The Young Engineers in Nevada | Page 9

that will leave your defense."
"You forget, my dear," spoke Mr. Dunlop, gently, "that our newly-found young friends have just sent for other men."
Tom smiled grimly as he thought of Jim Ferrers's "crowd"---consisting of poor, frighten little Alf with the cigarette-stained fingers.
"At any cost or risk, sir," Tom went on, after a moment, "you must get the women and the child away from here. But---why, where is the child?"
There was an instant of dismay. The little girl had vanished.
"Gladys!" spoke Dr. Dunlop's daughter in alarm.
From under one of the cars a muffled voice answered, "Here I am." Then Gladys, sobbing and shaking, emerged into view.
"I was so frightened!" cried the child. "I just had to hide."
"The men have gone away, dear," explained her mother soothingly. "And now we're going too. We'll be safe after this."
At that instant three shots, fired in rapid succession, rang out.

CHAPTER III
JIM'S "ARMY" APPEARS
"Down on your faces!" called the older of the armed men with the motor party.
"Not necessary," spoke Tom, dryly. "The shots were fired by Jim Ferrers's army."
"And I missed the pesky critter, too!" spoke Jim's voice, resentfully, as he showed his head over the edge of the cliff, where three puffs of smoke slowly ascended.
"Don't show yourself, Jim! Careful!" Reade warned their guide.
"It's all right," declared Ferrers indifferently, as he rose to his full height, then discovered the path by which Tom had descended. "The critters took to cover as soon as they heard me making a noise."
With that explanation Ferrers slid rather than walked down into the gully.
"Where are the rest of your men?" questioned Mr. Dunlop, eagerly.
"I'm all there are," explained Jim, "except one pesky little puffer of cigarettes. He's hiding his stained fingers somewhere in the brush half a mile from here."
"There are no more men to your crowd?" spoke Dr. Dunlop anxiously.
"None," Tom broke in. "My order to the boy, Drew, was intended by way of conversation to interest your four callers."
"Then, indeed, we must look out for an ambush," said one of Mr. Dunlop's companions, a man of thirty.
"And you will be in real danger every minute of the time," said Dunlop's daughter, fearfully. "Father, why can't you come out of this wild country? Is the money that you may make out here worth all the risk?"
"Yes," answered Mr. Dunlop, with a firmness that seemed intended to settle the matter.
"Why did you fire on those men without provocation?" Tom asked, aside, of Jim Ferrers, who stood stroking his rifle barrel with one hand.
"I had provocation," Ferrers answered.
"Oh," said Reade, who was none the wiser.
"I'll 'get' Dolph Gage yet, if I ever have a fair chance without running my neck into the noose of the law," added Ferrers, with silent fury in his tone.
"Is there a story behind it all, eh" queried Tom mildly.
"Yes, Mr. Reade. Too long a story to tell in a minute."
"I didn't mean to pry into your affairs, Ferrers," Tom made haste to say.
"Well, for one thing, Dolph Gage shot the only brother I ever had---and got cleared of the charge in the court!" muttered Ferrers.
"Was your brother killed?" Tom inquired.
"Didn't I state that Dolph Gage shot him?" demanded Jim in a semi-injured tone. "Men don't often waste ammunition out in this county, even if I did send in three wild shots just now. But that was because I was excited, and couldn't see straight. I'll try to do better next time."
Mr. Dunlop was now engaged in making his daughter, her child and the other woman comfortable in one of the touring cars.
Several of the men in the party, also, had decided that they did not care to remain if they were to be exposed to shooting at all hours of the day.
In the end Mr. Dunlop had but three of the men in his party left with him.
The younger of the two armed men was sent to drive the car containing the women. One of the guests of the Dunlop party drove a second car. In this order they started for Dugout City, thirty miles away. As the roads hardly deserved the name the motor cars would not be likely to reach Dugout before dark.
"Look out for ambushes," exclaimed Mr. Dunlop, to the armed driver of the women's car.
"Yes, sir; but there isn't much danger of our being fired on. Gage's gang will be only too glad to see the women folks leaving here. We won't be troubled."
Mr. Dunlop stood anxiously gazing after the two touring cars as long as they could be seen. Then he stepped briskly back, holding out his hand to Tom Reade.
"Permit me, now, to thank you for your timely aid," said the stout man. "You know my name. Will you kindly introduce your friends?"
This Tom did at once, after which Mr. Dunlop presented his three companions. One was his nephew,