Gradually the character of the country changed, the open plain being broken by small, flat-topped mesas, shallow gullies, and occasional miniature forests of post-oak and mesquite, the latter sometimes of tree size. He halted at last before a great chunk of rock, with a curious V-shaped crack dividing it as from a giant axe-blow. The main trail--wagon-ruttedhere turned sharply to the north, but westward there were hoofprints leading down into what appeared to be a welter of canyons.
"Split Rock," the traveller decided. "Well, of hoss, this is where we say good-bye to a law-abidin' life."
With a mirthless, sardonic smile he sent his mount loping to the left, following the faint trail which plunged into the broken country, and came at length to the narrow mouth of a gorge, the rocky walls of which almost met. Half-way up, on a ledge about thirty yards distant, the rider's questing eye caught a flash of steel.
"Stick 'em up, stranger ; I got yu covered," boomed a voice, and a man with a levelled rifle rose into view.
Jim guessed this must be one of the bandits' sentinels. He had already decided on his own line of action, and though he halted, he did not obey the command to put up his hands. Instead he laughed satirically.
"I've had yu fixed for the last two minutes," he said. "yu oughta get that gun-barrel dulled some--I saw it away back. Got any ideas?"
"On'y this," the man replied, tapping his rifle.
Jim laughed unpleasantly. "Shucks, yu'd miss an' I wouldn't. Well, if it'll relieve yore mind any, I'm lookin' for a fella called Rogue."
"I take it yo're Sudden then."
"An' yu might be right at that," Jim smiled. "What about it?"
"I've had word to pass yu along," the guard admitted, "but yu'll have to leave yore hardware with me--I'll fetch 'em in later."
"Like hell yu will," the visitor retorted. "No, sir, me an' the li'l hoss have had a long ride, but we're plenty strong enough to tote my guns, yu betcha."
"It's the rule," the bandit grumbled.
"There's allus an exception--I'm it," Jim told him lightly, and then, dropping his bantering tone. "Cut the cackle ; either I go on or back, an' I don't give a damn which it is."
Sullenly the fellow motioned him on. "Go ahead," he said. "See yu later--mebbe."
Jim sensed the sinister implication and laughed. "Yu will, if nothin' don't happen to yu meantime."
The man appeared to have an afterthought. "Anybody follerin' yu?" he asked.
"Yo're a reg'lar question mark, ain't yu?" was the sarcastic reply. "Did I seem to be hurryin'?"
Half a mile farther on he rounded a bend and saw that the perpendicular sides of the gorge closed in ; apparently there was no outlet. He had pulled up, and was studying the grey, weather-stained walls when a man stepped abruptly from behind a big boulder and strolled nonchalantly towards him. lie was carrying a rifle, and though he did not raise the weapon, his finger was on the trigger.
He was young, about his own age, Jim figured--though he lad never known precisely what that was ; his hair and moustache were very red, his blue eyes very pale, and the grin on his good-looking face very impudent. In a land where ittle attention was paid to such matters, the cleanliness and neatness of his attire drew the eye. He was obviously surprised to find the visitor armed.
"Meet a gent called Ropey back there?" he asked bluntly, pointing to the entrance of the gorge.
"I guess, but he didn't mention his name," Jim replied.
"An' he let yu pass with that ars'nal?" the young man went on "Yu musta showed him a good reason."
"I'm showin' yu the same," was the grim reply.
The youth looked at the levelled Colt which, having somehow got into its owner's hand, was now covering him, and laughed with affected dismay.
"Put her back in her li'l bed," he said. "I ain't arguin' with yu none whatever. Do we have to plant Ropey?"
"I reckon it would be premature--he was a healthy corpse when I left him," the visitor replied gravely, but there was a twinkle in his eyes, and the menacing gun had vanished.
"Glad yu didn't hurt Ropey, I hate diggin'," red-head remarked. "I figure yo're here to see our revered chief an' that yore name is mebbe--Sudden?"
"I've been called that," Jim admitted.
"Good enough," the other said, and pointed to the end of the gorge. "There's an opening under the cliff, an' on the other side yu'll see the select but not pop'lar hamlet o' Rogueville, consistin' of a few undesirable villas tenanted by still more undesirable villains, of whom I am one. The man yu wanta see ain't the biggest rogue but he has the name an' the say-so. Savvy?"
Having delivered this satirical address, he leaned his rifle against a rock and began to fashion a cigarette.
"Ain't s'posed to smoke on this job but I never could obey orders, which explains me," he grinned. "See yu again, I hope.
The visitor expressed the same desire and went on his way. He found the opening--cleverly concealed by an outflung buttress of rock--and rode through. Before him lay a beautiful little oval-shaped basin, the grass-covered floor of which sloped up on every side to an enclosing rampart of rock. In the centre, a tiny circular lake, fringed with willows, gleamed amid the surrounding green like a huge silver coin. Cattle and horses were grazing near and on the far side of the valley were several log shacks.
By the time he reached them some half-dozen men had appeared ; there had been no one in sight when he entered the valley. A brief glance told the visitor that red-head had probably described them correctly.
"An' what th' hell might yu be wantin'?" asked one, a coarse-faced, broken-nosed fellow.
. "Civility first, from yu," Jim snapped. "An' then--to see yore boss."
The reply produced a scowl and a sneer. "We don't go much on bosses here. If yu want Rogue, he's there."
Following the direction of the jerked thumb, Jim walked his horse to a shack some twenty yards away, in the doorway of which a man was standing watching the proceedings with- out apparent interest. The bandit leader did not look formidable. Over forty, shortish but heavily built, with greying hair and beard, he might have passed for a prosperous rancher. He greeted his guest with a grin.
"Light an' rest yore saddle," he said, and the low, husky voice seemed familiar.
Jim got down and trailed the reins. "Best tell yore men to leave this hoss alone--he don't like strangers," he warned.
"They won't interfere with him," Rogue replied. His gaze dwelt on the animal. "Shore is a beauty, an' yu trained him right. Like a woman, a hoss any man can handle ain't no good."
They entered the shack. It consisted of one room only, furnished with a pallet-bed on which blankets were spread, a rough, home-made table, and chairs with rawhide seats. Pegs driven into the log walls supported guns, bridles, ropes and other paraphernalia of the range. Rogue pointed to a chair and produced a bottle and glassest
"Well, yu got here-Sudden," he said.
This time there could be no mistake. "So it was yu?" Jim said, and smiled. "I guess that sheriff man was peeved."
"Peeved?" repeated the other. "He was madder'n a teased rattler an' twice as 'poisonous. He'd 'a' stretched yu."
"So Judson--died?"
"yeah, durin' the night; never opened an eye again." There was silence for a few moments and then Jim said, "I'm still wonderin' why yu--interfered?"
Rogue laughed. "I don't like sheriffs nohow an' yu put up a pretty fight," he explained. "'Sides, yu done me a service."
"I'm still in the dark," the visitor persisted.
The outlaw hesitated for a space, his hard grey eyes studying the boy before him ; but he learned nothing.
"I'm playin' straight with yu, Sudden," he said, and the husky voice had a harsh note in it. "If yu hadn't been therethey'd have picked on me an' I had Judson's money-belt round my middle."