Near the upper dam he had another encounter. The dust of some one approaching warned him some time before the traveller came in sight.
Oldham reined back his horse until he could see who it was; then he spurred forward to meet Saleratus Bill.
The gun-man was lounging along at peace with all the world, his bridle rein loose, his leg slung over the pommel of his saddle. At the sight of his employer, he grinned cheerfully.
Oldham rode directly to him.
"Why aren"t you attending to your job?" he demanded icily.
"Out of a job," said Saleratus Bill cheerfully.
"Why haven"t you kept your man in charge?"
"I did until he just naturally had one of those unavoidable accidents."
"Explain yourself."
"Well. I ain"t never been afraid of words. He"s dead; that"s what."
"Indeed," said Oldham, "Then I suppose I met his ghost just now; and that a spirit gave me this cut lip."
Saleratus Bill swung his leg from the saddle horn and straightened to attention.
"Did he have a hat on?" he demanded keenly.
"Yes--no--I believe not. No, I"m sure he didn"t."
"It"s him, all right." He shook his head reflectively, "I can"t figure it."
Oldham was staring at him with deadly coldness.
"Perhaps you"ll be good enough to explain," he sneered--"five hundred dollars worth at any rate."
Saleratus Bill detailed what he knew of the whole affair. Oldham listened to the end. His cynical expression did not change; and the unlighted cigar that he held between his swollen lips never changed its angle.
"And so he just nat"rally disappeared," Saleratus Bill ended his recital. "I can"t figure it out."
Then Oldham spat forth the cigar. His calm utterly deserted him. He thrust his livid countenance out at his man.
"Figure it out!" he cried. "You pin-headed fool! You had an unarmed man tied hand and foot, in a three-thousand-foot hole, and you couldn"t keep him! And one of the smallest interests involved is worth more than everything your worthless hide can hold! I picked you out for this job because I thought you reliable. And now you come to me with "I can"t figure it out!" That"s all the explanation or excuse you bring! You miserable, worthless cur!"
Saleratus Bill was looking at him steadily from his evil, red-rimmed eyes.
"Hold on," he drawled. "Go slow. I don"t stand such talk."
Oldham spurred up close to him.
"Don"t you try any of your gun-play or intimidation on me," he fairly shouted. "I won"t stand for it. You"ll hear what I"ve got to say, just as long as I choose to say it."
He eyed the gun-man truculently. Certainly even Bob could not have accused him of physical cowardice at that moment.
Saleratus Bill stared back at him with the steady, venomous glare of a rattlesnake. Then his lips, under his straggling, sandy moustache, parted in a slow grin.
"Say your say," he conceded. "I reckon you"re mad; I reckon that boy man-handled you something scand"lous."
At the words Oldham"s face became still more congested.
"But you look a-here," said Saleratus Bill, suddenly leaning across from his saddle and pointing a long, lean finger. "You just remember this: I took this yere job with too many strings tied to it. I mustn"t hurt him; and I must see no harm comes to him; and I must be noways cruel to mama"s baby. You had me hobbled, and then you cuss me out because I can"t get over the rocks. If you"d turned me loose with no instructions except to disappear your man, I"d have earned my money."
He dropped his hand to the b.u.t.t of his six-shooter, and looked his princ.i.p.al in the eye.
"I"m just as sorry as you are that he made this get-away," he continued slowly. "Now I got to pull up stakes and get out. Nat"rally he"ll make it too hot for me here. Then I could use that extry twenty-five hundred that was coming to me on this job. But it ain"t too late. He"s got away once; but he ain"t in court yet. I can easy keep him out, if the original bargain stands. Of course, I"m sorry he punched your face."
"d.a.m.n his soul!" burst out Oldham.
"Just let me deal with him my way, instead of yours," repeated Saleratus Bill.
"Do so," snarled Oldham; "the sooner the better."
"That"s all I want to hear," said the gun-man, and touched spurs to his horse.
x.x.xI
Bob"s absence had occasioned some speculation, but no uneasiness, at headquarters. An officer of the Forest Service was too often called upon for sudden excursions in unexpected emergencies to make it possible for his chiefs to keep accurate track of all his movements. A day"s trip to the valley might easily be deflected to a week"s excursion to the higher peaks by any one of a dozen circ.u.mstances. The report of trespa.s.sing sheep, a tiny smoke above distant trees, a messenger sent out for arbitration in a cattle dispute, are samples of the calls to which Bob must have hastened no matter on what errand he had been bound.
He arrived at headquarters late in the afternoon. Already a thin wand of smoke wavered up through the trees from Amy"s little, open kitchen. The open door of the shed office trickled forth a thin clicking of typewriters. Otherwise the camp seemed deserted.
At Bob"s halloo, however, both Thorne and old California John came to the door. In two minutes he had all three gathered about the table under the three big firs.
"In the first place, I want to say right now," he began, "that I have the evidence to win the land case against the Modoc Mining Company."
"How?" demanded Thorne, leaning forward eagerly.
"Baker has boasted, before two witnesses, that his mineral entries were fraudulent and made simply to get water rights and timber."
"Those witnesses will testify?"
"They will."
"Who are they?"
"Mr. Welton and myself."
"Glory be!" cried Thorne, springing to his feet and clapping Bob on the back. "We"ve got him!"
"So that"s what you"ve been up to for the past week!" cried Amy. "We"ve been wondering where you had disappeared to!"