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4 . Deadwood Dick, Jr., Branded.
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laws still covering the passengers with
their guns.
One of their. number laid a hand on
Dick as he passed, and went with him,
while the others backed away from the
door, their revolvers: still to the front,
and sprang to the ground.
Captain Joaquin sounded a whistle.
His men backed away from the train
with him,’ their Winchesters and .re-
- yolvers ready for instant service.
When they had withdrawn to the dis-
tance of several yards, the captain
shouted to the engineer to go ahead, but
the conductor swung his arm and coun-
termanded the order,
He and the trainmen ‘had been held up
in a group by themselves while the rob-
bers were doing their work.
“‘What’s the matter with you?” cried
the Red Rover.
_ That, by the way, was a name by which
the outlaw was fully as well known as’
by his appellation of Captain Joaquin.
“That express-car is the matter,” was
the answer. ‘‘ You can’t expect me to
risk the lives of my passengers by start-
ing before I see whether it is fit to run
or not.” ‘
“Tt will hang together until. you get
to the next station, if you are careful,
and that is all you want. Go ahead!” to
the engineer. “If you don’t, we will rid-
dle you with bullets and start your train
ourselves and run. you straight to
Satan!” —
That settled it. The moment they
turned their guns upon the engineer he
blew the signal to go ahead, and pulled
‘tthe throttle. .
Finding that the express-car was on
its trucks all right, and that it would run,
he pulled the throttle again, and there
was nothing for the conducior and train-
men to do but jump aboard.
The band of outlaws gave them a part-
ing cheer, swinging their ‘hats until the
train rounded, the next bend and passed
out of sight.
The dead, we have forgotten to men-
tion, had been thrown into the express-
ear, .
The wounded outlaws were hurriedly
eared for while the horses were brought.
Scarce ten minutes had been occupied,
all together, and in two or three min-
utes after the departure of the train the
robbers were wending their way into the
mountains,
It. had been ore of Captain Joaquin’s
“most daring raids, and at the same time
one of his most successful; certainly it
had brought him more than he had
counted upon. .
And, besides, Deadwood Dick—whom
he had feared if he feared any man—was
his prisoner!»
That was, after all, his biggest haul,
and he breathed easter.
He had known for some time, or had,
with good reason, believed that the
prince of detectives was on his trail, and
his vigilance thus had been severely
taxed. Now he had this terrible outlaw
and crook-hunter corralled; that was
glory enough for one year!
“Well, Deadwood Dick, I haye got you
at last,” he remarked, as they rode along.
“Yes, so it appears. You have been
- looking for me, then?”
“Well, we have been looking for you,
es.” : : .
we And what do you intend to do with
me, now that you have got me? On your
word that you would give me a fair show, ]
I placed these handcuffs on my wrists,
as you see,” . . -
“Yes, and I have not tried them yet,
sasl promised to do, by the way. Here,
¥
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Jim, just see if this fellow’s irons are
safe.” :
One of the men rode forward and tried
them, :
“He can’t git out of them ’ar things,
cap’n,” the reported. :
“All right. It seems you put them on
to stay, Deadwood Dick. You have the
key to them, of course.”
“In my vest pocket.”
“ All right. Just relieve him of it,
“You bet, boss! We don’t want him
springin’ no tricks on us, hey?”
The outlaw thrust his fingers into
Dick’s pocket and brought forth a small
key, handing it to Captain Joaquin.
“ Not much of a trick I could spring on
you, my good fellow,” observed Dick. “If
you tried it, you would find that you
could not unlock the bracelets to save
your life, even with the key in your fin-
gers.”
“Ther doose I couldn’t!”
“Not if they were on your own wrists,
no.” :
“All the same, I will retain the key,”
assured the Red Rover,
“And what kind of a fair show do you
intend to give me?” again demanded ‘the
prisoner. .
“What kind of a show do you want?”
“Just a chance for my life, that is all.”
“You picked off two or three of our
men, though,” one complained. :
“And you killed about as many of
ours, so that account ought to stand
squared,” argued Bristol. .
“Well, call it square,” rejoined Captain
Joaquin. “I said I would give you a
show, and I will. How would you like
to become one of us?”
CHAPTER IV.
REJECTING A PROPOSAL, .
Dick Bristol smiled grimly. ‘
He knew that Captain Joaquin was no
fool, and also that the outlaw did not
take him to be one. ‘
Was this the chance for his life the
road-raider -intended to give him? It
looked so; Dick could plainly see the
string attached to the gift.
He did not respond immediately.
“You don’t answer,” urged the Red
Rover,
“What is the use?’ Were I to accept
al in good faith, you would not trust
“Why not?”
“Because I am Deadwood Dick,.the
Dead-Set Detective and Rogue-Runner.”
Captain Joaquin smiled in his turn.
He and his men had now removed
their masks. .
“That is a good enough reason, cer-
tainly,” he said.
“ And that is the only show you intend
to give me?”
“What else can I do? I will give you
an equal share with the rest of my men
of the plunder we have taken to-day,
according to the rate I divide with them,
and make you one of us. I can’t do any
more than that.”
“There is no use our trying to fool
each other, Captain Joaquin.”
“Then you don’t believe that I will
do what I say?”
“Yes, I believe you will do that,if I
say I will accept the proposition.”
“Then what is the matter with your
accepting it? You would make a fine
lieutenant for me, now that poor Hoxey
is dead—thanks to that express-messen-
ger.” . ,
“T had rather deal openly with you
then underhanded, Red Rover,’ . was
Dick’s response,
“What do you mean?”
“Just what you know—that I am first,
last and all the time against birds of your
feather, and that were I to accept your
at the first opportunity.”
A murmur of admiration ran through
the company of cut-throats, -
“That being the case, I must recall
the offer, that’s all. I ‘have no way of
eonvincing you that I meant it in. good
faith.” : ‘
“No, you would find it impossible to
do that.”
“Well, I have given you the show I
promised,”
“ And it was about what I expected, at
your hands. You have got me; you mean
to do away with me. Well, I do not
blame you for that.”
“ Thunder! but you are a brave cuss,
Dick Bristol! What a team you and I
would make, if we could only have con-
fidence in each other and work together!
But, that is out of the question.”
“Entirely out of the question.”
“Then, what can you propose?’
“Let me go, and I pledge you my word
not to move against you for a. period of
ie days, you to observe the same armis-
ce,”
‘““And after that?”
“War to the knife again!.”
“T hope you do not. take me fora fool.”
“Not at all, save only that all villains
are fools in that they go wrong instead
of right.” :
“Have a care, Bristol!. Some word of
yours may cost. your life without a mo-
ment’s notice. I am not the man to
brook many such insults, I give ‘you
warning.” . ‘
“ Neither are you a coward, Red Rover.
You would not shoot.me down handcuffed
as I am.”
Again a murmur ran through the band.
“You shave nothing more to propose?”
sort of even exchange; that was all.”
“An exchange? Where does the ex-
change come in, I would like to know? L
do not see that I would be getting any-
thing out of it.” 9” .
“Tt would be giving me my life for
yours. I could have picked you off easily
when you entered that car after me, but
spared you.” tl,
“Ha! ha! Lucky for you you didn’t do
‘that; you would have been a dead man
the same instant.” : :
“And you would have been just as
dead, for I seldom'miss my mark when
I take a bead on a man.” .
“Then why didn’t you shoot me?
Come, now, why didn’t you?” .
“Because I knew it would cost the
lives-of the others in the car, who hadn’t
the nerve to follow where I led, on the
first occasion. It would have been much
easier to ‘have shot you than it was to
take those two fellows who already had
the drop on the car.” .
“Well, that cuts no ice with me, since
you didn’t spare me for any love you
have for me. There is really no reason
why I-stould spare you, that I can see.”
“Nor I.”
“Then what are you kicking about?”
“All [ am asking is a fair chance.
When I put on these hahdcuffs I had
your word that I would get that.”
“And I bave given it and you have
refused it. I'can do nothing more than
that. It has been war to the knife be-
tween us, as you expressed it, and I have
won the fight. I would be a fool to give
up the advantage gained.”
ie Just as you have a mind to look at
offer it would be only to do you a trick *
’ “No; I considered that proposition a,
Treen casas
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