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"Damn you! I should have killed you!"
"You might have," Shanaghy replied, "makin' me jump that way. If it will give
you any pleasure, you might as well know that making me jump off that train
and then throwing that gear after me was what blew up your show."
"What d'you mean?"
"First, you made me mad. Second, those duds you threw after me belonged to
Rig Barrett. His guns were in the bedroll." He smiled. "You see? It was your
own pigheaded attitude that brought you to this."
The girl's eyes were furious. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she
demanded. "I was just waiting for the train-!"
"Good!" He smiled at her."Because it's right here, waiting for you. Before we
put you aboard, we'd better have a look at these nice little boxes you have
here.
"Now, these boxes should contain about twelve thousand twenty-dollar gold
pieces, and about ten thousand dollars in silver."
From the engineer Shanaghy borrowed a hammer and knocked loose a couple of
boards. He lifted the boards and tore loose the sacking inside the boxes.
"All of you ... have a look."
McBride swung around, angrily. "You don't have to show me... !" His voice
broke off and he stared, his face slowly turning pale.
The boxes were filled with nuts, bolts and screws.
Chapter Twenty-One
AT HIS expression the blonde girl turned her head. When she saw the boxes
Shanaghy thought for a moment she was going to cry. Then her face took on a
hard, ugly look.
"The trouble with being a crook," Shanaghy said mildly, "is that you have to
associate with so many dishonest people."
"Who did that?" McBride demanded."How the devil-?"
"Looks like you boys have been played for suckers," Shanaghy continued. He
turned to Josh. "You an' Joel hogtie this lot, including the lady. If you take
my advice you'll watch her most of all."
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She kept glancing at the train, and clutching her handbag in her left hand.
He reached over and took the handbag from her. She started to pull it away but
he took it with a quick jerk. When he opened it he found a .44 Derringer. He
showed it to Joel Strong and Josh. "Can't be too careful," he added.
"What happened to that gold?" McBride demanded.
"If it gets into the papers, you can read about it there," Shanaghy said. He
turned to Josh. "Take 'em aboard now."
"Where are we going?" Judge McBane asked from the doorway.
"Back to town," he said. "I'll speak to the engineer."
The train started to back up the track. Shanaghy walked forward to the
express car. When he opened the door the express messenger shook his head.
"Man, they had me running scared there, for a minute, with that shootin' and
all."
"Don't let it worry you. I think it's all over."
He glanced at the shipment,then walked back to the car where the prisoners
rode. Despite their mild objections, McBane had moved the other passengers
into the other coach, so they had the prisoners and themselves in the car
alone.
Josh had taken a seat at one end of the car facing the prisoners, and Joel
Strong at the other. Two of the prisoners were seated together. McBride sat
alone as did the girl.
Shanaghy was tired. He was feeling the letdown from days of thinking and
worry. He paused by McBride. "Are you the one who shot an old prospector's
burro out by the water tank?"
McBride looked up. "You goingto arrest me for that, too?"
"No," Shanaghy said. "I think with trying to steal the gold shipment and the
murder of Holstrum, we've got enough on you. Then there's the attack on Rig
Barrett, resisting an officer and a good deal more. Take my advice, though. If
you get a chance to escape, don't take it."
"What's that mean?"
"That old man whose burro you killed.He'd like nothing better than to get a
shot at you. And if you do escape I am not even going to look for you. He'll
take care of it."
"That old blister?Hell, I should've shot him as well as his burro."
"Well, you didn't, and that's a mighty hard old man. And he loved that burro.
He's taking it mighty bad."
Greenwoodwas at the station when the train backed in and he watched the
prisoners get off. He also watched the body of George taken from the train.
"Holstrum?" he asked.
"I think they killed him. They aren't talking about him, so I'll have to ride
out that way and have a look. Anyway, he didn't show up here."
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Shanaghy himself helped unload the boxes containing the gold. "There it is,
Greenie," he said. "Now you can supply the money to pay off those cowhands."
Greenwoodlooked at the boxes and shook his head. "Tom, I'm damned if I know
what to say. You've saved the town and our money, too, and mighty poor
treatment you've had for it."
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