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HIDDEN GUNS

Never within the memory of the oldestvoyageur had there been such asnowfall in the Trois Lacs country. During the latter part of Decemberand all through January the gray clouds hung low over the tree-tops,pouring down their load of fine crystals with sullen persistency, whilethe north wind, sweeping through the forest, piled the flying flakeshigh against all obstacles, driving them firmly into each crack andcrevice.

The two trappers on Cañon Creek fought the drifts for many days in aneffort to keep their lines clear. At last, however, when they woke onefearfully cold morning to find not only the north window but also thedoorway on the other side of the little cabin covered with hard-packeddrifts that rose clear to the peak of the squat roof, they laid asidetheir spruce-wood shovels with a sigh of resignation and relief.

Jim Henderson, gnarled and grizzled by years of life in the wilderness,dug a narrow tunnel to daylight. While he went to the creek and choppedthe water-hole clear of ice, his partner, a young tenderfoot named NickHartley, cleared the snow from the wood-pile and sent a good number ofdry logs down the slanting chute into the cabin. The men then made afinal round of the traps and lifted those not already frozen and toodeeply buried. Thereafter the daily trip for water and more infrequentattacks on the wood-pile were the only breaks in the dull routine ofeating and sleeping.

During the first few days the partners loafed about, enjoying to thefull the perfect relaxation that comes with the knowledge that work isfor the time being not only futile but practically impossible.

Time passed slowly, however, and gradually the atmosphere of contentbegan to change to one of restlessness. Nick, who had never before beensnowed up, was the first to feel the irritability that generallyaccompanies a long period of enforced inactivity. One morning as hecrept down the tunnel behind a pile of firewood he said—

“Seems to me you picked a punk place to build this cabin—right under abank and only open on the south, where any fool ought to know a northwind’d drift worst.”

Henderson knew very well that he had made a mistake in picking the spot,but he did not care to have the fact called to his attention.

“Oh, I did, did I?” he flared in sudden heat. “Well, it’s comf’table,ain’t it? I ain’t noticed you packin’ up yet. Durned glad to come inhere, you was, last Fall. If you don’t like it you know what you cando—an’ where you can go, too!”

“Who said anything about not likin’ it? I didn’t. You know you foozledit when you located here, or you wouldn’t holler like that before you’rehurt.”

“Shut up!” blustered the old man.

“You make me plum tired. If you had any backbone at all, you’d have keptyour mouth shut in the first place, an’ not started whinin’ like a kid.”

Nick suppressed a surge of wrath and turned away, lest he rouse hispartner’s temper any further. He did not know that this was Henderson’smethod of weathering a long snowstorm—a hot argument every now and thento act as a sort of safety valve, relieving the pressure of the bile ofboredom before it had accumulated to a dangerous degree.

Henderson made a few more attempts to rouse the younger man, but when hediscovered that he could not do it, he too grew silent and increasinglyangry. He resented Nick’s attitude, and Nick was quick to note the fact,and to feel a like resentment not unmixed with apprehension asHenderson, his pride forbidding him any longer to rage openly, took moreand more to muttering and cursing under his breath.

Nick worried gloomily over the change in his partner, not realizing thata day or so of work on the trap-lines, and a few more pelts added to thepile in the corner, would serve to bring both men back to normalcheerfulness. He sulked and moped, and watched Henderson with hostileeyes.

Such a state of affairs could not continue for long. A belated thaw hadat last set in. The snow was ceasing, and a few more days would see aresumption of outdoor work, when a final flare-up occurred. It was lateafternoon. Henderson rolled out of his bunk to go to the creek for waterand found Hartley gazing at the snow-bound north window. The old manlaughed, a sneering, mirthless cackle.

“Enjoyin’ the view?” he asked.

Nick had been thinking of digging away enough to let some light into thecabin, now that the snow had stopped drifting, but after that remark hewould willingly have died first. He grew red and tried not to notice thequestion.

“Well, now,” went on Henderson, enjoying the situation, “I always likedthat view myself. It’s so much better ’n gazin’ at your sour-belliedfeatures.”

He picked up a pail and his snowshoes and added with elaboratepoliteness:

“Possibly you could tear yourself away long enough to git some wood?There ain’t any left, as you’ll see if you can wrench your eyes awayfrom that soul-fillin’ picture of Nature at her best.”

This was a long and difficult speech for Henderson, and he felt that hehad done a rather neat bit of work in getting it off so smoothly. Hechuckled again as he opened the door and started up the tunnel.

When he heard that laugh, something snapped in Nick’s brain. He whirledin a frenzy and rushed to the door.

“By ⸺ I’ve stood all I’m goin’ to from you!” he cried wildly. “Youkeep out of here or I’ll beat the livin’ lights out o’ you.”

His voice rose to a shriek as he poured out his rage in a flood ofvituperation. Henderson, standing at the top of the tunnel, went flaminghot with a fierce joy.

“Come out here an’ say that!” he yelled. “Come out, ⸺ you!”

At that moment Nick, frantically eager to obey the summons, dived intothe tunnel. His head and shoulders struck its roof. A slight upwardsurge as he plunged, and the snow slumped in with a dull rumble. Nickwas swept back into the cabin by a miniature avalanche, and Hendersonstood staring at the tumbled groove where the tunnel had been.

In the next few instants the old man’s opinion of Nick underwent aradical change. His exhilarating wrath became red fury, born of theconviction that his partner was a coward—who had played a sneaking buteffective trick that left Henderson ridiculously helpless. As thisrealization swept over him he grew dizzy and swayed on his feet, whilethe veins stood out on his purple neck. When he could control his limbshe floundered to the chimney and began to roar inarticulate masses ofblasphemy at the man below. At last he managed to form a coherentsentence.

“Wait!” he bellowed, sobbing. “Great ⸺ just wait ’til I get you! If Idon’t rid the earth o’ your ⸺ drivelin’ carcass. Coward! ⸺’s toogood for the likes o’ you! Hangin’s too good! Shootin’s too— Oh, gimmemy gun! I’ll shoot you down like a yeller dog! I’ll drill you like asieve! Just wait!”

He surged back to the tunnel as the smoke from the fire strangled himand, snatching up a snowshoe, began to dig furiously.

Nick, listening to this tirade of abuse, began to feel a panicky terror.Henderson’s gasping, choking voice sounded perfectly demoniacal as itreverberated in the chimney, and the frightful threats were deliveredwith the frenzy of a raving maniac.

The long siege had been too much, thought Nick. The old man had gonesuddenly crazy—crazy with the lust for blood. Weren’t the papers alwaysfull of stories of men who shot people in bursts of insanity and thengrew sane again? If Henderson could get his gun now, he would surely dofor him, unless he shot Henderson first— or unless—but he didn’t wantto run. He must do something, though!

His partner’s snowshoe was crunching nearer and nearer the snow-filleddoorway, while the digger gasped great lungfuls of air into his heavingchest. Nick stood hesitating for another moment, glancing about thedim-lit room while the candle on the mantel spluttered and wavered. Thenhe ran to the shelf by the bunks and with trembling hands gathered upthe two revolvers, the rifle and all the cartridges.

Three minutes later Henderson burst in. Nick stood waiting for him withset face in front of the fire-place. The old man kicked the little pileof snow to one side and shut the door carefully. Then he whirled andcharged across the cabin. His partner met him half-way.

The desperate rough-and-tumble fight that followed raged for an hour,all about the little room, under the bunks, almost in the fire. Stoolsflew everywhere, extra clothing fell from the walls and got tangled upwith the writhing swelter of arms and legs, ashes swirled, while the menpanted and tugged, punched gasping, short-armed punches, neither givingan inch, seemingly as strong and fresh as ever.

Then of a sudden as they rose together Nick made a terrific effort tohit the old man on the jaw. The old man dodged back sharply and the fistswished harmlessly past. Nick half-turned and stumbled forward, unableto overcome the momentum of the blow. He blundered heavily againstHenderson, who had not regained his balance. They crashed to the floor,rolled apart, and lay flat in utter exhaustion.

Henderson at length drew himself with much grunting to a sittingposture. He sighed as his eyes took in the wreckage of the room.

“What a couple o’ durn fools we be, anyway,” he remarked heavily.

Nick rolled over and met his partner’s wry grin with a hoarse chuckle.He too sighed as he surveyed the hodge-podge of furniture and clothessprinkled with ashes. The old man staggered to his feet and made for thedoor to let some fresh air into the reeking room. As he stepped overHartley he stopped and reached down a sweaty hand.

“An’ I figgered you was a coward,” he remarked. “Man, you’re a wildcat!”

“Aw, heck,” said Nick as he grasped the hand and pulled himself erect,“you’d ’a’ done me up easy, if you hadn’t been all in from diggin’. An’say, Jim,” he snickered again—“I thought you’d gone crazy! Honest Idid. I was that scared I—”

Henderson had reached out to unlatch the door when the wooden handlelifted seemingly of its own volition. The heavy door swung inward with arush, and three men leaped into the shack.

“Put ’em up!” said the leader, greasy-looking and fat.

“What—” began Henderson in utter bewilderment.

Then he caught the gleam of an automatic, and his hands rose reluctantlyabove his head. Nick, after a suddenly suppressed motion toward theshelf, followed suit dumbly.

The other invaders came forward, each with a snowshoe thong formed intoa noose. They deftly slipped these over the upstretched hands, drew themtight with a jerk and tied them.

“Now, then, hands down—way down,” went on the fat man.

The thongs’ free ends were tied with painstaking care to their wearers’ankles.

“Bring ’em over here where we can look at ’em.”

The fat man walked to the hearth. The prisoners were pushed after him.

“See here,” said Henderson, as his tall, dark jailer finished searchinghim and started a thorough investigation of the cabin. “What’s themeanin’ o’ this, anyway?”

“Why,” responded the fat man in a confidential tone, “we’re hungry, see?So we decided to ask ourselves to dinner with you and your buddy.”

Nick’s guardian came back from his inspection of the premises.

“Say, Cap,” he said, “there’s plenty of food, all right, but there ain’tno guns here.”

“Have you looked everywhere?”

“Sure, an’ so’s Tony. Why was you so leery o’ jumpin’ these holds?”

“What’d ye jump ’em for anyway?” grumbled Tony.

“I’ll answer both them questions while we rest a bit,” said the fat manindulgently. “As to jumpin’ ’em when they’re fightin’, Perry, you neverwant to do that. It’s takin’ a chance, because there’s generly a gunthat both’s tryin’ to grab, an’ it may go off any time right in yourface. An’ Tony, didn’t I give you my reasons for jumpin’ ’em at allbefore we got here? You’ll know when you’ve been workin’ at this work aslong as I have that news can travel fast—mighty fast. How was we toknow they wouldn’t recognize us, from a description or somethin’? Howwas we to know one of ’em wasn’t a bull? An’ lastly, how was we to knowbut what they might try to stick us up, if we didn’t get the hop on’em—an’ us just oozin’ cash? We couldn’t answer a one of them questions’til we seen what was what, could we? Play it safe, boys,” he ended,patronizingly conscious of his superior astuteness, ‘an’ you’ll alwayscome out on top, even if you do make it unpleasant for the other fellersometimes. See?”

He teetered ponderously on the heels of his moccasins and drew forth asilver case.

“Have one?” he offered, holding it out to Henderson and Hartley. “No?Sorry.”

He lit a cigaret with a flourish. The old man paused in his snarlingefforts to twist out of his bonds and coughed savagely, but his partnerlay quiet, a scared look in his eyes.

“Now,” said the leader of the gang, “let’s rustle some grub. Here—” hestirred Henderson with his foot—“where’s the breadbox?”

“Get your foot off me!” burst out Henderson. “What kind of a game youtryin’ to pull off, anyway? Come into a man’s cabin with your hifalutin’gabble an’ tie him up. Lemme go!”

“Will you rustle some grub if I do?”

“Not by a durn sight I won’t!” the old man roared. “I’d rustle you an’your dirty gang to ⸺ out o’ here, if I had a gun!”

“Yeah—if,” taunted the fat man. Then, “Why ain’t you got one?” hesnapped suspiciously.

“That young idiot lost it somewheres, that’s why,” gritted Henderson,while the “young idiot” gave fervent though silent thanks for hispartner’s quick wit.

The fat man turned to Hartley, who shrank away.

“Well, you goin’ to act nice an’ sociable an’ cook us up some grub? Wegot to move on pretty quick, an’ it’ll be all for the best if you hustleabout it.”

“Yes, sir,” said Nick eagerly. “I’ll do my best for you.”

“Blasted little slob,” muttered Henderson.

“There, that’s something like,” said the fat man heartily.

He was enjoying himself thoroughly. His manner became even more grand ashe continued:

“It ain’t every man has the privilege o’ waitin’ on me. I cut quite afigure, down where I come from.” He gestured, his cigaret held jauntilybetween his pudgy fingers. “Why, me an’ my pals cleaned up a wholefortune in just two hours, not so many nights ago. Oh, it’s all rightPerry,” he reassured his companion, who had turned with a warning oathfrom his task of loosening Nick’s bonds so he could move about. “I doubtif anybody’s goin’ to look for us up this way, an’ I know our friendshere won’t squeal on us.”

He leered.

“Tony’s a good pard when it comes to disappearin’, eh Tony?”

He chuckled again, glowing more and more in the light of his ownimportance as Tony grinned in a pleased way.

“Say,” he said to Nick, who was digging out some meal from the food-box,“hustle that grub, you hear?”

“Yes, sir, I am, as fast as I can,” answered Hartley.

Henderson at this point made a furious effort to free himself, fairlybursting with rage.

“That’s right,” said the fat man, glancing at Henderson with a tolerantsmile. “Now let’s fix the fire. Gettin’ a bit chilly, seems to me.”

Nick started toward the fire-place.

“There’s no more wood,” he said.

“Go get some, then, don’t stand there like a fool.”

“I’ll have to dig for it.”

“Better let me go, Cap,” said Perry.

Nick looked at him in ill-concealed relief.

“No!” snapped the fat man, noting the glance. “What the ⸺ are youbuttin’ in here for? Let the boy go. He knows where ’t is, an’ I’ll betmy shirt he won’t try to run off in all this snow an’ cold. You bring inall the snowshoes an’ duffle while I turn him loose.”

As Perry came back with a load of packs and snowshoes the leader said toNick:

“Now, then, young feller, don’t go tryin’ any monkeyshines. You bringthat wood in peaceable, or—”

Quick as light his right hand fluttered and a bullet spat into thethreshold of the door, so that Perry’s descending foot covered the hole.

Even Henderson, crouched against the wall and watching his partner withveiled speculation and anxiety, was impressed by this display. He drewin his breath sharply. Nick was frankly frightened.

“See?” said the fat man, replacing the automatic in his hip pocket. “An’Perry an’ Tony are most as good as that, too. It’s easier to draw from aholster,” he added in explanation.

“Yes, sir,” answered Nick. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

His bonds were removed and he hurried out, rubbing his wrists.

“Shut that door!” roared the fat man.

Nick rushed back and closed it.

The fat man turned to Henderson.

“How long will it take him to get that wood?” he inquired. “No fooling,now!”

His hand flickered as Henderson hesitated.

“Not very long,” said the old man hastily. “’Bout five-ten minutes, Iguess. He’s got to burrer down into the snow, that’s all.”

The fat man walked about the room restlessly, glancing here and there.The candle sputtered. The graying coals of the fire settled with awhispered crunch.

“What’ll ye do wid dese fellers, Cap?” inquired Tony after a while.

“Just wait till we’ve had some food, an’ we’ll decide,” answered the fatman. “Say, though, it’s lucky you knew about this place, Tony. I’m nearstarved.”

He grinned as he continued:

“If you birds hadn’t been fightin’ I dunno as we’d ’a’ found you atthat, in all this ⸺ snow. Too dark to see much, but Tony heard athumpin’ an’ crashin’ along the bank o’ the river somewhere, so webreezed over. We come away in a bit of a hurry from where we last was,an’ we’re in a bit of a hurry to git where we’re goin’, up to Tony’splace, so this makes it pretty nice. Where the ⸺’s that other guy?I’m gittin’ cold.”

Tony loosed his revolver in its holster and started silently for thedoor, but just then Nick’s voice was heard, asking them to open up. Hestamped shivering into the room, covered with snow from head to heels,carrying a great load of logs.

“Easy does it, young feller,” said the fat man, watching like a cat asHartley staggered to the hearth.

Tony and Perry closed in behind him, ready for anything.

Nick squatted down and dropped the logs carefully before the fire. Heselected some small, dry splints and put them on the coals, blowinggently until they burst into flame. He gave one quick glance around himbefore he carefully reached forward and placed a larger piece on theblaze. Then with a sharp exclamation of pain he yanked his hands backfrom the scorching heat, to wipe them on his shirt front, and in thesame instant leaped erect and whirled to one side. A revolver appearedin each of his hands, and before one could think two spurts of flameshot out. The fat man yelled and careened against the wall, clutchinghis right shoulder. Perry crooked his arm with a startled oath as hisgun, holster and all, was torn from his numbed fingers.

“Up!” snapped Nick, and the bewildered Tony obeyed.

Henderson dived across the room, leaped prodigiously and sunk his headin the fat man’s stomach. The fat man, who was clawing wildly for hisgun with his left hand, grunted and crumpled to the floor in agony.Perry at this instant recovered his wits and rushed forward, snarling,to stagger back, blinded by the impact of a gun-barrel across his eyes.

“Here!” yelled Henderson, squatting before his partner.

Nick lowered one gun, still covering Tony with the other. Hendersongrasped the barrel between his wrists and held it against the rawhidethongs.

“Shoot!” he said, and Nick pulled the trigger.

The old man jumped up. His hands and moccasins were scorched, but he wasfree. He grabbed Tony’s gun and covered Perry before the cursing man hadcleared his eyes of dizziness and blood.

A minute later the three invaders lay bound hand and foot. Nick andHenderson stood looking down at them.

“Of course,” said Nick, “it’s easier to draw from your shirt front thanyour pocket, but I’m pretty near as good as you, ain’t I?”

He bent to examine the fat man’s shoulder.

“Only a flesh wound,” he said to his partner. “I didn’t dare to try forhis gun in this light. It was too far behind him. That was a good oneyou gave him, all right.”

“Yeah?” returned Henderson. “Why, I was all ready an’ waitin’ for thatplay. What about the one you give Perry, huh?”

The fat man groaned and eased over on his side.

“Say,” he wheezed craftily. “A man that can shoot like you can iswastin’ his time out in this ⸺ place. Why don’t you two come in withus? There’s forty thousand in bills amongst us three. We’ll split itfive ways—eight thousand apiece. What about it?”

Henderson spat. Nick grinned.

“No,” he answered. “Not us, I guess. I seen your face in the papers toomany times a couple o’ years ago, an’ I bet it’s there today, too.You’re wanted bad back in the States, old boy, an’ I know it.”

He turned to his partner.

“Jim, they’s no use us two tryin’ to take this gang out to the Poste.I’ll start off now an’ bring in the sheriff an’ a few others to help.I’ll be out there tomorrow night an’ back the next. All right?”

“All right, only hustle. We don’t want this place to be a pig-pen anylonger ’n we can help. Besides, we got to get out on the lines prettyquick.”

“Listen.” The fat man saw it was no use to try to bribe his captors.“You got us, an’ I don’t say it wasn’t my fault, not takin’ Tony’sadvice an’ comin’ in peaceable, instead o’ stagin’ a hold-up.” He gave atwisted smile as Tony cursed him heartily. “But you’d never ’a’ done itwithout pullin’ that hid gun stunt. I wish you’d tell me before you gojust how in ⸺ you did that.”

This question was burning in Henderson’s mind as well, though he gave nosign, only smiled a superior, tolerant smile as if such a thing was ofevery-day occurrence.