Part 34 (1/2)
Doyle hesitated.
Brown's eye glanced down the barrel of his revolver:
”Quick!”
The man saw he had no chance.
He mounted the ladder, the revolver following him. The mother's terror-stricken eyes saw that each man was armed with two revolvers, a bowie knife and cutla.s.s.
”Don't you scare 'em,” Brown warned.
”I won't.”
”Tell 'em to come down and show us the way to Wilkinson's.”
”Boys!” the father called.
There was no answer at first, and the father wondered if they had heard and gotten weapons of some kind. He hoped not. It would be a useless horror to try to defend themselves before a mother's eyes, and those little girls screaming beside her.
He hastened to call a second time and rea.s.sure their fears.
”Boys!”
William, the older one, answered drowsily:
”Yessir--”
”Come down, all of you. Some travelers are here who've lost the way.
They want you to help them get to Mr. Wilkinson's.”
”All right, sir.”
The boys hastily slipped on their trousers and shoes.
”Tell 'em to hurry,” Brown ordered.
”Jest slip on yer shoes and britches,” Doyle called.
The Surveyor held the lantern behind his body until the three sons had come down the ladder and he saw that they were unarmed.
He stepped to the fireplace, took the shotgun from the rack and handed it to Weiner.
The boys, startled at the group of stern armed men, instinctively moved toward their father, dazed by the a.s.sault.
Brown faced the group.
”You four men are my prisoners.”
The mother left the trundle bed and faced the leader.