The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-11-09
Tile DIAMOND RIVER
CHAPTER XXu.-(Continuet
BY DAVID MURRAY

H.
at strikes me-" said Jethroe. 'those
natives are just blazing away from their
camp on the other side to keep their own
hearts up. I'll have a look out. Stay
here, and don't expose yourself"
With that he crawled silently away to
the top Of the hillock which sheltered
them. Everything was strangely quiet
for quarter of an hour, and at the end
Of that time he returned
There's nothing doing" he said, in a
tone Of complete Indifference. "But,"
he added in livelier fashion, Eve are
only just In time. These natives know
enough to tell stone when they see one,
and 1t stands to reason that they should
like to keep what they have found to
themselves"
But, surely" said Harvey, tits poor
tactics TO fire on everybody that happens
to pass this way without even inquiring
whether they guess or know anything"
Native tactics" said Jethroe, laugh
Ing. 1--WE been thinking" he went on
suddenly, ''that we might do a good deal
worse than get right on at once. We
should have very little more than half
dozen miles before us. These natives
haven't come across the real find yet, or
they wouldn't be wasting their time dig
ging holes up here. A single day may do
our business when we are once upon the
ground. If we start now, even If we
make detour of three or four miles to
keep out of sight of the enemy, we can
do half of it before the moon fails us.
What do you say to it?''
AS you will, SIR" said Harvey; 81 am
In your hands,"
Come on, them" said Jethroe. Just
tread on that fellow, will you? Twist
your toe well into his ribs, or you'll make
no impression upon him. That's right"
He addressed the half breed in his own
tongue, and the fellow got up and be-
gan to shamble sleepily about. Jethroe
himself did most of the simple work of
preparation, but Harvey assisted him in
lowering the white tilt of the cart, which
in the dazzling moonlight made an object
altogether too conspicuous for safety.
When all was ready, they set out on foot,
Jethroe leading, the half breed following
with the cart, and Harvey bringing up
the rear. One of the wheels of the cart,
which had from time to time complained,
began now to shrek in a most malignant
manner, as if it were alive, and were
bent at every revolution on procIaiming
the whereabouts of the fugitives to the
world. Harvey sweated with apprehen-
sion, but Jethroe came round In his i'm
perturbable way, chopped open a tin OF
boiled mutton with an ak, found fat
enough for his purpose, anointed the
creaking axle. and then went back to his
post Of leader.
The way he chose set his back to the
river for full mile. Then he began to
trend to the left at a wide angle. and,
after another mile, he arranged his
course to keep a parallel course with the
river bed, which, from the time of its
sudden dryness at the mountains edge
ran almost in straight line for as many
miles as it could be kept in sight. The
plain hereabouts was very level, and they
had easy going. No incident of moment
disturbed the march, and not a sign of
an enemy was detected. Once in the still
night air Harvey fancied that he heard
a clamor of far away voices, but the
sounds that dwell in silence were thick
and loud in his ears, and he could not be
sure that hc was not tricked by fancy.
The sinking of the moon put an end to
the journey, and they unhitched once
more. The half caste, it appeared, had
as purely animal-minded a faculty for
forgetting fear as he had for suffering
from it, and his last hand stroke was
barely over before he was asleep.
Get what rest you can," said Jethroe
to his nephew. "I'll take watch till day
light"
He settled himself IN his blanket
against the cart, and lounged there with
his blanket across his knees. Harvey
disposed himself close by at full length
and tried to sleep. But to be shot at for
the first time is an experience which
some men find exciting, and. in spite of
all he could do. his mind would insist
on reproducing for him the dash of the
first three shots and the yells of the
startled half caste, and then the STAN
peding mules and the wild race after
them. and a hundred little thoughts, SEN
sations and incidents which had passed
so swiftly as to seem unnoticed, though
now he found them indelibly stamped up
on his memory.
This fdgety state of mind fidgeted his
body, and, without knowing it, he turned
this way and that until Jethroe spoke
! to him.
Cant sleep, eh?'
"No," said Harvey; 81 never was
wider awake in my whole life"
"What are you thinking aboutT' asked
Jethroe. IF you can't sleep, I mustn't.
Let's have yarn. What are you think
ing aboutT
"wer." said Harvey. evading the ques-
ton little, "I've been thinking about
you, sir"
what about meY asked Jethroe.
1--WE been wondering why a man who
! already does not know what to do with
his money should live as you have lived
ever since I have known you for the
sake of more"
SWELL" said Jethroe, cts a question
I have asked myself sometimes. But is
It for the sake Of more? Now, that Il
the point when you come to think & over.
Am 1 greedy for money? Not a bit of
II. Power? That's another matter. BIT
i what's really my point here? I'm in my
right, and / won't be beaten. I'm one
of those who can't bear to be bluffed. nv
lad. / wouldn't anow myself to be bull
lied by a crowd Of cut-throat ruffians like
the Ezekiel gang What dye say? Might
better pay to let 'em have their own
way? You miss the point. 1t isn't a
question of how 1t pays when once you
get mans back up. It's question of
| the proper pride and the grit in his own
nature, Harvey. Here's a certain advan-
tage belongs honestly to me. Here's q
gang of rascals claiming a share in 1t
without q ghost of reason. Now, there's
only one thing can make me yield to