stream behind the tent, but only Hunk and Cora knew exactly where and there was no time to look for him now. He could only hope the black would panic in time and tear himself free before the wall of water struck.
The bounty hunter dug in his toes and ran as he had never run before in his life. The wall of water was so close he could see its top crested with foam and littered with debris. He hurdled the little mountain stream, not yet swollen by the flood waters, and raced on with the speed of desperation.
Shadrach had reached the slope and was looking back, gesturing violently. His mouth was open in a yell but his voice was lost in the deafening roar of the flood.
Elmer, the lion, bounded past the hunter, uttering his coughing roars. He raced up the slope past Shadrach and vanished over the rim. A moment later the black horse pounded past, dragging a broken willow branch to which the reins were still tied.
The hunter was at the foot of the slope and hurling himself upward. A scant fifteen feet would put him safely above the flood. He was almost in the clear when the wall of water slammed into his p istoning legs with the force of a rock slide. He staggered, off balance, and would have fallen if Shadrach had not reached down to catch his wrist and haul him clear of the clutching current. Above the thunder of the flood, he heard a faint rending crash as the wall of water struck and demolished the wooden stage.
He threw himself down, gasping for breath. On the opposite slope he could see Dandy and the others, safely above the torrent. Down below, the trapeze, anchored by its guy wires, was still standing. As he looked, the dressing tent tore loose and was borne downstream, with two of its corner poles still tied on and trailing behind like the legs of a swimmer. Ahead of it, Dandy's bass drum was bobbing headlong in the lead. A large black object suddenly popped up behind the tent, turning over and over in the rushing current.
The hunter yelped, " The coffin! "
He leaped to his feet and the two raced downstream in wild pursuit. On the far slope, Dandy had also seen and recognized the object He was galloping in pursuit waving his arms.
Up near the rim of the gully, Apachito and his band had reined in to watch the flood. They, too, saw the coffin and spurred the horses into a chase, yelling crazily. Angling down close to the flood they quickly caught up.
Their horses could stay abreast of the speeding coffin, but the three men on foot were hopelessly outpaced. They could only stumble on, watching the coffin dwindle to a speck and then disappear in the distance.
Shadrach stumbled to a halt, gasping, "We'd better—stop — for a—breather."
He dropped to the ground and the hunter sank down beside him. Across the gully, Dandy staggered up abreast of them and dropped as if he had been slugged. Shadrach was the first to recover his breath.
"You've probably done as many damn fool stunts in your day as I have in mine, but running to this side and letting the flood cut us off from our horses was the all-time prizewinner." He struggled to his feet. "I guess all we can do is keep plugging along and hope the coffin drifts over and grounds on this side."
On the far side Dandy dragged himself wearily erect and cupped hands to his mouth to shout, "I've about had it. I can't keep on any further. You two keep going and good luck. I'm turning back to see how much of our circus gear I can salvage."
He waved and trudged wearily back upstream. The bounty hunter and his rival resumed their downstream course, driving themselves to a stumbling trot. There was no sign of either the outlaws or the coffin, which had maintained a tantalizing midstream course as long as they could see it.
"What if the coffin does drift to this side?" the hunter asked. "Have you thought about what we can do? If we try to drag it out of the water, Apachito's men can pick us off with their rifles. If we don't, they'll just wait for the flood to go down enough to
The bounty hunter dug in his toes and ran as he had never run before in his life. The wall of water was so close he could see its top crested with foam and littered with debris. He hurdled the little mountain stream, not yet swollen by the flood waters, and raced on with the speed of desperation.
Shadrach had reached the slope and was looking back, gesturing violently. His mouth was open in a yell but his voice was lost in the deafening roar of the flood.
Elmer, the lion, bounded past the hunter, uttering his coughing roars. He raced up the slope past Shadrach and vanished over the rim. A moment later the black horse pounded past, dragging a broken willow branch to which the reins were still tied.
The hunter was at the foot of the slope and hurling himself upward. A scant fifteen feet would put him safely above the flood. He was almost in the clear when the wall of water slammed into his p istoning legs with the force of a rock slide. He staggered, off balance, and would have fallen if Shadrach had not reached down to catch his wrist and haul him clear of the clutching current. Above the thunder of the flood, he heard a faint rending crash as the wall of water struck and demolished the wooden stage.
He threw himself down, gasping for breath. On the opposite slope he could see Dandy and the others, safely above the torrent. Down below, the trapeze, anchored by its guy wires, was still standing. As he looked, the dressing tent tore loose and was borne downstream, with two of its corner poles still tied on and trailing behind like the legs of a swimmer. Ahead of it, Dandy's bass drum was bobbing headlong in the lead. A large black object suddenly popped up behind the tent, turning over and over in the rushing current.
The hunter yelped, " The coffin! "
He leaped to his feet and the two raced downstream in wild pursuit. On the far slope, Dandy had also seen and recognized the object He was galloping in pursuit waving his arms.
Up near the rim of the gully, Apachito and his band had reined in to watch the flood. They, too, saw the coffin and spurred the horses into a chase, yelling crazily. Angling down close to the flood they quickly caught up.
Their horses could stay abreast of the speeding coffin, but the three men on foot were hopelessly outpaced. They could only stumble on, watching the coffin dwindle to a speck and then disappear in the distance.
Shadrach stumbled to a halt, gasping, "We'd better—stop — for a—breather."
He dropped to the ground and the hunter sank down beside him. Across the gully, Dandy staggered up abreast of them and dropped as if he had been slugged. Shadrach was the first to recover his breath.
"You've probably done as many damn fool stunts in your day as I have in mine, but running to this side and letting the flood cut us off from our horses was the all-time prizewinner." He struggled to his feet. "I guess all we can do is keep plugging along and hope the coffin drifts over and grounds on this side."
On the far side Dandy dragged himself wearily erect and cupped hands to his mouth to shout, "I've about had it. I can't keep on any further. You two keep going and good luck. I'm turning back to see how much of our circus gear I can salvage."
He waved and trudged wearily back upstream. The bounty hunter and his rival resumed their downstream course, driving themselves to a stumbling trot. There was no sign of either the outlaws or the coffin, which had maintained a tantalizing midstream course as long as they could see it.
"What if the coffin does drift to this side?" the hunter asked. "Have you thought about what we can do? If we try to drag it out of the water, Apachito's men can pick us off with their rifles. If we don't, they'll just wait for the flood to go down enough to
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