or appointed officers of the law, you say? Uh-huh, but when the duly appointed or elected law officers fall down on the job, it’s up to somebody to take over. And that’s what El Halcón does. I’m for him!”
And so forth, and so forth, and so forth.
“Well, there’s Sam yelpin’ for us to come and get it,” said the G.M. “He’ll have something extra special tonight in your honor; he thinks a lot of you. He’s always quoting what the Mexicans say about you—‘El Halcón! the friend of the lowly, of all who are wronged or sorrow or are oppressed. El Halcón! the compassionate and the just!’ “
“Sam’s a fine person,” Slade replied, his eyes abruptly all kindness. “I am very fond of him.”
“But there’s always the chance of some trigger-happy deputy or marshal plugging you by mistake, to say nothing of a gun-slinger out to get a reputation by downing the notorious El Halcón, and not above shooting in the back to get it,” Dunn worriedly remarked.
Slade repeated his former careless remark, “I’ll chance it. Besides,” he added, “there are advantages in being El Halcón. Owlhoots who look on me as one of their own brand are apt to get careless. And as El Halcón there are avenues of information open that would be closed to a known Ranger.”
Dunn grunted, and didn’t look convinced.
Sam’s dinner fulfilled expectations and both railroader and Ranger did it full justice. After which they smoked over final cups of steaming coffee, with little to say, for both were pretty well worn out by strenuous effort and excitement.
Salde slept in the private car and awoke feeling much refreshed and, aside from a slightly sore back, was his normal self again.
“Mistuh Jim is already out on the job,” Sam said as he served his breakfast. “He said to let you sleep till you took a notion to wake up.”
“That was considerate of him,” Slade acknowledged. “I was a mite tuckered, having been in the saddle for about eighteen hours.”
“Uh-huh, and on top of that what you went through under that mess,” said Sam. “Man, oh man! That was something! You’d oughta been a lot more than a mite tuckered.”
Slade enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and after a cigarette and a chat with Sam, he sallied forth in search of Jaggers Dunn.
Everywhere he was greeted by smiles and nods and a waving of hands, the workers regarding him with the greatest respect.
A whisper was running through their ranks—“That’s El Halcón, the outlaw!”
“Huh, outlaw or no outlaw, he’s the bully boy with a glass eye for my money! If it wasn’t for him, Toby would have been a goner. Risked his own life getting under that sill and holding it up with the fire going like blazes over him. Don’t let Toby hear you say anything against him; he’s liable to take a pick handle to you.”
“I was just sayin’ what other folks say!”
“The devil with what other folks says! He’s okay.”
“Right!”
Locating the G.M., Slade found him with a clouded brow and a worried look.
“Things aren’t going right at all,” he growled. “The men are nervous and jumpy and fumbly. They hesitate to put a pick in the ground for fear of what might happen. Apprehensive about everything they do. And the work is suffering in consequence. Blankety-blank Plant and Jorg!”
Slade nodded without further comment; he was gazing southward, his eyes thoughtful. Dunn regarded him expectantly. He had learned to respect El Halcón’s silences, knowing that they usually presaged something important. He was not disappointed in the present instance. Slade abruptly turned to face him.
“A wild country down there,” he said, gesturing to the south. “Wild and rugged, but with great potentialities that will be realized with modern transportation. Cattle, wool, wheat, cotton, and other agricultural products. You used wise foresight in planning your line to Chihuahua City.”
“So I figured,” Dunn replied complacently.
“Of course you know,” Slade continued, “that the M.K. Railroad contemplates a line south and west from Del Rio?”
“Of course,” Dunn nodded. “Doesn’t bother me. They’ll be on the other side of the mountains and won’t encroach on our territory. No danger of them cutting in on our trade.”
“Perhaps,” Slade said. “Are you familiar with the country down there, Mr. Dunn?”
“With the survey line, yes,” the G.M. replied.
“Ever hear of the Cienaga Pass?” Slade asked.
“Why, no,” Dunn answered.
“The same applies to most people up here, and to the majority south of the Rio Grande, for it is not really a pass at all, being unapproachable from the east for horses or carts. It’s a canyon that runs right through the mountains, from east to west. As I said, it cannot be negotiated from the east, for it boxes on the east by perpendicular cliffs, not very high but unclimbable.”
“Then what good is the darn thing?” Dunn asked, although Slade was convinced that his quick mind had already grasped the implication.
“For nothing as is,” Slade replied. “But with modern excavation methods it would be no great chore to dig and blast an opening on the east. Then you’d have an almost water-level route through the mountains, not far south of the Rio Grande, and a straight shoot to tap the territory you hope to exploit.”
“And you think—” Dunn began, his eyes snapping.
“I rather more than think,” Slade answered. “As it happened, last year, before you revealed your intention of a line to Presidio and on to Chihuahua City, I was trailing a certain gent I thought used the canyon for a shortcut. I was mistaken in that, as I realized when I came up against the box end of the canyon. But,” he added impressively, “while I was in there, I saw stakes and other unmistakeable evidence that a survey line had been run through the canyon. Right then I was at a loss to comprehend what it meant. Wasn’t much interested, anyhow. Had other matters in urgent need of attention. But when I heard you had started this line and received the letter you wrote Captain Jim, I began to get an inkling of what it might mean, having already heard of the M.K. plans to build south and west from Del Rio. So you see it may not be either Jorg or Plant who is responsible for your troubles. You are familiar with the M.K. methods and know that ethics is just a word they may have noted in the dictionary. Beginning to get the notion?”
Dunn swore with explosive violence. “You’re blasted well right I am,” he growled.
“So,” Slade concluded, “you may have something in the nature of a railroad building race on your hands. The first to get through to Chihuahua will be in a position to negotiate mail, express and shipping contracts. Delaying tactics may well be in order, something you have encountered before.”
“Uh-huh, and a couple of times you pulled the fat out of the fire for me,” Dunn said. “Now you’ve really got me bothered, for I never knew anybody who could sum up a situation faster or more accurately. I’m afraid you’re right this time, too. Confound it! I can’t
