Wilder. "It's all right if he plays fair, but if he doesn't we'll
be in a pretty mess."
"I believe he is acting square with us. Still it won't do to take
chances," returned the other ranchman, and calling to Lawrence, he
asked where the mine was.
"It's about two hundred yards to the right, Mr. Wilder. I'll show
you when we get up on top of the cliff. There's a big dead tree in
front of it, so you can't miss it, even in the night, for the bark
has been peeled off it by lightning and the wind, so that it stands
out like a white specter in the darkness."
Deeming it inadvisable to unsaddle the horses, in case they should
need them suddenly, the cowboys close-hobbled them on a plateau to
which Lawrence guided them and then followed him to the ledge.
No need was there for the tree that marked the mine to be pointed
out to them, for as the men looked down each one saw it.
To the east and to the west the ledge commanded a view of the
trails, and as they gazed along them, the owner of the Half-Moon
exclaimed:
"I don't wonder no one can surprise Megget with such a lookout.
Why, it's practically impossible to approach without being seen by
a man on guard."
"The only time is at night," returned Lawrence. "And, thanks to
the loneliness of the place and the stories of ghosts, no one has
ever tried to pass through or even come in at night while I've been
with the gang.
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