The three men in charge of Yeager"s a.s.sistants were also masked. One of them in particular drew Steve"s eyes. He was a slight, short person with the walk and bearing of a youth. He wore for a mask a red bandanna handkerchief with figures, into which holes had been cut for the eyes.
The other two were Mexicans.
The heavy-set man drew them aside and gave orders in a low voice. What these were Yeager could not hear, but from the gesturing he judged the leader of the band was giving explicit directions which he expected to be obeyed to the letter. After tying up Shorty and Yeager, the Mexicans and the younger man disappeared. The steady bawling of cattle that began shortly after told what they were doing. The herd was being moved slowly toward the south from its bedding-ground.
Already Steve had suspected the true state of affairs. He needed n.o.body to tell him now that the cattle were to be driven across the line into Sonora to supply some of the guerilla insurgents operating in the wilds of that state. Once they were safe in Mexico the cattle would be sold to old Pasquale for a fraction of their real value, the money received in exchange for them having been wrung by that old ruffian from some prisoner he had put to the torture to give up his honest earnings.
The man who had stayed to watch Yeager and his riders finished one cigar and lit another. He held to a somber silence, smoking moodily, a vigilant eye on his prisoners. Two or three times he looked at his watch impatiently. It must have been close to midnight when he rose as if to go.
"I"m going back into the bushes," he announced. "If any of you fellas make a move to free yourself inside of half an hour I"ll guarantee you die of lead poisoning sudden."
They heard him moving away in the mesquite.
Shorty swore softly. "What d" you know about this? Me, I"ve had buck-ague for most three hours expecting that doggoned holdup to blow the roof of my head off. I don"t sabe his game, unless he"s on the rustle."
"h.e.l.l! He"s runnin" these cows into Sonora. It don"t take any wiz to guess that," answered Orman.
Steve was already busy trying to free himself. He gave no credit to the man"s a.s.sertion that they would be watched from the bushes. The leader of the rustlers was already half a mile away, lengthening the distance between them at every stride of his galloping horse. The range-rider knew that their horses had probably been driven away, but he knew, too, that if Four Bits was within hearing of his whistle he could be depended upon to answer.
The cowpuncher had offered no resistance to being tied except a pa.s.sive one. He had kept his chest expanded as much as possible when the ropes had been tightened and he had braced the muscles of his arm against the pressure of the folds. Ten minutes of steady work released one arm. The rest was a matter of a few moments. With his knife he slashed the ropes that bound Shorty and Orman.
Already his whistle had brought an answer from Four Bits. Five minutes later Steve was astride the barebacked horse galloping across country toward Los Robles. His friends he had left to follow on foot as best they could. He had a very particular reason why he wanted to reach the hotel as soon as possible. A suspicion had bitten into his mind. He wanted to verify or dismiss it.
An hour later Four Bits pounded down the main street of Los Robles.
Almost simultaneously Yeager brought the horse slithering to a halt and with one lithe swing of his body landed on the ground in front of the hotel porch. He ran up the steps and into the lobby. Behind his cage the night clerk was drowsing.
"Anybody come into the hotel the last thirty minutes?" Yeager asked sharply.
The clerk thought. "No, I reckon not. There was Mr. Simmons--but that was most an hour since."
"n.o.body else?"
"No. Why?"
The range-rider turned to the stairs, took them three at a time, and followed the corridor to Room 217. He hammered on the door with his fist.
A sleepy voice wanted to know who was there.
"It"s Steve Yeager, Mr. Threewit. I wanta see you."
"You"ve got all to-morrow to see me in, haven"t you?"
"My business won"t wait."
Grumbling, the producing director got up. Presently he opened the door and stood revealed in a dressing-gown over his pajamas.
"What do you want, my anxious friend?"
"We"ve been held up."
"Held up!" A slow grin spread over Threewit"s fat good-natured face.
"Well, I"ll bet Mr. Holdup didn"t get a mint off you lads."
"He didn"t bother with us. It was the cattle he wanted. They"ve driven them across the line. At least, I reckon so."
Threewit woke up instantly. "That"s different. Unload your story, Yeager."
The extra told it in six sentences.
"Of course you didn"t know any of the holdups. They were masked, you say?"
"Yep." Steve"s cool, steady eyes held those of the director. "But I"ve got a fool notion just the same that I do know one of them. Come with me to Harrison"s room."
"But--"
"I"ll do all the talking. Come along."
"Now, see here, Yeager. Just because you and Harrison are at outs--"
"Have I made any charges against him? Maybe I want to ask his advice.
Maybe he could help us straighten out this thing. Got to pull together, haven"t we?" A cynical light in the eyes of the young man contradicted his words.
Reluctantly the director followed the extra to the room of the heavy on the third floor. Yeager knocked. He rapped again, and a third time.
Drowsily a voice demanded what was wanted. Presently the door was flung open and Harrison stood blinking in the doorway, heavy-eyed and slumberous.
"What"s the row?" he growled, scowling at Yeager.
"We were held up on the way from Yarnell"s by rustlers. They drove the cattle away and left us tied up."
"That any reason why you should wake me in the middle of the night? I ain"t got your cattle under the bed." The heavy jaw of the prizefighter stood out saliently. Unconsciously his figure had drooped to the crouch of defense. His small black eyes were wary and defiant.
The cowpuncher laughed, lightly and easily. "I"m only a kid. Mr.
Threewit comes from the East and don"t know anything about this rustling game. We thought of you right away."
"What do you mean you thought of me?"
Yeager"s eyes were innocent and steady. "Why, o" course we came to you for advice--to ask you what we"d better do."
"Oh! That"s it, eh?" Was there the faintest flitter of relief on the lowering face? Steve could not be sure. "Well, I"ll dress and join you downstairs, Mr. Threewit. With you in a minute."
"We got no time to lose. Mind if we talk here, Harrison?" Without waiting for permission the extra pushed into the room and began his story. "Must "a" been about six miles back that we threw off the trail and camped. I figured on getting in early in the forenoon. Well, I was night-herding when I got orders to punch a hole in the atmosphere with my fists. I didn"t do a thing but reach for the sky. A big masked guy come out from the mesquite and helped himself to my gun. Then he tied me up."
"Would you know him again if you saw him?" interrupted the prizefighter harshly.
The gaze of Yeager met his blandly. There was the least possible pause, and with it a certain tension. The younger man smiled. "Why, how could I, seeing he was masked? He was a big sulky brute. I"ve a notion I"d know his voice again if I heard it, though."
"Think so?" In Harrison"s voice was a jeer, derision in the half-shuttered eyes that watched the other man vigilantly.