Page:Raymond Spears--Diamond Tolls.djvu/251

 "About a cup full." Murdong laughed. "I was some surprised"

"And nothing happened?"

"Well—one night I was tied in a bayou up the river. I opened the door, and I heard a 'whack' up the bank. A gun went off, and then there was a lot of 'whacking.' I jumped back in and shut the door. Next day, I looked around. I couldn't tell what had happened. I'd seen the rifle flash up the bank. Something had been dragged on the ground over to the river bank; I don't know what it was. There was a rifle right there by a tree. I have it inside. This is mine."

"I see now," Urleigh exclaimed. "Look! Storit bushwhacked White Collar Dan just as he was going to"

"Don't!" Delia gasped. "Oh, it's—it's awful."

"Come in, won't you?" Murdong asked. "Here are the diamonds."

He brought out the case with its sparkling contents.

"There they are!" Urleigh shook his head, hardly able to believe his eyes.

"You'll take them to Ofsten & Groner, won't you?" Delia asked him.

"You want me to take them?" Urleigh asked, surprised.