St. Landry democrat., 1891-11-28
steal our gold, and you have got to leave
here at ODoa - saiI Ton1y

steal our gold, and you have got to leave
: here at once" said Jack.
ave are going to leave just as we told
you But, when you say we are murder
ers, you lieV' angrily answered Tomas,
partly turning to face his comrades to
have them verify his statement.
Almost before the words had left his
lips Jack reached out his left arm and,
throwing it around Tomas's neck, drew
him backward till the Mexicans head
lay on his shoulder. As he felt the
strangling grasp of the arm, Tomas
dropped his gun, and raising his hands,
tried to pull the arm from his throat.
His hand had hardly touched the arm
when long-bladed knife rose above his
face, grasped so tightly that the hand
| that held it, with its taut muscles and
tense knuckles, looked almost as white as
marble. For an instant the knife hung
in the air that the fierce eyes looking
down over the upturned face of the
Mexican might pick the surest place to
drive it into the throat, drawn so tightly
backward that one could see the arteries
throbbing beneath the skin. But only
for an instant, and then, so fast that it
seemed like a flash of light, it fell, and
entered the neck i'll the muscle just below
the left ear. For Il moment it stopped, |
and then, as the Mexican's arm reached |
out as if to push away the arm that held |
it, the knife was pulled from left to
right. AS it swept through the throat, |
the arm that had held the head backward,
that the knife might havea clean sweep,
was raised, and the man whose throat
had been cut stood alone. For an in
slant to those who had seen it, it seemed
like dream, and then, as in a moment,
the dark, brown face grew ashen gray,
as if a painter had drawn a brush across
it. Tomas caught with both hands his
throat, and from the cash across it,
through his tightly CLOSED fingers, squirt
ed jets of blood. At first slowly, as if
the hands were striving to hold within
the body the escaping life, and from the
lips came indistinguishable sounds, as if
pleading for help, while the eyes swept
the face of friend and foe imploringly.
Only for an instant, though. Then the
Jets of blood grew stronger as the
strength in the hands relaxed. The ewes
grew dim and CLASSY, and the body for
IN instant tottered, as if no longer able
70 stand erect. One or two steps, as if
)llndly striving not to fall even in death,
md then, as the hands stretch out, grasp
ng at the air, the blood that they have
leld back pours out in torrents and
Town, with the face into the dirt, goes
What was once Tomas, the hunter.
Both sides are on their feet now, and,
Us they stand, the Americans cover the !
Iexicans with their guns.
you had better go and go at once, .
nd leave your arms behind" says
lack. :
The Mexicans look at him for an in
tant, and then, with glance at the
oGy, they turn and start across the
esert. The Americans watch them un- ,
il they are out of sight
The next day, when the pack-train, {
hitch had been sent for has arrived,
nd has been laden with the gold, it is
riven down the trail by the can.p where |
ne body lies. 1t is still there, swollen
nd black from the heat of the sun, while
le coyotes have tapped up the blood
nd eaten the face away, until where it
nee was the white teeth and bones
listen in the sunshine The mules
lort with fear as they sniff the carrion
nell in the air, and, though heavily laden +;
18th gold, try in their fright to leave the Ii
arrow trail.
The men pause for an instant to look r,
the corpse. d
cold Tomas" one of them says; 81
ways thought him pretty square and
ther liked him. Maybe, after all, they
ally did intend to go home without try is
e to take the gold, as he said"
''Maybe they did, said Jack: "but we V,
uldnt take chances on any mans
nesty with all this gold on our hands" 81!
[San Francisco Argonaut. W,