LIFE IN SALT LAKE CITY;
OR,
A Visit to the Mormons.
By LEON LEWIS,
AUTHOR OF "THE GIRL HERMIT," "THE BOY MA-GICIAN," "THE BROKEN HOME," "BED KNIFE,"
ETC., ETC., ETC.
CHAPTER VII.
HARRY FOLLOWS THE TIDE.
There is a ride in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
SHAKESPEARE.
Harry glanced at the three rifles by which we left him menaced, in the cabin of the Danites, and at the three-burly figures outside of the three open windows, and then hit, gaze reverted to the Danite leader, whose face was a picture of exulting hatred and vengeance.
"Hold!" exclaimed the young Gentile.
The Danites supposed that he meant to sur-render, and took a suspensive attitude accord-ingly.
"We'll 'hold’ as much as you please," re-turned the leader, placing Harry's lantern on a shelf close at hand, and rubbing his hands glee-fully together. "As you can see for yourself, we are much more numerous than you are, and a minute more or less is not of the least conse-quence to us. But why should we 'hold,' Mr. Osburn ?"
"Because you can just as well kill me out of doors, and so save yourselves the trouble of mopping up the floor."
"Well, that's cool anyhow!" ejaculated the leader, with an oath. "Is there any other rea-son why we should 'hold,' as you know of?"
"Yes, one more. I wish to say a few words to you."
“Say on, then. But be brief."
The suspensive attitude of the Danites changed to one of listening.
"You seem to suppose, sir, that you have de-ceived me," resumed Harry, in his usual voice and with his ordinary manner, addressing the leader of the Danites. "You appear to think that you have inveigled me into this situation."
"Well, haven't I?"
"No; you haven't. I have read you perfectly from the beginning. You told me at our first interview that you was Porter Rockwell. Did I not, during that same interview, express a doubt of the assertion ? And when you said that a certain letter was written by Miss Burton, and that you saw her write it did I not promptly tell you that these assertions were false ?"
"Well, yes—you did," acknowledged the Dan-ite leader, as his eyes flamed revengefully.
"You see, therefore," proceeded Harry, "that you have not imposed upon me with any of your pretences. Few men are such consummate ac-tors as to make their acting equal to the reality, find you are not of that limited number. Your pretence of having a broken leg has been espe-cially clumsy—so clumsy, in fact, that you have betrayed yourself at every step of our short journey together."
"Betrayed myself? How? Did you not sup-pose, until I stood upon my leg, that it was broken ?"
"No; I didn't. The pretension was too ap-parent. In the first place, you have overdone your groaning and moaning. If you had really broken a leg, you would have borne the pain in silence, in the firm, brave manner characteristic of a man of your description."
The Danite's face colored, and he bit his lips savagely. Evidently he had not looked at his conduct in this plain, common-sense light.
"Now wouldn't you?" added Harry, in his calmest and most persuasive voice, as lie smiled understandingly. "If you had really broken your leg, wouldn't you have been too much of a man to act in that childish, silly manner? You know you would."
The Danite did not acknowledge the fact in words, but his manner showed that he felt the full force of this reasoning.
"In the second place," proceeded Harry, "your feeble, gasping voice was visibly an as-sumption, inasmuch as the mere breaking of a leg, even if added to your other injuries, would not have so soon lowered your magnificent vital-ity to such a pitiable standard!"
The manner of the Danite was a sufficient as-sent to this observation, but he still remained silent.
"There were other points, too, in which your acting was faulty," added Harry; "I refer to your watchful and attentive glances, to your illy suppressed jubilance, to the want of reality in all you said and did, and more especially to your half drawing your revolver two or three times, with a half-formed purpose of shooting me."
A deep flush suffused the Danite s features, and a terrible oath escaped him. "You noticed then that I—I was on the look- out for a chance to shoot you?" he demanded.
"Noticed it?" returned Harry. "How could I help noticing it? Your hand kept fidgeting with the weapon until we were almost in sight of this cabin."
The Danite was thoughtful a moment, and then he ejaculated:
"Well, you're a coon, Mr. Osburn! I reckon I an't much on the act, after all!"
"I should think not," rejoined Harry. "And having said so much about your conduct, per-mit me to now say a word about mine. Did you notice how I kept the light of my lantern turned upon you ? how I watched you ? how near I kept to your side ?"
"No, I didn't, at the time," replied the Danite; "but now that I look back—"
"Exactly," said Harry. "You realize now that I was ready for you, from the moment I placed you in my saddle? I knew all the while that your leg was uninjured—in a word, that you was endeavoring to deceive me!"
The vexation and surprise of the Danite at this assurance were about equal.
"And yet you came here with me, seeing through me all the time, and knowing that I was playing 'possum?" he asked with a puzzled air. "You must have known that I had the in-tention of getting you into some trouble ?"
"True, I knew that you had such an intention," returned Harry, with another smile, " but I knew also- that your intention would not be fol-lowed by its execution. In fact, I felt quite able to take care of myself, wherever our little jour-ney together might come to an end."
"Well, you are a new sort of customer for us to encounter," said the Danite leader, with a visible admiration for Harry. "Ever been in the army?"
"Yes, a number of years."
"In which arm of the service? Cavalry?"
"In both!"
"Indeed? Then you did n't come out of the army a 'high private,' I’ll bet money!"
"Well, no—I did n't," assented Harry, whip-ping out a cigar-case. "Won't you smoke?"
The Danite looked at him a moment wonder-ingly.
"No, I won't," he then answered sullenly. "Smoke? You seem to forget—"
"Forget what ?"
"Why, that you are a prisoner; that I'm a deadly enemy; that you are as good as dead already—"
"Pshaw, man! What's the matter with you? Your mention of the army naturally reminded me of my cigars. And why shouldn't we smoke while talking?"
"I don't wish to talk," declared the Danite leader sourly. "We've p'lavered too long al-ready!"
"Wrong again!" replied Harry. "Suppose you had shot me down at once? You would have flattered yourself that I was silly enough to believe your little fables of a broken leg and all that, whereas you now understand me. So you see that we might have done worse than to have this little chat together. Better try a cigar," he added, extending his case politely. "Or have you such a big job on hand, and are you so afraid of me, that you can’t spare sufficient breath for a smoke?”
This bantering was too much for the Danite.
“Well, since you insist upon it, thank you,” said he, taking his choice.
"That's right," cried Harry. "You really oblige me. I feel like having a smoke, and it would be awkward for me to smoke alone in the presence of so many men who can all doubtless appreciate a good specimen of the weed. And, by the way," he added, "it would be awkward for us, Colonel, to make ourselves comfortable without a thought of your brave boys. Suppose we take a smoke all around? You can shoot me, you know, afterward. You seem to be in your own house here, and to be in a country where no neighbors are likely to trouble us. We may as well make the most, therefore, of the few minutes we shall pass together."
The Danite leader was not such a brute as to be impervious to these observations. He accord-ingly nodded assent to Harry's suggestion about offering cigars to the three men at the windows, and in another moment they were all supplied with them.
"I think they are good," observed Harry, as he drew the torch out of its hole in the chimney, and applied his cigar to it. "Got 'em of an old Mormon at one of the stations back here. He boasted that they had never paid duty, but you can see with half an eye that they are Principes. Fire up all around, and then we’ll finish."
He held the torch politely to each of the Dan-ites in succession, and then replaced it in its hole in the chimney.
This hole had been cut for a stove-pipe, and was not much higher than an ordinary mantel-piece. It was easy, therefore, for Harry, in re-placing the torch, to put it into the hole in such a way that the least breath of wind—and hearty gusts occasionally entered—would dislodge it. And this he did with such celerity that none of the Danites noticed the manœuvre, or would have thought it anything more than carelessness, had it been noticed—such was the ease and self-possession of his every movement.
"Yes, of course I've been in the army," re-sumed Harry, after he had got his cigar well lighted. "Who hasn't? Every stirring young fellow has been there, at one time or another. I’ll tell you something soon that I learned in the service—something that will surprise you. But there is just one little point I want to make plain to you—"
Here a gust of wind swept into the room through all the windows and the door-way, and the nicely balanced torch was hurled to the hearth. And being now about burnt out, it broke into innumerable pieces, some of which were scattered beyond the hearth upon the floor.
"A plague upon my carelessness!" exclaimed Harry, as he dexterously swept the fragments into the ashes of the fireplace, where the few flames that had survived the fall were instantly extinguished. "The lantern, however, is suffi-cient for us. As I was saying," he glibly continued, with an impressive air, "there is one little point I'd like to mention. You said, not along ago," and he turned to the Danite leader, "that I was 'sold,' and you doubtless suppose that you have now 'got a sweet thing upon me,' as the boys used to say in the army ?"
"Well, it looks that way, seeing that we are four to one, and that we have reinforcements within easy distance," returned the Danite leader. "But perhaps we can come to some sort of a set-tlement of the little points at issue? You are a capital fellow, Mr. Osburn, it is easy to see, and after what I have now seen of you it would be a very disagreeable task for me to resume hostil-ities !"
An approving murmur came from the three ruffians at the window, as they attacked their ci-gars with the vim of inveterate smokers.
“And such being the situation of affairs, why can't you take the back track, Mr. Osburn?" added the leader. "The Elder is ahead of you in that little courtship, and the best thing you can do is to'leave him in quiet possession of the field. Promise me, therefore—for I know that your word is sacred—promise me to—"
Harry interrupted the Danite with an imper-ative gesture.
"You are off the track now, old fellow," said the young Gentile. "I shall not make any agree-ments of that sort with you, and for good rea-sons. As singular as it may seem to you, I am the master of the situation!"
“You? It don't look much like it!" sneered the Danite leader, waving his hand around him
“You think so? Then listen to what I was about to say to you," enjoined Harry. "I am not a betting man," and he drew a couple of twenty dollar gold pieces from his pocket, "but I will give you these pieces of money, if I do not produce from my pocket-book an order from Brigham Young that will prevent you from harm-ing a hair of my head, or from even detaining me a minute longer than I choose to stay with you!"
"An order from Brigham Young!" exclaimed the Danite leader, with a sudden and keen in-terest.
"That's the proposition," returned Harry. "It's against my principles to bet, but I’ll give you this money if I do not produce such an order. And why shouldn't I produce it ? While you are acting for the Elder, may not I have had a good friend 'at court,' as the saying is, to get me an order of that description ?"
The Danite was nonplussed for a moment. He surveyed our hero more keenly than ever.
"Well, let's see your order," he then said.
"Remember just how I have stated the case," said Harry, as he whipped a little packet of pa-pers out of his breast pocket. "Here are the two twenty dollar gold pieces, here on the table. If I produce such an order from Brigham Young, the money is mine. If I don't produce such an order, the money is yours. Understand ?"
"Perfectly," assented the Danite eagerly.
"And your men all understand the bargain, and are witnesses?"
The three ruffians assented with the same ea-ger interest that characterized their leader.
"Very well," commented Harry, drawing nearer to the lantern and turning over his pa-pers. "Now for Brigham's order. But let me see ? Didn't I promise to tell you something I learned in the service ? I may as well tell you now what it was. It was something that will surprise you, as I said—a great army maxim given to me by an old army instructor, whose name does not matter. 'With a force greatly in-ferior to that of the enemy,' said he, 'always manœuvre!' And I have always made it a rule to obey this injunction."
While uttering these concluding words, Harry had seized his lantern, holding it up to his pack-age of papers, with the same easy and careless air he had all along exhibited.
But, just as he finished speaking, and while the Danites all had their necks craned toward him, in the most eager and expectant manner, await-ing the production of 'Brigham's order,' the young Gentile gave a violent swing to the lan-tern, bringing it down upon the head of the Dan-ite leader with such tremendous force that the ruffian fell senseless to the floor, as quickly as a bullock falls beneath the ax of a butcher.
The light of the lantern was instantly extin-guished, of course, and a profound darkness at once mantled the scene, the last coal of the fallen torch having long since gone out.
"No nonsense now," my men," commanded Harry quietly, as he raised the insensible form of the Danite leader in his arms. "A shot at me will reach your commander. I am using him for a shield!"
A howl of rage and consternation broke from the trio, but soon died away into silence. They realized that Harry had secured a terrible advan-tage. They still remained at the three windows of the cabin, pointed their rifles into the room, but the darkness did not permit them to see where Harry was, and if it had they could not have fired upon him without jeopardizing the life of their leader.
"A word more," added Harry. "As I shall not produce any order from Brother Brigham on this occasion, your commander is welcome to the gold pieces, so soon as he shall recover his senses. That, I believe, is all I promised!"
The ruffians were too busy with their thoughts to reply. But the counter movement they en-deavored to invent did not present itself.
"I need only add," continued Harry, "that I do not propose to do your commander any fur-ther injury. I shall merely use him as a shield until I have readied my horse and gained the road, and then I will relinquish him to your care, say some ten minutes from now. But don't make me any trouble in the mean time, I warn you! Don't offer to oppose my departure. I will shoot your commander dead at the first sign of violence from you! And with this I have the honor of bidding you good-evening!"
A strange hush followed—a hush broken only by the light, free steps of Harry Osburn, as he took his way from the cabin, with his face to the three men, covering himself with the form of their leader, and still retaining the extinguished lantern.
As the young Gentile had hoped and expected, the trio did not offer to molest him. He could hear them cursing under their breath, while they exchanged views with one another, but they re-mained motionless in their tracks, knowing that the life of their commander depended upon their strict compliance with Harry's injunctions.
And thus, in less than a minute, Harry had reached his horse, deposited his unconscious enemy on the ground, leaped into the saddle, and set out on his way down the mountain.
On reaching the edge of the piece of woods through which he had passed, when ascending to the cabin, he came to a halt, looking back and listening.
The three Danites had not yet dared to move.
For a moment Harry reflected intently, with a strange gleam in his eyes, and with a strangely resolute expression of features.
"I ought to know these fellows better," he then said to himself. "Why shouldn't I? I feel that I am too much for them. Since they have begun the war, and especially since the old Elder is warring against Doctor Burton and Winnie, it is merely a matter of self-defence and wise pre-caution for me to search out the secrets of this villainous gang!"
Dismounting, he led his horse away, not to-ward the road, but in the opposite direction, penetrating the most intricate recesses of the mountain to the distance of fifteen or twenty rods, and here he hitched the animal to a tree.
And then he stole back to the spot where he had left his insensible enemy.
By this time the three ruffians at the cabin were astir, consulting one another in low tones. They had even began the descent of the path along which Harry had retreated.
"Back there!" he called to them. "I have not gone, you see. Back to the cabin, all of you, or I’ll make quick work of your commander! And when you are there, just let me know it!"
The three men at once returned to the Inte-rior of the cabin, but with many a muttered curse of wrath and vexation.
“Here we are!" then called one of them.
"Let me hear from all three of you!" enjoined Harry. The two other Danites accordingly repeated their comrade's assertion.
"All right," returned Harry. "I'm off now! You may catch me if you can, but look out for a bullet!"
And while the three men, stealing cautiously out of doors, stood consulting and listening, un-certain whether the young Gentile had gone or not, Harry hastened by a roundabout way, and without the least noise, to the rear of the little cabin. And here, still grasping his lantern in one hand, while the other rested upon his re-volver, he watched and listened.
"He's gone, sure enough!" exclaimed one of the Danites.
"Yes, and now let's look after the Cap'n," proposed another. "Get a light, one of you!"
The light was procured, after some little de-lay, and the three men hastened toward the spot where their unconscious commander was lying.
For one instant Harry deliberated, looking after the trio, and then he stole noiselessly into the cabin, lifted a trap in the floor of which he had previously noted the situation, felt his way down a short ladder, and the next moment, clos-ing the trap above him, he found himself con-cealed in the dwelling of the Danites.
"And now to see what I shall see!" he said to himself. "This little war, Messrs. Danites, is only begun!"
CHAPTER VIII.
ANOTHER CRITICAL SITUATION.
Presence of mind, and courage in distress,
Are more than armies to procure success.
DRYDEN.
Seating himself on the bottom round of the ladder by which he had descended into the cel-lar of the Danite dwelling, Harry Osburn placed his lantern on the ground beside him, felt to see that his revolver and matches were safe, and then listened intently.
For the instant all was still as the grave.
The darkness around the young Gentile was such, of course, that not the least object was visible. He could not tell how large the cellar was, nor what it contained. But he felt sure, from certain odors that saluted his nostrils, that it was used as a store-room for the provisions of the Danites. The air was a little damp, as well as a little close, but Harry's general impression of the place was, nevertheless, that it was a more elaborate cellar than is often found in Utah.
And this impression set him to thinking.
What was the use of the cabin, any how? What object were these men subserving by their stay here ?
He had barely entered upon this train of thought, however, when the three Danites re-turned, one of them carrying a torch, and the other two bringing in their unconscious com-mander.
"He's dead," exclaimed one of the latter. "I can tell that by his weight, without looking at him!"
"By his weight ?" retorted the other combat-ively—the limp body of the commander remain-ing meanwhile poised between them. "Is a man any heavier when he is dead than when living?"
"Certainly—as everybody knows," was the an-swer. “A man is a third or one-half heavier after his death than while he's living!"
"It's no such thing. Tiger!"
"I say it is, Adder!"
"And I say it isn't! Why, how could the thing be possible ?"
"Why, jest as naterally as your nose happens to be your figger-head. The breath being out of the man, he becomes as heavy as lead—jest as the crust of a pot-pie becomes heavy the minute the air strikes it. Did you never " hear tell of dead-weight? Well, this is what is meant by dead-weight: the weight of a thing after it's dead!"
"Well, I declare, there is something in that," acknowledged the Danite who had answered to the name of Adder. "It looks reasonable, after all, for I've heard of dead men who turned en-tire to stun!"
"Something in it?" vociferated Tiger. "Of course there is. Jest heft him for yourself! Jest see, will you, how heavy he is ? Let's see ? he used to weigh, alive, a hundred and sixty pounds. We've seen him weighed often. Well, I’ll bet yon five dollars he now weighs, dead, over two hundred pounds!"
While musing this offer, Tiger jerked his share of the commander up and clown, estimating its weight, and Adder did likewise.
"Guess you're right, Tiger," at length re-sponded the latter. "I won't take the bet. He'd go two hundred and plenty to spare, I'm certain!"
"But see here, both of you!" bawled at this juncture the Danite who held the torch. " The Cap'n will be dead, if he isn't dead already, at this rate. Don't stand there a hefting of him in that manner, to see if he's dead-weight or not, but jest lay him down on that lounge, and we'll see whether he's a gone chicken or not!"
Tiger and Adder complied with this injunction, and the third Danite then advanced his torch close to the pale and bloody features.
"Thunder! he is gone!" he ejaculated.
"Told you so! Snowed it by the dead-weight!" exclaimed Tiger triumphantly.
“No, 'tisn't so," declared Adder, after a more particular examination of the sufferer. " His heart beats. He is still breathing!"
The interest of the trio in the matter deepened.
The floor of the cabin was so thin and so full of cracks that Harry could readily follow these remarks and movements by his sense of hearing.
"Yes, he lives," at length acknowledged Tiger reluctantly. "But he may die yet. Isn't that a death-rattle in his throat?"
"That a death-rattle!" sneered Adder, as a wheezing sound came from the throat of the unconscious sufferer. "That, let me tell you, is a snort of returning ferocity. The diagram of his trouble, as the doctors say, is visible to any one with half an eye, and in five minutes by the nearest clock or sun the Cap'n again be on the war-path!"
"I don't doubt it," agreed the torch- bearer, who had been quietly continuing his investiga-tions. ''But how terribly he is bruised and bat-tered! See here!"
He indicated with a touch the injury inflicted by the blow from Harry's lantern. This injury was as much a cut as a bruise, and had not only bled freely, as was to be expected of a cut, but was already exhibiting all the discoloration char-acteristic of a bruise.
"Tell you what, Buffalo," said Tiger to the torch-bearer. "We don't yet know all that has happened to the Cap'n. Didn't you notice all these other bruises and swellings, the minute he came back to us ?"
"Yes, I did," answered Buffalo. "And now let's have some water, Tiger. The first thing to do is to wash off the blood. Eh, Adder?"
"Them's my idee exactly," replied the worthy appealed to.
The explanation of the odd names that reached his hearing suddenly flashed upon Harry.
"I see," he mused. "When a man becomes a Danite, he drops his real name, and assumes the name of some animal or thing, so as to keep his identity perfectly concealed. Thus the two ruf-fians I shot back in the woods were called Bull and Bear, as 'Mountain Jack's girl' discovered, while listening to the conversation of their leader with them. And these three rascals are called Adder, Buffalo and Tiger, instead of by their real names."
While musing thus, his hearing had followed all the movements of the Danites, who had brought water and proceeded to bathe the face of their unconscious commander.
"That's the talk!" at length exclaimed Tiger, as audible moans came from the sufferer. "He begins to come to."
"Good!" returned Adder. "Now for that whiskey. It's time to fire up!"
A supply of the desired beverage was pro-duced in a bottle from the cupboard in one cor-ner of the room, and a liberal quantity was poured down the Danite leader's throat.
"Thunder! look out!" cried Tiger, holding his torch nearer to the sufferer. "You've poured enough of that whiskey wide of the mark to equip a man fully for the happy land of Can-yan. Give me the bottle. Such reckless ex-travagance makes me thirsty. Besides, what's food for the Cap'n can never be our p'izen!"
His companions assenting, he helped himself to a "stout pull" of the whiskey, and Adder and Buffalo lost no time in securing the same per-quisite.
"That's the hair-dye for me." said Tiger, as he returned the bottle to the cupboard. " The Cap'n 'll soon be himself again. Suppose we rub him?"
"Agreed," said his comrades in chorus.
They continued their task vigorously, en-couraged by increased evidences of returning animation.
In a few moments more, therefore, the Danite leader opened his eyes and his mouth simul-taneously—using the former to stare inquiringly around him, and the latter to give utterance to a savage curse.
"I am still alive, then?" he asked.
"Well, you make out to be," replied Tiger.
"And where's Osburn?"
"Fled down the mountain!"
"Fled? Help me up!"
Adder and Buffalo assisted their leader to a sitting posture, and he surveyed them angrily.
"Fled?" he repeated. "And three of you standing here with rifles levelled at him! Why didn't you shoot him?"
"Because he held you up as a shield between him and us," explained Tiger. "The lantern went out when he hit you with it, and we was left in total darkness, so that we couldn't even see where he was."
"And then?"
"Why, he said if we stirred a step from our tracks he'd put his knife through you!"
"Reason enough, that, for not stirring," com-mented the Danite leader. "Reason enough for letting him go. I don't blame you an atom. But how he did sell us!"
"Utterly!" groaned Tiger.
"Stunningly!" roared Buffalo.
"And who is he?" demanded Adder.
"Where did you meet him?" inquired Tiger.
"And how came these horrible bruises on your head?" asked Buffalo.
And where are Bull and Bear?" queried Adder.
The Danite leader groaned at the picture all these questions presented to his mental vision.
"A drink!" he ejaculated.
He was promptly supplied with the bottle that was to be found habitually in the cupboard. When he asked for "a drink," there was only one sort of fluid in the universe that answered to his requirements.
"Such times as I have had!" broke out the Danite leader, after drinking. "To begin with, Bull and Bear are both dead!"
"Dead, Cap'n Mornington?" cried Tiger.
"I have said it. Both dead, and by the hand of this same young Gentile!"
A shower of wondering exclamations followed on the part of the three Danites.
"Hold on, all of you," enjoined the Danite leader, "and I'll tell you all about it. This Os-burn is the very fellow I went down toward the Big Creek Kanyon to meet, in accordance with Elder True's wishes. I need not go into all the details of my encounter with him. It is enough to say that a lot of his friends came to his assist-ance, and Bull and Bear were both killed at their first fire. I succeeded in making my escape, but my horse stumbled, just as I reached the Corner, throwing me over his head and leaving me sense-less in the road."
"Ah! that's how you got these other bruises?" exclaimed Adder.
"Exactly. And while I lay unconscious in the road, this young Gentile came along, it seems, and set himself to bringing me to. I knew him of course, the minute my senses came back to me, and I instantly resolved to entrap him. I accordingly told him that my leg was broken, and begged him to let me ride on his horse up to this cabin. I told him that an old hermit named Upley lived here, and so on. But you have seen the result of all that business. The young cub was not taken in by me. Doubtless he hoped to do just what he has done. Are you sure he's gone on to the city?"
"He's certainly gone in that direction."
"Well, we must pursue him instantly. You, Tiger, close the door and windows and saddle three of the horses immediately. The one I had is dead, having tumbled into the ravine at the Corner at the moment of the accident. You, Adder, bring me something to eat right away, for I feel as thin as a wafer."
"What 'll you have, Cap'n?" asked Adder, as Tiger took a lantern and started for the stable appertaining to the premises.
"No matter what—anything handy."
"Tell you what, Cap'n Mornington," said Adder, "I can brile you a bit of cub-steak over some pine cones in about two minutes, if you won't mind the pitch flavor. You oughter have something warm—"
"Well, hurry," interrupted the Captain. "You, Buffalo, bring up the steak, while Adder lights the fire."
The thrill these few words gave Harry can be imagined.
That little word "up" told him that Buffalo was about to descend into the cellar.
Grasping his lantern in his left hand and draw-ing his revolver with the other, he moved away from the ladder, feeling his way among various boxes and barrels, until he came to the wall at one side of the cellar.
At this instant the trap in the floor was raised, and Buffalo, torch in hand, began descending the ladder.
Availing himself of the first few rays of light that illuminated the scene from the torch, Harry threw himself prostrate, without noise, into a vacant space behind a row of barrels, and re-mained perfectly quiet.
A few moments of the keenest anxiety fol-lowed, and then Harry, peering from his con-cealment, was gratified to see that Buffalo was I at the opposite side of the cellar, oblivious of everything except the nice steak he was in the act of cutting from a cub killed a day or two previous.
And the next instant, having secured the de-sired morsel, the Danite took his departure, as-cending the ladder, and closing the trap behind him.
"A lucky escape," said Harry to himself, as he arose from his place of concealment. "He'd have certainly seen me if the carcass had been hanging at this side of the cellar."
Dismissing the whole episode from his mind, with the ease of one accustomed to danger, he resumed his seat on the bottom round of the ladder, and again listened to the movements and conversation of the Danites above him.
Nothing was said, however, except in regard to the immediate business in hand, until the commander's supper was ready, and he had begun to discuss it.
"I've an idea, boys," he then said reflectively.
"What is it, Cap'n Mornington?" asked Buf-falo.
"Captain Mornington?" said Harry to himself. "That's the third time I've heard his men call him by that name. Is it really his name, or is he really Porter Rockwell after all, and is Morning-ton an assumed name, just as Buffalo and Tiger and Adder are the assumed names of those other ruffians?"
While Harry was thus musing, Captain Morn-ington had cleared his throat, and he now re-plied :
"Well, I have an idea that Mountain Jack is going to fit up a Gentile hermitage at his house, as a sort of counterbalance to this crib of ours! I noticed, as I rode past this afternoon, that he is digging a large cellar."
"Well, why shouldn't he?" inquired . Buffalo. "The difficulties between the Mormons and Gen-tiles are all the time increasing, and since we have seen fit to establish a Look-out here, for the good of the church, why shouldn't Mountain Jack es-tablish one in the mountains in the interest of the Gentiles?"
"True, why shouldn't he?" muttered Morning-ton. "But, also, if you please, why shouldn't we keep an eye on the fellow, and if he is really trying to run opposition to our little business, why shouldn't we go over there, one of these fine days, and pitch his house into the Big Kan-yon, and Mountain Jack himself with it?"
"Exactly, and that's what we oughter do," de-clared Adder.
"And that's what we will do," affirmed Morn-ington emphatically. "I've long had a grudge against that fellow, and if I once catch him stir-ring our pudding, I'll make an end of him, you may be certain!"
Here there was a brief interval of silence, while Mornington busied himself with his sup- per.
"And so this place is a sort of 'Look-out' for the Danites, in the interest of the New Zion, is it?" mused Harry. "This is a good point gained. I thought I should pick up a little valuable in-formation by hiding here, and I have, sure enough."
"Let's have another drink, Buffalo," suddenly exclaimed Mornington.
The order was promptly obeyed.
"And now I am all ready for a start." declared the Danite leader, arising from his repast. "Your steak, Buffalo, has put new life into me."
The barking of a dog was heard at this junc-ture, just without the cabin.
"Hallo, boys! What's that?" exclaimed Morn-ington.
"I'll see, sir," answered Buffalo, as he pro-ceeded to throw open the door.
The sounds of a horse's hoofs instantly re-sounded on the hearing of the Danites, and were soon followed by the footsteps of a man, who threw himself from his saddle, the moment the horse came to a halt, and came hurrying into the cabin, lighting his way with a lantern.
"Hallo, Hilber," cried Mornington, advancing to meet the new-comer. "You look excited. What's up?"
Every point of this greeting, as well as every feature of the new-comer's aspect, showed that he belonged to the band of men of which Morn-ington was the chief. He was, in fact, Morning-ton's lieutenant.
He was not more than three and twenty, but was a picture of strength and agility, being fully and finely developed, and was even formidable of mien, having that ready, reckless courage which is a prominent characteristic of the out-laws of the border. He was armed, of course, with the usual knife and revolver.
"Well, I'll tell you why I'm ruffled," he said, making a gesture to Buffalo for the bottle that personage had been in the act of returning to the cupboard. "A certain Harry Osburn—"
"We know all about him," said Mornington, as Hilber interrupted himself to take a drink. "The said Osburn has been here."
"Has been here?" demanded Hilber, wiping his mouth. "Do you mean to say that he is gone?"
"Yes, he escaped us."
"And you suppose that you know all about this Osburn?"
"Why, of course," replied Mornington. "There's nothing particular to know about him. He's a young fellow from the East—a Gentile, of course. He's come out to Salt Lake City to marry the daughter of Dr. Burton. But Elder True wants to add the girl to his household, and so he made us certain propositions tending to rid him of the rivalry or trouble of the young man's presence."
"And this is all you know about him?"
"Certainly. Is there anything more?"
"As you shall hear," declared Hilber excitedly. "This Harry Osburn is an ex-Major of cavalry and an ex-Colonel of infantry.''
"Thunder! is that so? He said he'd been an officer. He looked it! He acted it out, too, you bet! He has made a good beginning!"
"But what I am getting at," resumed Hilber, "is Osburn's present business—the business that has brought him to this quarter!"
"Well, what is it?"
"He has been sent here by the President."
"By President Young?"
"No, by the President of the United States."
Mornington and his men echoed the words in chorus, in great excitement.
"He has been sent here on a secret mission," continued Hilber. "He has been sent here to investigate the whole situation of affairs in Utah. He has orders to visit Brigham Young and everybody else—to hear all sides of the story—and to make a report to the President, as to the best way of getting rid of the whole Lat-ter-day Saint problem."
"But how do you know this?"
"A messenger has just arrived at Big Creek Kanyon station, on his way to the city, with a letter from the Mormon agent in Washington to President Young. Here is the letter in ques-tion," and Hilber produced a formidable looking document from his breast pocket. "I told the messenger, who is new to the route, that I could get through the mountains in this Egyptian darkness better than he could, and he will ac-cordingly remain at the Big Creek station until morning. But we, Mornington, as you can see at a glance—we have got a job here that must be attended to instantly! This letter must be de-livered immediately! And this Harry Osburn must be looked after! If it should turn out that he has really been sent here, as a spy in the Gentile interest, we must seize him at all haz-ards! He will be worth his weight in gold to us!"
At this moment Harry heard a furious bark-ing so near him that he started—a barking close to the edge of the trap-door leading to the cellar.
The dog which had arrived with Hilber, and which had been snuffing about the cabin, had detected the young Gentile's presence.
"Hallo, boys! what ails the critter?" ex-claimed Buffalo, as the animal redoubled its barking at Harry's involuntary movement. "What ails him?"
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
