Oswell opened the trunk, reached inside, withdrew one of the bayonet-tipped rifles, and looked at Lingham. “Get that rope.”
Nodding, the tall man went to his horse and from the saddlehorn pulled off a coil of rope.
The rancher shut the trunk, gripped the rifle by its stock, and thrust the blade at the lid. The point of the bayonet stuck into the wood, and he twisted the rifle around in two full circuits. Splinters crackled, and he withdrew the bayonet, leaving behind a hole that was a little over one inch in diameter.
Godfrey cut off a three-foot length of Lingham’s rope, tied a thick knot at the end, and put a second one just a little higher up on the line. Kneeling beside the trunk, he lifted the lid and threaded the cord through the nascent hole until it came to the first hitch, whic
