Part 52 (1/2)

as they parried with their left hands. Finally the Friar grabbed Ty by the wrist, Ty grabbed the Friar's wrist at the same time, lowered his head, and b.u.t.ted the Friar in the pit o' the stomach. It looked bad; but the Friar had raised his knee and caught Ty on the chin; so they staggered apart and breathed deep for a minute, before beginnin'

again.

The grin had left Ty's face, and it had settled into black hate. When they began again, the Friar seized Ty's wrist every chance he got, twistin' it, bendin' the arm, and tryin' to thrust with his knife; but Ty was tough and wiry, and managed to twist out every time. At last the Friar caught Ty's right wrist, dropped his own knife, ran his head under Ty's right arm, caught the slack of his right pant leg, gave a heave and threw him over his head. It was a clean throw and the Friar stooped, picked up his knife and started for Ty before he had time to get to his feet. Ty rolled to his feet and dodged away as though to run, whirled, took the blade of his knife between thumb and forefinger, and spun it through the air. It struck the Friar's collarbone, cut a gash through his shoulder, and tw.a.n.ged again' the wall o' the tunnel.

The two men eyed each other for a moment, the calm of victory in the Friar's eyes, the red of baffled hate in Ty's. They were about eight feet apart. ”Will you give up?” asked the Friar.

”No,” sez Ty. He doubled up his fists as though to spring, then whirled and stepped into the offset behind him. In a moment, he came out with a gun in his hand.

As soon as he had said no, Pepper Kendal an' the c.h.i.n.k had made a dive for the offset, and Olaf and I had made a dive for them. I got Pepper who was old and stiff, and I managed to hit him in the center o' the forehead just as Ty came out with his gun. Olaf was havin' trouble with the c.h.i.n.k, and I picked up a gun and tapped Pepper on the head with it, and then turned to knock the c.h.i.n.k. Just as I turned, I saw the woman walkin' slowly down the tunnel behind the Friar, and I saw Ty bend his gun on him. Even then he had to pause a moment to enjoy his deviltry, and I still see that picture in my dreams-the Friar standin' silent and proud, with his head thrown back and his level eyes full on Ty, while back of him stood the woman as unconcerned as a snow-bird. About six feet beyond 'em stood Promotheus holdin' the light above his head, while his face seemed frozen with horror.

For an instant they stood like stone images. Then The lunged forward and caught Ty's arm, the lantern went out, I heard one clear report, and one m.u.f.fled one, and then I started for 'em. I b.u.mped into a heavy form, two naked arms went around me in a bear-grip, and we rolled to the floor. The candle in our offset had burned out; but I knew it was the Friar, 'cause his was the only smooth face among us. ”This is Happy,” I muttered, and we rose to our feet.

A struggle was goin' on beyond us, and I thought it was Olaf and the c.h.i.n.k; so I lit a match, knowin' that Ty would 'a' had plenty o' time to get away already. As the match burned up, I saw the c.h.i.n.k lyin'

stretched out, and Olaf and Ty locked together. Olaf had his leg wrapped around Ty's, and was bendin' his back. Ty's eyes were stickin'

out white an' gruesome, and he was gurglin' in the throat. Suddenly, somethin' cracked and they both fell to the floor o' the tunnel just as the match went out.

I heard hard breathin', and then Olaf's harsh voice came out o' the darkness. ”Well,” he said, ”I guess that squares things.”

”What's happened, what's happened?” asked a panting voice, and then I knew 'at Horace hadn't been able to stand it any longer, and had come in, game wing and all.

”We've settled up with Ty Jones-that's what's happened,” said Olaf; and as we stood there in the gloom, the drip o' the dawn came rollin'

cold and gray down the slant o' the tunnel; and I shuddered and turned away to find somethin' for my hands to do.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

THE GIFT OF THE DAWN

The first thing I did was to light the lantern, for the daylight which came down there was too much in keepin' with the conditions to suit me. Promotheus was doubled up an' holdin' his side; so the first thing I did was to ask him if he was bad hurt. The' was a smile on his lips, a regular satisfied, self-composed smile, but I didn't just like the look in his eyes.

”Nope, I don't ache at all, Happy,” he said in a firm voice; ”but I can't move much. Tend to the others first.”

It seems 'at Ty's first shot had hit the woman in the head, and his next had got The in the side-but The had managed to get the gun away from him, which is why the rest of us were spared.

The Friar had carried the woman into our offset, and was rubbin' her wrists and workin' over her, though the' didn't appear to be much use.

She was still alive; but that was just all, so I left them and examined the rest. Ty was all twisted out o' shape, and lay with his eyes open, gla.s.sy an' stary and horrible. Olaf hadn't had time to quite finish the c.h.i.n.k, and he was crawlin' down the tunnel when I nabbed him. Then Horace took the lantern while Olaf and I hog-tied Pepper Kendal and the c.h.i.n.k.

We next examined the cave-room where Ty had made his last stand. It was fair-sized an' well stocked, and also had half a dozen extra guns in it. When I saw these fresh guns, I gave a low whistle to think what a lot o' suckers we'd been to discard our own trumps and set in a game against a marked deck; but as the Friar allus said: ”Wrong feeds on death and Right feeds on life; so the' can't be no doubt as to the final result, even though things do look blue sometimes.”

There was a fine spring in the corner o' this room-the same spring which afterwards came out near the mouth of the ravine and was piped into the old cabin. The wounded Cross-brander was still babblin', so we fed him some water and eased him around a little.

Next we went outside and nailed some pieces to a couple o' light poles, and we were mighty glad to have enough left to man this vehicle when it was finished, for we were all purt nigh used up, Tillte, the two Simpson boys, and myself carried the litter, while Horace ran the illumination, and Olaf tended to Pepper and the c.h.i.n.k.

We took 'em all out, even to the dead; and the one at the foot of the stairs turned out to be the boy, just as I'd thought. Next to the woman, with the Friar walkin' beside her his head on his breast, this trip with the boy cut me worse 'n any. Promotheus got off three average good jokes while we were packin' him out, and cheered us up a lot; but we put Ty Jones down with the dead. As we straightened him out he gave a groan which made us all jump. The whole thing had become a nightmare, and we staggered about like the ingredients of a dream.

The woman's head was shattered on top an' the' wasn't any hope for her; but still, it gave the Friar comfort to work over her, so we acted as though we thought she had a chance. The nearest doctor was at Meltner's stage station, a full day's ride. Tillte went after him, while Dan Simpson rode over to his father's to break the news and bring back Kit. What with the prisoners still on our hands, the dead to bury, and the wounded to wait on, we were in chin-deep; and the worst of it was, 'at we didn't want the news to get out. We had tried to settle things without botherin' the law, and we preferred to finish that way if possible.

We buried the four Cross-branders across the crick and down stream from the lower ford, and we buried Tim Simpson just a little way above the upper ford. The Friar went along and helped dig the graves and carry them to it; but he didn't preach nor sing, and his face was drawn with sorrow.

By evenin' we had got things to some system. Spider, Tank, Slim, and Horace were able to help quite a little; but Oscar, Tom Simpson, and Promotheus were in bad shape; while we had seven prisoners, countin'