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Show THE MORMON LION " You won't ? That's like you, Jake! " I exclaimed. " But listen. It's true what you suspect, and yet it's not true. She was with the train, but she was one of us- a Saint." " An apostate, tryinll' to escape! " he snarled. "That's worser'n a Gent1le. Trot her out, or I'll fire enough shots to bring back the boys licketysplit. Trot her out, an' I'll do the carving, if you're too dummed squeamish to earn yourself a crown of glory." "Well- if you insist upon it," I replied in a reluctant tone. "You bet I do," he said, putting his hand on his knife hilt. "Trot her out, Dave, an' don't be all day about it. There ain't any of 'em going to git away to tell on us." "That's so. We can't leave any of them to tell," I said, and I stepped past him. For all his susp1cionsof me and his natural wariness, my manner threw him off his guard. When I was a full step past him I whirled and flung myself upon him. Before he could cry out, I had htm by the throat. He went down under me with a violence that would have quieted most men. He fought like a wildcat, all the time gasping and wheezing in vain attempts to cry out. I pounded his head on the ground ; but we were struggling on a stretch of soft mould and I could not stun him. We threshed about like two beasts. Twice he rolled me over. But my greater strength and weight more than offset his greater quickness. He could not break my grip on his scrawny throat. His face was turning from purple to black when at last he succeeded in drawing his revolver. A few moments sooner he would have been able to fire it before I could stop him. The effect of the choking gave me the fraction of a second. My left hand closed over the hammer of the Colt's before he could cock it. There followed a desperate struggle. I wrenched the revolver from him and ... ~ ........ ~ ' ' ·~ . THE MORMON LION 297 struck him on the head with the butt. After four or five blows, he lay under me limp and inert, without a.sign of life. Still holding the revolver, I seized my rifle and ran towards the gulch. Waller's pony stood with the reins flung over his head. He was quietly browsing. I jerked Waller's rifle from its saddle-sheath and crept to the head of the gulch. Chilcott and the other Destroying Angels had descended out of sight below the first bend in the steep ravine. I listened. They were going on down, cursing at the slowness of their horses in descending the more precipitous places. It was certain that they had not heard the noise of my fight with Waller. I hurried back to the prostrate figure. It had not stirred. Picking up my saddle, I flung it on my horse. My intention was to take Lucy up behind me and race away across the mountains. But as I buckled the girth, Waller's pony came in line with my uneasy glances towards the head of the gulch. A clear course of action flashed in upon my flurried whirling thoughts. Instead of calling Lucy, as I had intended, I fell to stripping Waller's flaccid body. Boots, coat, trousers, shirt- of{ they came in quick succession. There was a money-belt around his waist. I left it, but took the peculiar undershirt in which were cut Masoniclike signs. Although I had never before seen an Endowment robe, I knew that this must be one. His hat had fallen off in our struggle. I gathered it up with the other articles and hastened around the rocks to the crevice. " Lucy," I called. " Lucy, come out." "Yes, David," she responded. I scrambled up into the crevice and met her where it widened in a httle cave. She was pale yet radiant with relief. " You're safe, David! They have gone I " "Yes, yes, darling," I rephed, holding out Waller's |