The Ordway new era., 1914-12-18
CHAPTER Xxx.

IN Country Wu0r0 WlLuo1bSD W =
crime arc Imprisoned along with the
principals and kept more or less In
definitely In jaii. . man thinks twice
before he reports to the police.
With four dead Mexicans to the
Yaqui's account. and Del Rey In
charge Of the district. Hooker followed
his second thought-he said nothing.
and took his chances on being arrest
ID for murder. Until far into the night
Amigo busted himself along the hill
side. and when the sun rose not sign
remained to tell the story Of the light
Men. horses. saddles and guns-all
had disappeared. And. after packing =
little food In . sack. Amigo disap-
peared also. with grim smile In prom
ise Of return.
The sun rose round and hot. the
same ~ usual: the south wind came
up and blew into 4 bellyins mass Of
clouds, which lashed back with tho ac-
customed rain: and when all the earth
was washed clean and fresh the last
trace Of the strdggle was gone. Only
by the burns on his hands was Hooker
aware Of the fight and OF the treachery
which had reared its head against him
like . snake which has been warmed
and fed.
Nowhere but In Mexico. where the
low pelado classes have made such
deeds . subtlety, could the man be
found to dissimulate like that false
sassin;in-chief. To pause suddenly
in q protracted speech. swing over and
pick up . gun, and halt his victim for
the shooting by the preparatory click
Of the lock-that indeed called for >
brand Of cunning rarely found in the
United states.
There was one thing about the affAir
that vaguely haunted Hooker-why
was II that q man DO cunning ~ that
had tailed TO load his gun7 Twice. and
with everything in his favor. he had
raised his rife to fire; and both times
It had snapped in his hands. Certainly
he must have been inept at. arms-or
accustomed to single-shot guns.
The reputed magic Of the swift-nr-
ing rifles evidently had been his undo
ing, but where had he got his new
gun? And who was he. anyway? With
those two banning questions Bud wres-
tied as he sat beside his door. and at
evening his answer came.
Tho sun was swinging low and he
was collecting wood down the gulch
for fire when. with sudden thud Of
hoofs, . horseman rounded the point
and came abruptly to q halt. 1t was
Aragon. and he was spying on the
camp.
For 4 full minute he scanned the
house, tent and mine with look so
snaky and sinister that Bud could read
his heart like book. Here was the
man who had sent the aesassins. and
he had come to view their work!
Very slowly Buds hand ,crept
toward his six-shooter but, slight n
was the motion. Aragon caught 1t and
sat frozen in his place. Then. with an
inarticulate cry. he fell nat on his
horse's' neck and went spurring out
Of sight.
The answer to Buds questions was
very easy now. The Mexican who had
led the attempt on his life was one
Of Aragon's bad men. one Of the four
.gunmen whom Hooker had looked
over 30 carefully when. they came to
drive him from the mine. and Aragon
had ntted him out with now arms to
make the result more sure. But with
that question answered there came up
another and another until. in sud
den clarity Of vision, Bud saw through
the hellish plot and beheld himself
the master.
As man to man. Aragon would moi
dare to face him now. for he knew
that he merited death. BY his sly
approach, by the look in his eyes and
the dismay Of his frenzied retreat
he had acknowledged moro surely
than by words his guilty knowledge
Of the raid Coming to = camp whers
he expected to find all dead and still
he had found himself face to face
with the very man he had sought t.
kill. How. then, had the American
escaped destruction. and what hat
occurred to his men?
Perhaps. in his Ignorance Arasoz