Night-Hawk, The Mounted Detective — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MOUNTED DETECTIVE. *hheid.:* “* Where?’ “ West—and just at the moment when we thought we had thirgs all hunkey.’’ ‘* Well, you won ’t meet him to- night.”’ ok hope net,’ fust at that moment there came a warning: ** Hist!” The men stood aghast, their eyes became fixed, and they were frozen to the appearance cf so many rough statues, ‘What's that?” said a voice in a husky whisper. Silence tollcwed, broken a moment later by a eecond warning: ‘* Hist!’ ‘* Who’s there?’’ ‘* Lay low.,’’ ‘* What’s up?”’ ‘* We're * piped The men’s faces looked as though they had suddenly heen transformed into so many appar- itions. ‘* Eh? what is it?’ ‘* Some cne is here.” “* Who?’ ‘* Night-Hawk!’”’ ‘* The devil!’? came the exclamation. ‘* Where is he?”’ | ‘* Here. ’’ ‘* How do you mean?”’ ‘* What I say. ’’ ‘** What must we do?’’ ** Surrenider!’’ came the The men gave a yell; were extinguished and the ** Growler ’ ed in a whisper: ‘* Just as I feared; that fellow always steps in at the last moment!”’ The men were caught ike so many mice in a trap; there was no exit from the cellar except through the trap-door up through the bank, All was still for a moment, but Night-Hawk broke the stilluess by saying: ‘‘it’s no use, boys, I’ve got you dead to rights this time! Night. Hawk is here, and his eyes are open; he can’t stand the laug rh on hiim !”’ ‘‘ See here, old man, we’re armed,”’ said the heaGer. ‘* Are you?” €é Yes.’’ ** Well?’’ : ‘* You’ve spoiled the game.”’ ‘** That’s what I came here to do.”’ ‘** Don’t let there be any row. e¢ BEh?’’ m eae lets take the chances of a fight.”’ e¢ h?’’ ** We won't give in without a struggle. ** ‘You won’t, eh?’’ 64 No.’’ ‘* That’s your own look out. to be dropped out, all right.”’ ‘* We won’t go down alone.”’ ‘Oh, you won’t?”’ e¢ No. >? “ Well, now, you lads just listen. 1 whnt her to come up out of there one at a time.” ** Nixie.”’ ** You won't, eh?’ ‘* We won't.’ “* Then | will send down a few bulls for you to feed on.’’ ~ The men held a whispered consultation. ** What shall we do, boys?’’ ‘Go up with a rush.”’ ** Who'll go first ?’’ ‘* Ah, that’s the question we must settle; but do you think he’s alone?”’ *“ He generally travels alone.’ ‘But we’ve cne thing to consider,’ ** What's that, honey ?”” ‘* He came here with all the points, ”’ ** That’s so.’’ ‘* He knows how saad are in our gang,’ ‘** That’s so.’’ ‘** he knows our style.”’ “* And that’s so.”’ és Well, he wouldn’t come alone, ners.’ f What, is it a dead cave?” *‘]t’s a dead cave, unless there’s one man who will take the lead: but it may as well be understood it’s sure death to some one, if we attempt a rush up those stairs.” ‘**That’s my way of thinking; boys.” “* What can we do?’’ ** There’s only one thing to do.”’ ** Knock?” <¢ Yes.’ ** We'll strike for terms.”’ 243? é command, at once their lights ’ mutter- ed lt you want We’re ** Go it.”’ ‘* Hellow, there, Mr. Hawk?” “Tm here, my dadies,’ ‘‘ Will you give us a show?’ ‘© How?” ‘ Let up on us.”’ ‘* You’re cool.’’ ‘* We’ve got a deal yet.”’ f Have you?” «és es.’ **Run off your cards, and when you through I’ll play my trump.” ‘** Is there no Jet up? ** No let up.’ ey of fight or surrender?’” ‘** 'Phat’s the size of it, boys.” ‘* You’re hard on us,’ ‘Am 1?" * Yes. : ‘* Well, you fellows ain’t hard stealing the earnings of the poor people around here. Now, listen; l’ve got ycu dead, and it’s no quarter. Come up here one at a time cr 1 commence operations, and if I do the chances are (hat you'll all be fitted for wooden cvercoats. ’ ‘“‘ What will we do, boys?” ‘* He means business.’ ‘** He does.”’ ‘* Well, our jig’s up.” ‘*Mr. Hawk!” ‘* Well?” ‘* Will you let one of us go free?” ‘¢ No.’”’ ‘* You’re bound to nip us all?”’ “4 ems There was a few moments silence. The burglars consulted with each other. They felt that they were in a mouse-trap and that escape was impossible. Tom Hawk was too old a hand not to know exactly what he was about. They would have risked an effort to escape with any other man. ‘* You don’t give us any show.”’ ‘*T don’t mean to give you any.’ ni Let ‘up on us and we'll let you into a big racket.’ ‘‘There’s no let up. You’re my prisoners, every man of you without conditions; and now it’s surrender or. I cpen on you. How shall it be?’’ CHAPTER XL. Tue men held another consultation. ** Boys, he’s got us dead sure!’’ ‘‘Just the way he ‘nipped’ the gang the time I spoke of. The man is the devil, I tell oul’’ ‘* Well, let’s bid each other good-bye; we’re goners, and may never meet again on sweet midnight rackets; but it’s hard to be ‘ nipped ’ when | we thought we had tue thing so dead sure.’ ‘* Indeed it is, Shall we die, or walk up and ‘ darbies ’?”’ ‘* With life there is hope.’’ “* You’re right.’’ . ‘We’ ve big influence, although he’s got us clean.’ | ‘*T am not ready to die,’’ said one. ‘* Nor I,’’ said another; ane they all reached the same conclusion. ‘Then, all we’ve got to do, Noys, is sur- render. ’”’ ‘*'That’s our only chance now.”’ ** Captain,’’ called the leader, ‘‘ we’ve con- cluded. ’’ ; ms con have you?”’ e day: are you prepared to die?” €6é O ** What’s your decision ?”’ ‘“* We surrender.’ ‘* That's sensible, seeing you couldn’ t do any- thing else.’ ‘* That’s about the size of it.’’ ‘* Well, come up one at a time and get your decorations, and if there’s any attempt at a double deal it will go hard with the gang.’’ The detective. had signaled to his compan- lons, and one of them joined him, and while Hawk stood ready with drawn revolvers, his aid stood ready to slip on the darbies. ‘“Come along!”’ called our hero, and one of the men walked up the steps from the vault. He was quickly secured and the detective called: ** Come up, number two!’’ The second man came up, and the detective scanned him ‘closely by the dim light, and a but there’s no help for it. take the O55 — os shade of disappointment rested upon his firm features. The second man was secured and the detective called: ‘* Come up, number three}”’ The third man came up, and the shade deepe-- ened on the defective’s face, but after the tel- low was secured he called: ‘* Oome, number four!’’ The fourth man came up, and the detectWwe - uttered an exelamation of disappointment and,.” after the fellow was secured, he said: ‘‘Where’s Pell?” _** He was not with us to-nizit.”’ ‘* He wasn’t in with you, eh?’’ é<¢ No. +? : ‘* He was one of the original party?”” ‘* How do you know?’’ camethe question, The men were sullen and independent after they were really secured. ‘‘How did 1 know anything about your scheme?’’ ‘*That’s just what we would like to know; and we’ll find out some day!’’ Tom Hawk had done a big night’s work. He had saved the bank from loss and had capes tured five more of the gang. Upon the morning following the incidents we have described, when the news went abroad there was great excitement, but the hero of the adventure kept under cover. His prisoners were turned over to the proper officials to abide the time when they were to be called to trial. In the meantime there was great consterna- tion in another direction. Ina tavern located in a certain well-known river city of consider- able importance were gathered three men, ‘They were discussing in an undertone the exciting news. ‘* Stanley,’’ said one of the men, for! That man is too much for i ‘* It’s a matter | do not understand. ‘‘ Some one is giving us away. ‘‘That you may bet! The detective could not get things down so fine on us unless some one was leaking.’ ‘Who can it be?’’- ‘* Ab, that’s the questior ; who can it be?”’ ‘*]’ve a suspicion,’’ said one of the mem. , ‘* What’s your suspicion?’’ y ** Pell is keeping very low on us. He was & have been.in the last racket, and he got ows just in time to escape; and every scheme he hae been in has resulted in disaster, and he has al- ways managed to escape. The best men in our gang are now in hock; we’re bankrupt, ane things look blue.’ ‘* Tf we could only Jay out Night-Hawk!’’ ‘* Yes, if we could only lay him out; but he’s laying us all in, and soon we'll be 2 happy party.’ ‘“ What can we do?’”’ . ** That’s the question—what can we do?’’ ‘«'Ihere are three of us?’’ << Yes.”’ 4 ** Let’s set ourselves to beat this man—we cats © do it.’’ | | ‘‘ We thought we had it done last night; but where have we come out?” ‘* How ubout Byron?’’ ‘It strikes me that he is all right. * ‘* Did he have the points on this last racket?’’ ‘* No, not all the points.”’ ‘‘'rhen it would appear that it is some other man who leaks.”’ “ce Yes.’ ‘* Where can Pell be found?’’ ‘* He was to meet me to-day?”’ ‘* Where?’’ <¢ Here. >? “We must eet him somewhere, and have a safe talk with him.”’ ‘* That’s my idea.’ At this moment the door opened, and the mar Pell entered the place. ‘‘ Hello, old fellow! we were talking about. ‘we re done you.”’ . Pell was an easy-going sort of fellow tn his manner, and he said: ‘* | hope you were not speaking ill of me.” ‘‘ No, no; but you’ve heard how matters went last night?”’ * Yea. ‘* And you had a lucky escape.’’ ** Yes; | did.”’ ‘Tt would appear that you had a point.” ‘* Has any_one dared to say that I did?’’ said the man as a fierce light shone in his eyes. ** No; but it does seem that you were bors under a ‘lucky star.’ ‘‘1 should have been in last night’s racket, only for one thing. I had another scheme on hand: and, boys, if my matter goes through