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Macdonald scooped away the snow and found a pack strapped to the back of the buried man. He cut the thongs and tried to ease it away. But the gunnysack had frozen to the parka. When he pulled, the rotten sacking gave way under the strain. The contents of the pack spilled out. The eyes in the grim face of Macdonald grew hard and steely.
Anything left by mistake in the pockets will be taken good care of, and, possibly, returned in the spring. Gunnysack Oleson, who lives eight miles north of the county line, will show you over the grounds. Please do not hitch horses to the trees. I will not be responsible for horses injured while tied to my trees.
Sally echoed, patting her hands against the bulging gunnysack her father carried. "Here's the car," Daddy answered, pointing to the sack. "You . . . sold it, Dad?" Dick demanded. "How much?" "Five dollars." Daddy's jaw tightened. "They called it junk. Well, the grub will last a little while. . . ."
After the grappling-hook had been attached to the rope, he dropped it into Big Creek from a large rock under the bridge that leads to town from Lonesome Park. He hooked his big fish at the fourth cast and worked it carefully into the shallow water. Roy waded into the stream and dragged the catch ashore. It proved to be a gunnysack worth twenty thousand dollars. Elder counted the sacks inside.
After they had passed him, he turned and followed in their tracks. Dingwell grinned across at Roy. "Some thorough our friends are. A bulldog has got nothing on them. They're hanging around to help me dig up that gunnysack when I get ready." The two men rode straight to the office of the sheriff and had a talk with him.
You had the gunnysack when you crossed the bridge. You didn't have it when Slim Sanders met you. So you must have got rid of it in that distance of less than a quarter of a mile. First off, I figured you dropped the sack in Hague's alfalfa field. But we've tramped that all over. It's not there. Did you meet some one and give it to him? Or how did you get rid of it?"
He gathered together all the carpenters, drillers, enginemen, and tool dressers in the vicinity and equipped them with shovels, picks, brush-hooks, saws, and axes. To each one he gave also a gunnysack. The foot party followed Crawford into the chaparral, making for the hills that led to Bear Cañon. A wind was stirring, and as they topped a rise it struck hot on their cheeks.
Bartley could discern nothing definite, even when Cheyenne pointed to a queer, blurred patch in some loose earth. "It looks like the imprint of some coarse cloth," said Bartley. "Gunnysack. They pulled the shoes off my hosses and sacked their feet." "How about their own horses?" "They been ridin' hard ground, and the tracks don't show, plain.
"Then you won't have another chance to get a mess of those trout you just 'dote' on." But he did not notice the sneer. "Oh, I don't know," he chuckled. "I'm going up to-morrow to try pretty hard." Thus was assurance made doubly sure, and I went back to my house hugging myself with rapture. Early next morning I saw him go by with a dip-net and gunnysack, and Bellona trotting at his heels.
I got to hustle back to Battle Butte and turn in this sack to the sheriff so as I can claim the reward. Hate to trouble you, Chet, but I'll have to ask you to transfer that gunnysack back to Teddy. He's through bucking for to-day, I shouldn't wonder." Sourly Fox did as he was told. Then, still under orders, he mounted his own horse and rode back with his former prisoner to the park.
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