Part 49 (2/2)

The' was also some chromos of naked stone images on the wall, which the Friar and Horace called mighty fine copies. They were purty well dumb-founded to find 'at Ty Jones didn't live as much like a bob-cat as they'd thought. Under the book shelves was a row o' locked drawers.

They stuck out farther than the shelves above 'em, and we wanted to pry 'em open to see what was inside; but the Friar wouldn't let us.

That was a wearin' day, and we were all glad when it finally dragged itself to the lake o' darkness, and dove in. We had our minds made up for a busy night, but waitin' for trouble is more crampin' to the soul than bein' in the midst of it, so we felt cheerfuller as soon as night actually settled down.

We didn't dare have a fire in the fireplace, for fear it would show 'em our loopholes, and we didn't care to advertise these any more 'n was necessary; but we set a lighted candle far back in the fireplace, to see to load by. The fireplace was across the southwest corner o'

the big room. There were no loopholes in the library, but we feared the light might leak through a c.h.i.n.k in the window shutter, so we didn't have any light there. We kept one man watchin' through loopholes in the bedroom, and two watchin' in the big room, and were able to cover the whole neighborhood.

The cook-shack was the nearest buildin', and only the two loopholes in the north end o' the bedroom covered that; so we decided to fling the library window open and fire through that, in case they made a rush from that direction. We knew they wouldn't be likely to start anything until after eleven, as the moon wouldn't set until then, so we stretched out on the floor, leavin' Oscar, Horace, and Spider on watch.

When a feller has been keepin' his attention wound up for several days, his mainspring finally gets strained, and the cogs in his head get to cuttin' up regardless. I managed to get a purty fair dab o'

sleep; but it seemed as though I dove straight out o' wakefulness into a dream, and it was some the rottenest dream I ever had. I dreamed that Ty Jones had come and stooped over me and asked me what I thought o' the way he had conducted his life. In a dream a feller is apt to do the foolest things imaginable, so I looked up into Ty's face and told him my true opinion. I sez to him: ”Ty, if your brains were blastin'

powder, they wouldn't make enough explosion to raise your hat.”

Ty didn't take kindly to this opinion; so he jumped into the air and lightin' on my face, began to trample it with his heels. The discomfort of this wakened me; but at first I didn't know I was awake.

Several men had been actually tramplin' on me, and the' was a general fight takin' place in that room which was hard to make head or tail of.

In the flickerin' candle rays, it was mighty bothersome to tell who from which; so the' was no shootin'. Aside from Ty and Pepper Kendal, we averaged bigger 'n they did, except Horace and Spider. Spider had length but he ran small in the arms and legs, while Horace was twenty-two caliber any way you looked at him. They abused Horace some consid'able, and he got kicked and trampled on purty liberal; but he was of terrier blood, and the second or third time he got kicked into a corner, he crawled out on his hands an' knees, picked out a pair o'

legs which was strange to him, wrapped his arms about 'em, and fetched their owner to the floor with a thump. I spared enough time to knock the feller on the head; and then Horace played his trick over again.

Olaf was a mad bull in a mix-up like this-Horace said he had beers.h.i.+rker blood in him, and this must be good stuff for it made Olaf grin when Horace accused him of it. O' course the' ain't much head or tail to such a fight, and in lookin' back on it, it's just like spurtin' the pages of a picture-book with your thumb and tryin' to observe the pictures. I saw the Friar leanin' again' the mantel-piece with a hurt look on his face; and it disgusted me.

In times o' peace, I respected his prejudice again' violence; but this was no time for foolishness, and I recall mutterin' to myself a wish that Horace might have the loan of his big body for the next half hour. I saw Olaf knock down two men with one blow, I saw The save ol'

Tank's life, just as a half-breed was about to knife him from behind; but for the most part it was just about as orderly a mess as a popper-ful o' corn over a bed o' coals.

The fight didn't last more 'n five or ten minutes. They had banked on surprisin' us; and when this failed they were ready to back out. I afterward found out that it was the Friar who had caught sight of 'em first, he not' bein' able to sleep.

Ty and Pepper Kendal were the last to leave the big room; and when their own men were out of it, they opened fire on us; we fired back, and when they backed into the library where the rest o' their gang had disappeared, we made a rush for 'em. I supposed they had come in through the library window, and I called for a candle, hopin' to grab Ty before he could get out.

Spider Kelley had already picked up the candle, and he had it in the doorway in a second. The big drawers at the bottom o' the bookcase were swung back, showin' a stairway behind 'em, and Ty Jones stood at the top with Pepper Kendal just behind him. I dove through the air, catchin' Ty's wrist with my left hand and his throat with my right, Pepper Kendal bent his gun on me, Olaf grabbed the gun which was fired just as The grabbed Pepper's arms. It looked to me as though the bullet must have gone into Olaf's head; but just then we tripped, rolled down the stairs and the imitation drawers swung to behind us.

All holts were broke on the way down, and when I reached the bottom, I lay as quiet as a frozen moonbeam. I heard steps runnin' away from me in the dark, and presently the legs of the man next to me moved, and he got up. I rose to a crouchin' position, held my arm above my head, and whispered, ”Who is this?”

For answer, I got a smash on the arm with the b.u.t.t of a forty-five which drove it down again' my head hard enough to bring me to my knees and wake up my horse-sense. I might 'a' known they'd have a signal.

I waited with my back again' the wall until the silence began to soak into my nerve. One o' my guns had got lost durin' the mess upstairs; but I still had the other, and when I closed my grip around it, it seemed like I was shakin' hands with my best friend. As far as I could discover I hadn't been shot; but several knife-cuts and bruises began to hum little tunes which wasn't in nowise cheerin'. I just simply don't like to be kept waitin' in the dark!

After a bit I reached my hand out cautious, and felt the heel of a ridin' boot. I examined as careful as though the feller inside the boot was a disguised bear-trap; but the' was no need. His neck was broke. I felt of his face, and it was soft and smooth. The face of the young feller with the boy's eyes, I had seen put to bed drunk that night at Skelty's, flashed across me, and I gave a sigh; but I had too much on my mind to turn soft, so I began to feel around again.

Presently my fingers struck the heel of another boot. I shut down on my bellows until the breath didn't get down past the top inch o' my neck, and I was as gentle with the heel o' that boot, as though it was a bitin' man's eyeball; because I sure felt a quiver in it. I slid my fingers up that boot a quarter inch at a time, and I didn't use no more rudeness 'n a mouse would use in tryin' to sneak a cheese piller out from under a sleepin' cat. When my fingers finally struck corduroy, I purt nigh gave a shout, for this was what Promotheus wore.

It allus embarra.s.ses a man to be felt over in the dark, so I took my time with The; but after locatin' both hands and his crooked mouth, I discovered he'd been knocked out complete. I rubbed his wrists until he began to moan, and then I pinched his nose until he was able to notice my name when I whispered. He had b.u.mped his head in fallin', and it made him sick to the stomach; so while he was gettin' tuned up again, I prospected around.

I crawled up the stairs but couldn't hear a sound, I scratched with my fingers, knocked softly, and pushed until my eyes began to hurt; so I knew 'at the only way out for us was to follow the Cross-branders.

Things had happened so sudden up above that I hadn't an idy as to how many were fightin' us; but I was still purty certain that a fair sized bunch had run out the tunnel just as I dove into it, and I didn't choose to b.u.mp into 'em in the dark.

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