Part 32 (1/2)

good now. It's all--all over with, an' you ain't helpin' her none a-settin' thar that way.”

The smitten man drew a deep breath, glancing up into the kindly, seamed face bending over him, and about at the surrounding darkness. He acted like one suddenly aroused from sleep, unable to comprehend his situation. Slowly, with all the tenderness of love, he crumpled his old hat into the semblance of a pillow, placed it upon the rock, and lowered the girl's head until it rested softly upon it. Gently he pa.s.sed his great hand in caress across the ruffled black hair, pressing it back from her forehead. He arose to his knees, to his feet, swaying slightly, one hand pressed against his head as he stared blankly into the faces of the two men.

”W-which way d-did he go?” he asked, almost stupidly. ”Th-the feller w-who told 'em ter f-f-fire?”

Old Hicks, his eyes filled with misery, shook his head.

”Back ter the 'Independence,' I reckon,” he admitted. ”Most o' 'em I saw started that way.”

Brown roughly jerked his gun from out its holster, holding the s.h.i.+ning weapon up into the starlight.

”No, he didn't; not that one,” he growled fiercely, his glance falling again upon the upturned features of the dead girl. ”I saw him out thar runnin' toward our shaft-hole; h-he's up t-ter more d-deviltry. Y-you take k-keer o' her.” His voice broke, then rang out strong. ”By G-G.o.d, I 'll git the murderer!”

He pushed past between the two, shouldering them aside as though failing to see them, and, with the leap of a tiger, disappeared in the night. Each man had caught a glimpse of his face, drawn, white, every line picturing savagery, and shrank back from the memory. It was as if they had looked upon something too horrible for thought. A moment they stared after him, clutching their rifles as though in an agony of fear.

Hicks first found words of expression.

”He 's gone mad! G.o.d pity him, he 's gone mad!”

Winston drew himself together sharply, one hand grasping the other's arm.

”Then leave it to him,” he said, quickly. ”Whoever did this deed deserves his punishment. Let us do what he bade us--look to the body of this poor girl.”

They turned back, dreading their task, moving still as though half dazed. As they advanced, a dark body just beyond suddenly rose to its knees, and began crawling away. With a bound Hicks succeeded in laying hands upon the fellow, and flung him over, face upward to the stars.

With gun at his head he held the man prostrate, staring down upon the revealed features in manifest astonishment.

”d.a.m.n me!” he cried, a new note of surprise in his voice, ”Winston, look yere!”

”What is it?” and the younger man pressed forward, his rifle ready.

”Ain't that Burke? Ain't that the same feller they had you pinched fer murderin'?”

The helpless man lying upon the ground frowned savagely up at them, a dirty bandage bound about his head giving him a ghastly, unnatural appearance. For a long moment the startled engineer gazed down at him in incredulity, unable to distinguish the features clearly, his own heart beating rapidly in suspense.

”I half believe it is. Are you Jack Burke?”

The man attempted a grin, but there was little of merriment in the result.

”Oi think loikely ye 're as liable as any wan to know. Ye 're the lad that put this head on me, but that other divil it was that broke me arm. Let me up from here. Begorry! Oi 've had 'nough fightin' fer wan toime.”

”Did you know I had been put under arrest on the charge of killing you?”

Burke grinned, this time in earnest.

”Divil a bit did Oi know anything about it. Farnham he tould me to keep d.a.m.n quiet in the bunkhouse, out o' sight, but whin they wanted for to set this fuse off, it seems Oi was the only lad that could do the job, an' so they brought me out here along wid 'em. It 's a busted head an' a broken arm Oi 've got for me share o' the fun. Be the powers, now, let me git up!”

The two men, watching him closely, exchanged glances.

”All right, Burke,” and Winston held up his rifle suggestively. ”You can get up, only stay close to us, wid no tricks. I want you, and I want you bad. If you make any break, there 'll be a dead Irishman this time sure. Is that you, Mike?”

”Sure, sor.”