I went round to the back of the cabin and found
a hole dug under the floor, and piled against the corner wall a lot of
brush-wood and a can of kerosene. Some of the kerosene had been already
poured on the brush. Everything was ready to light, and only my coming
out an hour earlier had frightened the devils away. The idea was to set
the place on fire, suffocate us in the smoke of the kerosene poured into
the hole, and then to rush in and grab the treasure. It was a systematic
plan!"
"No!" said Demorest quietly.
"No?" repeated Stacy. "I told you I saw the whole thing and took away
the kerosene, which I hid, and after you had gone used it to fire the
cabin with, to see if the ones I suspected would gather to watch their
work."
"It was no part of their FIRST plan"' said Demorest, "which was only
robbery. Listen!" He hurriedly recounted his experience of the preceding
night to the astonished Stacy. "No, the fire was an afterthought and
revenge," he added sternly.
"But you say you cut the robber in the hand; there would be no
difficulty in identifying him by that."
"I wounded only a HAND," said Demorest. "But there was a HEAD in that
attempt that I never saw." He then revealed his own half-suspicions, but
how they were apparently refuted by the bravado of Steptoe and Whiskey
Dick.
"Then that was the reason THEY didn't gather at the fire," said Stacy
quickly.
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