BUCKY FOLLOWS A HOT TRAIL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 April 1939, Page 10

BUCKY FOLLOWS A HOT TRAIL

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

COPYRIGHT,

BY

WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE.

CHAPTER XIX (Continued). Footsteps sounded. Bucky sat on a home-made bench at one side of the room and waited. Big Bill came through the door, a bucket of water in his hand. He stopped in his stride, starting at his guest in amazement. Bucky said, “Take it easy, Bill.” The weapon in his hand was pointed toward the floor, but a twitch of the wrist would have directed it to the body of the nester. “Where did you come from?” Savage stammered. ' “Oh, I just dropped in to take you back to Toltec.” The timbre of Bucky’s voice was light and casual. “I don’t want to go to Toltec,” the hill man said.

“Maybe 1 can persuade you to change your mind.” “I—l been to Toltec this week already.”- Savage was no fast thinker, but he knew this statement was a mistakes almost before he finished making it. “Yes, I saw you there —with Davis and West, you damned murdering wolf.”

The name of West was a shot at a venture, but the big man did not make a correction.

“I came home Monday night,” he said.

“Tuesday night too,” Bucky added. “In a hurry. After a little difficulty in front of the Holden Building.” “No. I wasn't there.”

“Not long,” Bucky corrected. “You left suddenly —you and West. Brad Davis stayed.”

Big Bill slid a look at the belt hanging on the wall. Before he-could reach it Cameron would have him plugged full of lead.

“Must have been some one else,” he said.

“You can tell that to District Attorney Ashley.” “I don’t have to go without a warrant,”’ Savage protested sulkily. Bucky took a paper from an inside pocket and tossed it to the man. “Strictly legal, Bill. I wouldn’t want to shock your law-abiding mind. I’m a deputy empowered to bring you in.” Savage did not even look at the paper. The warrant that was going to take him to Toltec, unless he could find.a way of escape, rested in Cameron’s hand with its blue nose pointed downward. “Why pick on me instead of West?” the big man growled. “We’ll get him later,” Bucky promised. “Sorry to- hurry you, Bill, but we won’.t wait for breakfast. Soon as we can rope and saddle a mount for you we’ll be off.” “Scared of something” Big Bill jeered. “If I had a gun ” “I know all about that,” Bucky said. “You would certainly show me up. Put on your coat and hat if you want them.”

Savage roped and saddled a sprrel, making slow work of it. More than once his gaze swept along the road which dipped over the hill. “Expecting company?” Bucky asked. “Why no!” Big Bill slid a look at him.' “What made you think that?” “It doesn’t matter. We’re on our way. Climb into that saddle and don’t try any monkey tricks. I’d rather take you in 1 alive than dead, but that will be up to you.” Bucky dropped the loop of his rope around the neck of the prisoner and drew it tight. The other end of the rope fastened to the horn in front of his own saddle. “You don’t have to do that,” Savage said sourly. “I haven’t forgotten you tried to assassinate me night before last,” Bucky answered.

“No, sir. I wasn’t there.” “You weren’t there long—after Davis went down,” Bucky admitted. “You look it on the lam. Not yellow, are you, Bill?” “You wouldn’t dare say so if ypu didn’t have the drop on me,” the big man retorted- angrily. “You were standing behind the cigar counter where it was dark ”

Savage stopped his justification abruptly. He was saying too much. “Yes” encouraged Bucky, gently. ■‘And you were in the light?” “I didn’t say any such thing,” Big Bill denied. He lapsed into sulky silence.

They were riding up the steep hill side to the lip of the saucer, zig-zag-ging as they went. Bucky kept just behind Savage. As they reached the summit the rays of the sun were streaming through the needles of the lodge pole pines. Big Bill slewed his head round for another look at the road meandering down the hill on the other side of the valley. A puff of dust billowed at the summit. In a. moment riders would appear. “When were they due?” Bucky asked.

• “I don’t know what you mean.” "Travel with your eyes in front of you. Then your bronc won’t be so liable to stumble.”

Savage let out a shout that was like the roar of a bull. He whirled his horse and drove it headlong at the buckskin. Cameron had no time to slip aside. He and his mount went down under the impact, but he was flung free of the saddle. Bucky landed lightly, and was on his feet in an instant. As the buckskin struggled up from the ground he caught the bridle. The frightened sorrel went sunfishing. came down on all four feet, and started to buck. The rope round the hill man’s neck tightened, and dragged him from the saddle. With a whistling snort his gelding bolted down the hill they had just climbed. On the road across the valley two riders had drawn up and were looking at Bucky and his prisoner. Bucky ordered Savage to get up. Big Bill rose, feeling his neck. It had been given a terrific jerk. “You’re travelling on foot.” Bucky told him. “Understand, fellow. There isn’t going to be any rescue of a live man. Get going—fast.” “My neck,” Big Bill moaned. Ive done busted something.” A bullet from a rifle whistled past them, not a foot from Big Bill’s head. 1 “They’re shooting at me,” Savage complained. “You asked for it.” The two riders could not recognise them at this distance Savage began to run. A rifle cracked again. Then Bucky and the roped man dropped over the brow of the hill. "Sharp to

the right,” ordered Cameron. Big Bill did as told. He was as anxious to find cover as was Bucky. Ahead of them was a rock rim of large boulders. Into it they moved. Bocky slid from the saddle and led the buckskin back of a huge splintered quartz outcropping. He untied the end of the rope from the horn. “Turn your back,” he told Savage curtly. The prisoner obeyed. Bucky tied him hand and foot, then gagged the man with his own bandanna. “To keep you from committing suicide,” he said grimly. “If you should work the gag loose and yell, you’ll go first.” Bucky found a place for himself behind two boulders that supported each other. Between them was 1 an opening through which he could see. The men on horseback had reached the summit and were consulting together. One of them waved a hand toward the rocks. They turned the heads of their horses in that direction and rode forward Bucky recognised them as West and Tuffy Arnold. About two hundred yards from the boulder field they drew up. West shouted a challenge. ’ “We know you’re in there. Come on out, or we’ll get you.” Bucky did not answer. He saw them talk the situation over. Plainly Tuffy was of opinion that it would be foolhardy to try to dig out from the rocks anybody who might be hiding there. At last, impatiently, West moved forward alone. His rifle lay across the saddle in front of him. He stopped. “If you’ll come out we’ll talk this over friendly,” Still Bucky said nothing. West hesitated. The man he had seen might have disappeared into a draw and by this time be a mile away. He had boasted to Tuffy that he meant to find out. To save face he had to ride along the rim for a bit. It was his opinion the men at whom he had shot were friends, for he had afterward ' recognised Big Bill’s horse. They were, he guessed, sore at him for firing at them without waiting to make sure of their identity, and it would please them to be able to report that he had not dared to search the rocks. He had not told Tuffy that the horse they had seen running wild belonged to Big Bill, but had encouraged the idea that the men in the rocks were foes. He was making a big bluff by which he he expected to gain admiration among nis fellows. Bucky was surprised at the rashness with which the man approached. West swung from the horse and straddled the last fifty yards on foot, raffish bravado in every stride. “Stand up, fellow, and fight if that’s yore game!” he called. The man waiting for him crouched low. He was not ready yet. CHAPTER XX. West walked straight into the trap. “I’m not scared of any dam man ever was born!” he shouted for Tuffy Arnold’s benefit: Almost Dan persuaded himself that he believed some of the CC riders were hidden in the rocks although ne had seen Savage’s riderless horse and felt almost certain that the men they had shot at from across the valley were friends who would reveal themselves in due time and cuss them out for their premature shooting. He circled a big boulder —and pulled up sharply. All his boldness vanished. The man’s jaw dropped. His dead cod eyes dilated. Stricken dumb for I an instant, he gazed at Bucky Cameron. A rifle lay beside the CC man. In his hand was a revolver,- and the barrel of it pointed steadily at his enemy’s stomacn. “Drop that rifle and stick ’em up!” Bucky ordered. For a fraction of a second West hesitated. A wild idea of fighting it out flashed through his mind and was discarded. He would not have a chance. Cameron would drill bullets into him before he got started. “What you doing here?” he. asked, dazed. His eyes fell on Big Bill bound and prone. “Get ’em up—quick!” warned Bucky sharply. West dropped the rifle and got his hands up. Bucky moved toward him ■ with his jaunty catlike tread, turned the man around, and patted him to feel for weapons. He removed a revolver. “Must be expensive to keep buying guns and have them taken away so regularly,” Bucky suggested. “What’s the big idea?” snarled the hill man. He was frightened but did ! not want to show it. I “I’m returning a favour. You want|ed to take me to town Tuesday. Now I’m taking you there.” Bucky’s voice was mild, but the timbre of it did not allay the fears of of the hill man. He recalled what he meant to do under pretence of taking Cameron to town. “Yot-got a lot of your men here?” he asked unhappily. “All I need. Just step out and bring your horse in here, West. And don’t make a mistake. You’ll be covered plenty. Lead the animal by the bridle, keeping in front of him every foot of the way. If you make one suspicious move you’re gone. Understand” West said hoarsely that he did. He went out for the horse. Tuffy called to him to ask if everything was all right. West did not answer. He was afraid that any reply might be taken the wrong way. He brought his mount back at the end of a taut bridle. Bucky unfastened the rope and put the loop around the neck of his new prisoner. He untied Big Bill and slipped the hondo end over his head. The end of both ropes he fastened to the horn of his own saddle. “Tell Tuffy to come in,” Bucky commanded West. “Say everything is all right, and say it nice.” West said it nicely enough to bring the old man forward at a road gait. Tuffy was surprised at the reception he met. Hi’s fox face took on a curiously distressed look. “Drop any guns you have,” Bucky told him. The old man let a pistol slip to the ground. (To be Continued.)