Bisbee daily review., 1916-09-17


 did he explain to her, at the end of his quiet yet hurried labors, that the looped line hanging at the tunnel mouth was in any way connected with the illuminate caps which he had placed so pregnantly close to his bur jed mine. But it was well, he remem- bered, to be prepared for such men as Legar and his followers.
 Now" said the masked figure, turn ing to the girl, T want you to stay here until get back"
 Waiting for her deliverer's return, however, proved neither a pleasant nor a tranquilizing pastime. The girl became restless. Then she became worried. Then she even ventured to creep out along the rough-shored pas sageway, to where the tunnel opened on shelf of rock and gravel half way up the hillside. Screened as it was with shrubbery she could see little of the valley before her. The only point of life that met her gaze was a black touring car crawling along the valley road. When that car turned off the road and twisted and rocked in be- tween the bushes below her she thought, at first, that it was her un- known guardian returning to her. But when she saw five men cautiously emerge from that half-hidden car and creep still closer through the under brush, she felt sure that they were not approaching as friends. For a mo- ment her heart leaped up into her mouth. Then she breathed again, for ,she saw that they were not approach ing her hiding place, but apparently seeking one of their own. And as they foregathered behind a screen of scrub oak not more than thirty feet below her she knew both by their guarded tones and their general conspiratorial aspect that they stood intent on their own ends, quite oblivious of her and her hiding place.
 Her face paled, however, as she heard the clearer and more authorita- tive tones of one of those speakers. For that voice, sine knew, belonged to Legar, and only to Legar.
 The girl, pushing her cautious way through the bushes, leaned even closer over the ledge. Then she held her breath, for she saw that her move ments had loosened the gravel at her feet and sent a covey of powders careening down the hillside. The voices below at the same time came to sudden stop. In another moment she could hear the crash of hurrying feet through the tangled shrubbery.
 Before she could turn and fly Le- gar and his four evil-faced followers were charging up the slope. They were upon her, cutting off her retreat before she could dodge back into the passageway. Yet she did not surren- der without struggle. She fought them back as best she could. standing at bay with her back against the rocky hillside. It was not until Legar's hand clamped like a wise on her arm that she screamed, and screamed again.
 A masked figure picking his eau tious way along the crest of the hill above them heard that cry and seemed to understand it's meaning. For, on hearing that repeated scream, he no longer picked his way, but ran fran tically, and with all his speed. So pre- cipitately did he scurry down that rocky hillside, in fact, that he de- scended in a flying leap in the very midst of Legar's followers clustered about the girl. He landed like a fallen plumb bob, heels down, knock ing one Of the conspirators sprawl ing over the cliff edge as he came. An in the sane direction. The third was not disposed of so easily. But an adept jiu-jitsu twist of the body soon sent this opponent diving headfore- most into the loose gravel. It was then that Legar, seeing his men going down about him like ninepins, re- leased his clutch on the girls arm to draw his revolver.
 At the same moment that he did so the man in the mask, swinging the girl sharply about, darted for the tun- neimouth. He was through it before Legar could level his gun and fire. He was half-ieading, half-dragging the panting girl down the narrow passage before any of the band could follow. But before he dodged for the hidden , powder house he threw up his free hand and caught at the loop which ! hung there at the end of his line. And | he pulled it vigorously as he ran.
 The result of that simple movement 1 was both prompt and appalling. The | thunder of a great detonation shook the earth. The rocky hillside erupt- ] ed into a sudden volcano of flying earth and gravel, finging it's tons of debris into the echoing valley. And under the debris could bs seen the still struggling limbs of Legar and his men.
 But the man in the mask did not | finger to witness those struggles. lie darted with the whitehead girl out l Of the broken tunnel mouth, dragged l