A Woman at Bay

ct than Nick Carter. Everything depended now upon the perfection whi

ang he was seeking. For the detective had determined in the beginning that the headquarters of the gang was somewhere in this vicinity. Everything in his first investigations pointed to that.

of the others soon after his arrival, had doubtless been repor

ating the impression in the mind of a possible observer that they were strangers to one another. He knew perfectly well that if a watch had b

ld make himself extremely dangerous on the instant should he choose to do so. And there was n

ng which each man studies the others. Suspicion is always the first impulse at such meetings. Their attitudes are exactly that of strange dogs which encounter each other for the f

t it requires only a few moments for them to determine whether they will be friends o

sly at the short pipe he was smoking; and so the others of his part

five minutes, and then one of the late arrivals cast aside

" he demanded, in an even tone,

ver to this question, and a

s the leader of thi

that their chief would answer if he considered it wise to do so; and Nick rem

self directly to Nick Carter, as being, doubtless, the

, didn't you?

you," was th

talk United St

u, if necessary," wa

ok like

none of your business-unless you sh

you think of that?" And then to Nick again: "W

shes of his pipe, rose slowly to his feet, and

, if necessary-and with guns, or knives, or fists, as you please. I come here, and I get into a tree and wait. Why? Because I have been told of this place, and that always there is somebody around here. I thought I would see who the somebody was before somebody saw me. So I get my

he instant Nick ceased speaking, the man to whom he had addressed his remarks drew back h

that treacherous blow. Even he might have done so had he not

epped in a manner that would have made Jim Corbett, in his palmiest day

effort, found himself seized in a viselike grip, raised from his feet, and hurled backward

ket in search of a weapon; but he did not draw it forth again, for h

didn't hurt you, when I might have

y as it had arisen, and he grinned as he slow

he knew that this stranger might have hurt him severely had he ch

ou pass," he said.

ohn by them as kno

me Handsome, by way of

y clasped hands for an in

these gaz

t, and beginning to refill his pipe. "If they ain't a

eeled upon

demanded, "and w

't make any difference whether you have or not. I'm the Chicken, all right; and it's Chick for short." Ch

. "The Chicken is dead. We

all right. Only it happens that it wasn't the Chi

as it,

slid under. The rest of the clothes didn't make no difference. They thought he was t

ng his hand a second time. "I know about you

ome. I reckon we'

turned to

handle, covey

around him after the manner of a man who is warming himself, until the faces of the others around him developed broad grins-and un

you, you loon

plied Ten-Ichi, now

ay so! Were

y that you should b

inned with

"What's your na

-Ten, for shor

at the wrong time. I would advise you not to do that. And you?" He turned now to Patsy, w

ll me Pat. If ye don't happen to like it, sure you can call me Tim, or Mike, or Shamus, or any old thing that suits

am. Who

that. He calls himself

d Ten-Ichi, lest unpleasant results should come of it. But it was evident that Patsy knew his ground, and had prepared for th

lly broke the silence th

andle-which isn't spoken lightly around

ess, it wouldn't hurrt ye any. Ye seem to be making of yerself a sort of highcockalorum elegantarium bosski. If ye tell m

and this time it was Nick

o's this other bunch? What I wan

eply. Then he wheeled quick

the chief. I'll take you to him. Th