Part 42 (1/2)
Poleon felt the girl's hand upon his ar in a hard, sharp voice:
”He needs killing! Put hientle Necia, and saw the loathing in her face and the look of strange ferocity as she met his eyes boldly
”You don't knohat he--what he did,” she said, through her shut teeth ”He--” But the , and scraered down the bar As Poleon overtook him, he cried out piteously, a shrill screarovelled and debased hiony dispelled the savage taint of Alluna's aboriginal training in Necia, and the pure white blood of her ancestors cried out:
”Poleon, Poleon! Not that!” She hurried after hi for her ”You mustn't!” she said ”That would be murder, and--and--it's all over now”
The French this sudden leniency
”Let hih” Whereat Runnion, broken in body and spirit, began to beg for his life
”Wat's dat you say jus' now?” Doret asked the girl ”Was dat de truth for sure w'at you speak?”
”Yes, but you've done your work Don't touch hiain”
He hesitated, and Runnion, quick to observe it, added his entreaty to hers
”I'm beaten, Doret You broke me to pieces I need help--I--I'm hurt”
”W'at you 'spec' I do wit' 'im?” the Canadian asked, and she answered:
”I suppose we'll have to take hiet assistance”
”Dat skiff ain' carry all free of us”
”I'll stay here,” groaned the frightened man ”I'll wait for a steaain!”
Poleon looked him over carefully, and made up his mind that the man was more injured in spirit than in body, for, outside of his battered eur was slower to anger than a child, a grudge never died in hiiveness for suchlanced towards the wooded shores a stone's-throw above, then back at the coward he had beaten and whose life was forfeit under the code There was a queer light in his eyes
”Leave hio away, you and I, in the canoe, and the first boat will pick hiht not prevail; but he was bent on brushi+ng away a handful of hungryday, had ventured out on the river His face becarunted ”We lef 'ih roo; but he's seeck man, so mebbe I feex it him nice place for stop till dem boats coh all right,” begged Runnion
”Better you camp yonder on de point, w'ere you can see dose steamboat w'en she comes 'roun' de ben' Dis is bad place” He indicated the thicket, a quarter of a mile above which ran out alet feex”
Runnion shrank from his proffered assistance half fearfully, but, reassured, allowed the Frenchman to help him towards the shore
”We tell it de first boat 'bout you, an' dey pick you up You wait here, Necia”
The girl watched her rescuer guide Runnion up to the level of the woods, then disappear with hie upon the river-bank again farther on, for she had feared for an instant that Poleon er, however, for he was crashi+ng through the brush in advance of the other, who followed laboriously Once Runnion gained the high point, he would be able to conals to attract the first stea
Without doubt a craft of some sort would pass from one direction or the other by to-morrow at latest, or, if not, she and Poleon could send back succor to him from the first habitation they encountered The two un to prey on her a second ti a bit, apparently to be rid of the mosquitoes that swar himself with a handful of blueberry bushes, he wore Runnion's coat to protect his shoulders