"Who are you and what are you doing, sneaking along in the grass ?"
demanded Mr. Wilder sternly.
"I'm Bobby Lawrence, and I was hunting for my tobacco pouch,"
returned the fellow, undaunted by the angry faces gazing at him.
"That's the name of one of Megget's right-hand men," declared
Nails. "I found that out at Tolopah."
With no gentle hands half a dozen of the cowboys searched Lawrence,
taking from him his pistols and a long knife.
When their prisoner was harmless Mr. Wilder resumed his questions.
"Who set the fire last night?"
"If I play fair with you, will you treat me square?" demanded
Lawrence.
"That depends," temporized the ranch owner. "You belong to the
gang that has been raiding my herds and last night tried to destroy
us by fire. You can't expect much leniency from us under the
circumstances. Still, if you give us any assistance in founding up
Megget, we'll not forget it."
"Well, I'll do all I can, honest I will, Mr. Wilder."
"Don't trust him, Wilder," interposed the owner of the Three Stars,
"When a man is so willing to turn on his pals, there's something
wrong."
"See here, Jim Snider, you keep out of this. I'm talking to Mr.
Wilder, not to you. He's square. If it was only you, all your
ponies couldn't drag a word out of me!" snapped Lawrence.
This retort angered the owner of the Three Stars, but before he
could say anything the proprietor of the Half-Moon exclaimed:
"If you can give me any reason why I should believe you, Lawrence,
do so.
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