To my excited imagination every man of that mult.i.tude looked a ruffian. We seemed alone against the community. I could not understand why they did not rush us and have it over with. Yet they hesitated. The fact of the matter is that the desperadoes had no cohesion, no leaders; and they knew what none of us knew--namely, that a good many of that crowd must be on our side. The roar and turmoil and heat of discussion, argument, and threat rose and fell. In one of the lulls an Irish voice yelled:
"Hang them!"
The words were greeted by a sullen a.s.senting roar. Five hundred hands, each armed, were held aloft. This unanimity produced an instant silence.
"Hang who?" a truculent voice expressed the universal uncertainty.
"Hang the road agents!" yelled back the little Irishman defiantly.
"Bully for you, Irish; that took nerve!" muttered Johnny, at my elbow.
Fifty threats were hurled at the bold speaker, and the click of gunlocks preceded a surge in his direction. Then from the mob went up a sullen, formidable muttering of warning. No individual voice could be distinguished; but the total effect of dead resistance and determination could not be mistaken. Instantly, at the words so valiantly uttered, the spirit of cohesion had been born. The desperadoes checked in surprise.
We had friends. How many or how strong no one could guess; but they were there, and in case of a battle they would fight.