CHAPTER IX.

WHEN THE EARTH FELL APART.

Just before leaving the cave the great desperado had whispered a word of command to Tony and Texas.

But the nature of the orders so secretly conveyed the others did not know, and none save Frank felt licensed to make inquiry, for Jesse was apt to administer a sharp rebuke that the inquisitive one would not soon forget.

Being the interested party the elder James brother glared suspiciously at the two bandits.

"See here, you mutts," he exploded with all his remaining strength, "I know what you are up to. You think my leg has got to come off and Jess didn't want me to know about it cause I'd make a ruction.

"Take it from me, you've got another guess coming. The leg is mine and it's on to stay. Time enough to plant it when I'm put away. Nice looking chump I'd be hopping around on one peg, eh?" he laughed maliciously.

"You're wrong, Frank," corrected Texas. "You ain't so bad off either. I'll gamble my spurs on it, that it's only a flesh wound and there ain't no bullet in there at all. But them gunshot wounds is nasty things, and what the chief wants is for that redskin sawbones to put on a lotion that will draw out the poison and--"

"Then what did he want to be so danged secret like with you duffers for? That's what gets me. You tell me right now or I'll give you a dose of the same medicine I got!" he growled menacingly.

Tony laughed good-naturedly.

"Jest a little job Jess had put up to save the girl's skin. What do you s'pose would have happened to her if she brought the medicine man here. Sure as you're alive, she'd a been in a bad way if the redskins got wise to what she's doin' with the medicine man. Do you get it?"

Frank nodded and emitted a sigh of relief.

"I just wanted to give you all a tip that I've got a gun or two in my belt, and what's more, they are liable to go off if any of you dubs monkey with this peg of mine. See?"

But Tony and Texas, grinning broadly, had slipped away, their moccasined feet giving no intimation of their departure on the mission of the chief.

The time seemed interminable to Frank and the wounded leg gave him much pain, as he twisted and swore at intervals over the long delay in bringing help.

Night had fallen by the time the two bandits reached the opening of the cave. They had proceeded only a short distance beyond when their keen ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps.

Quickly secreting themselves and crouching low the men awaited the nearer approach of the strangers, eyes keenly bent in the direction of the faint sound they had heard beyond.

They had only a moment to wait.

Tony nudged his companion and nodded his head.

"Them's them," he ejaculated sententiously.

"And by my spurs he's a giant," added Texas.

"Yes, and there the gal behind him, Tex. She's a wonder."

"There's some things worse'n some squaws," replied Texas.

"S--h--h--h," cautioned Tony.

"I'll take the big one and you get the girl, but don't hurt her. Give her a hunch as to what we're up to as soon as you get your clamps on her. Now."

Silently and with bated breaths, the two desperadoes waited until the medicine man, who indeed did loom up a veritable giant in stature, had passed Texas.

He was right beside Tony now, and so close that the bandit could easily have reached out and touched him. But Tony did not propose to adopt the ordinary methods of catching an Indian and for the very good reason that he had no ordinary man to deal with.

His plans had been quickly matured. And what he did was successful from the very novelty of the proceeding.

What Tony did was to shove a stout stick squarely between the medicine man's shins, at the same time giving a quick, sharp twist.

The effect was magical.

The Indian plunged head foremost to the ground, his feet waving wildly in the air for a moment. But before he could gain equilibrium or cry out, the same stout stick came down on his head with crushing force.

The copper-hued sawbones lay still.

"Holy snakes!" exclaimed Texas with genuine admiration. "Ef that ain't the all-firedest way to catch a doctor that I ever seen. Here, my pretty squaw, you're my prisoner too. Now come along like a good little papoose."

Dew Drop, with a surprised look in her eyes, turned to flee. Texas caught her.

"Keep yer head plumb. We're just makin' believe capturin' you and when old sawbones wakes up we'll have you tied so he don't get wise to your little game. See?"

A smile slowly rippled over the face of the little red girl.

"Pale face smart like Indian," she answered, nodding her head vigorously. "Um hurry. Big Bear and braves up yonder. Come for Jess Jame pretty soon."

"Jess?" questioned Tony rising from the medicine man whose arms and hands he had been pinioning. "By the way, where's the chief. He went with you, didn't he?"

Dew Drop shook her head.

"Dew Drop no see um."

"That's funny. Lend a hand here, Texas and let's get this red devil into the cave. No need to blindfold him now--"

"Didn't put out his light, did you Tony?" asked Texas a bit anxiously.

"Kill him? N--a--w. Head's too thick to break if a log fell on it."

It was no easy task to get the inanimate form of the giant to the cave. At first they essayed to carry him, one at the head, the other at the feet.

Tony dropped his burden in disgust.

"Say, Texas, come here. This is too much like work. Jest get hold of his feet with me and we'll drag him the rest of the way--"

"But it will hurt him," protested Texas.

"What, hurt a redskin? G'wan. It'll wake him up, that's all, and he'll be fit as a fiddle when we git him into the cave. Come along."

The way was rough and the sacred medicine man got the roughest voyage of his life for the next few moments. And as Tony had predicted, by the time they had reached the entrance to the cave, his eyes were open and he was glaring at his captors with malignant eyes. He could speak no word because Tony with rare forethought had twisted a gag into his mouth, fearing that should the man come to he might give the alarm and bring down some lurking savages on them.

Just before reaching the mouth of the cave Texas, at his companion's bidding, bound a handkerchief over the prisoner's eyes. Then with great caution, they hauled him into the hole in the rocks.

Being a large man the savage went through the smaller hole opening into the large chamber, with much less ease than had the bandits. In fact they had pulled him only half way through when he stuck there fast.

"Can't make it. He's too fat," decided Texas.

"Can't? Wait. I know the breed. He's making himself fat--swelling himself out. Here you savage," roared Tony, "we're going to give a good long pull and if you don't come through we'll fix you so you do."

The medicine man grunted.

"That's right, grunt. But you'll grunt harder when I get through with you. And understand me, and if you don't get through this time, Harry here will slice off a few slabs of flesh so you'll fit. Harry'll do a good job too, and don't you forget it, for he used to slaughter cattle on a range out in Missouri. Now draw in your belly unless you want to lose some skin. Heave away boys."

The bandits counting, "one, two, three," gave a mighty pull.

This time the medicine man came through, but little rivulets of blood trickled down his sides as they pulled him into the brilliantly lighted room. There they removed his blindfold and released his arms, after first taking possession of his knife.

The redskin's glance swept the room, then rested on Dew Drop.

But the little Indian maiden was acting her part to perfection. Tied hand and foot, she had been stood against one side of the chamber, where she rested, her eyes blazing with well-assumed hate at her captors.

"Big Bear kill um pale faces," she gritted.

"Never you mind about Big Bear," retorted Tony. "If there's any killing going on we will take a hand in it ourselves. We shall not hurt you if you keep quiet--"

"Indian girl no fraid white man. She stick um knife some day, maybe."

"Ho, ho," roared Texas.

"Our little pussey has sharp claws," interjected Homely Harry.

Frank had been taken into the next chamber, an apartment somewhat smaller than the one they were in, and there they carried the Indian medicine man after having instructed him as to what was expected of him.

They planked him down beside the wounded man.

Frank's right hand slipped down to his trusty "Colt."

But the Indian made no move.

Tony's face grew stony.

"You red devil," he cried, "don't get stubborn. Do as we demand and no harm will come to you, but if you don't fix this man up inside of ten minutes--by the watch, remember--you're a dead Indian. Get busy!"

The Indian bent a keen glance on Tony, then looked sharply from one to the other of the assemblage as if to satisfy himself that he was not being tricked.

But there was no trickery lurking at the corners of the stern mouths of the desperate men.

"Kill um pale face," urged Dew Drop with a vicious snap of the jaws.

"Ugh," grunted the medicine man with a shake of his head, as he slowly began drawing a variety of herbs from his belt. These he quickly meshed together with a stone, and, forming them into a poultice applied it to the wounds of Frank James.

The latter let out a yell and tugged at his gun.

But Tony anticipating just such a move, closed over his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Easy pard," he cautioned. "The poultice is drawing out the pizen. It won't hurt but a minute, will it old sawbones?" peering up into the savage face before him for confirmation of his words.

"White man cry out, then hurt go way," grunted the savage.

"There, what did I tell you," chortled Tony. "Poultice goes on, you yell like--like--like you did, and pain goes away. That's it."

"Oh, shut up," snarled Frank, the lines of his face drawing sharply under the excruciating pain he was enduring.

"How--how long is this going to keep up?" he demanded.

"Yes, when can the captain get out again?" chimed in Homely Harry.

"White man walk byemby," returned the man of herbs. "Before sun up he go out. Then mebbe Indian kill um."

"That's alright, Reddy; we'll be there for the killing. But we don't 'low we've got any hard feelings again you. Hey, boys?"

"Sure not," chorused the others.

Crossing the medicine man's palm with a gold piece, to his intense surprise and satisfaction, they again led him into the vaulted chamber and releasing Dew Drop bade her bind the cloth about his eyes once more.

Tony seeing that his orders were being obeyed, had stepped back to speak to Frank as to the best means of disposing of their prisoners. As he turned he observed that the Indian girl was feeding embers to the fire the better to light their way out.

But the desperado had no more than turned his back on the savage and the girl ere the rocks beneath him were shaken by a mighty tremor.

A sudden and awful roar smote his ears.

A fearful blow seemed to have been struck across his eyes.

The air was full of hurling rocks and debris.

Tony and his companions were tumbled together in a confused heap, yelling in terror at the awful thing that had happened, though they knew not what it meant.

Rocks and particles rained down upon their bodies with sickening force.

But the desperate men neither heard nor felt now.

A sudden darkness had settled over them and they lay motionless and lifeless.

A mighty explosion had rent the cave from end to end.