Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/249

Rh He made quick dashes from jut to jut while two more shots were fired, but he reached the cave unscathed. Then there was silence.

"Strike me pink!" cried Larkin. "There's that w'y up to the top! We can sneak up there and tyke 'em in the rear. Shoot 'em off the bloomin' rock. Come on. Revolvers 'll do it."

Stone looked at the girls but they did not dissuade them. The cowardly attack on Harvey had warmed their blood to resentment and they were confident of their men.

"Sounds like a good scheme," said Stone. "That posse may not show up. Come on, Larkin. Harvey can keep watch here with the girls."

Lola demurred but he insisted, and she surrendered.

There was the sound of kisses in the dark of the tunnel. Then Larkin led the way to the place he had discovered. Using their torches carefully, they made out the remains of timbers projecting from the wall and, here and there, the section of a ladder. The wood was seasoned by the ages but still fairly sound. They crept up, making hardly any noise.

"Another entrance," said Stone; "or an exit."

They crept up, silently, until they were close to the top. Then a bit of wood snapped under Larkin's weight and fell softly, after the first crack, landing in dust below. Carefully they peered over the rim and saw nothing but the almost level surface of the top of the butte with some dark splotches here and there.

"'Eard hus, damn it!" whispered Larkin with his