LET 'ER BUCK 



head against the iron railing. All but stunned, half 

 crouching, he reached for his gun. But his arm was 

 seized by Neil Hart, who dodged just in time a power- 

 ful swing of the bunch of keys by the gritty warden. 



Thud! Again a terrific blow crashed upon Marin's 

 head. Even then, unable to tie the hands or stop the 

 calls for assistance of the half -dazed but struggling 

 warden, it required the combined efforts of the prison- 

 ers to carry him to a nearby cell and throw over the 

 bolt. Taking no chance with such a desperate fighter 

 even though imprisoned, they left one man, Dick Pat- 

 terson, to guard him while four of them, Hart, Owens, 

 Rathie and Lingren having the keys, entered the 

 sheriff's office. Lingren lit out at once for fresh air. 

 Led by Owens and determined to escape at all cost, the 

 others immediately began ransacking the office. Re- 

 volvers were secured at once, but not the ammunition 

 which it had always been the sheriff's habit to keep 

 hidden. 



Papers, books, everything was being strewn all over 

 the place in their hurried search, and it was upon this 

 scene that Taylor and Guy Wyrick, a close personal 

 friend, unexpectedly entered, returning from their 

 ride. 



There was no time to draw a gun; Taylor grappled 

 Owens, the biggest of the three, and threw him to the 

 floor; while Wyrick, who was ably handling Hart, was 

 struck from behind by Rathie upon whom he turned. 

 The two men fell fighting to the floor. 



There, too, lay the sheriff's gun which had dropped 

 from his holster in his hand-to-hand fight. With a 

 bound Hart, now free, snatched it, and in response to 

 Owens' call to shoot, raised the gun. The sheriff, re- 

 leasing one hand from his grip on Owens', with re- 



46 



