Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-01

Here ne slept LOT hours, yet uTestllleu
but one dream-of baying dogs and
cantering hoOfs. When he awoke, the
first sound was actually audible, but
far away and growing fainter 1t pass
ed altogether, and he fell asleep again.
Awakng Il second time, he found the
stars back in the sky but as yet no
moon. And Tom was deadly faint for
lack of food.
Also his wounds were so stiff that he
could scarcely stir, every movement
causing him pain. Yet he struggled up
and tottered east. with those five fixed
stars shining feebly upon his wan
right cheek and haggard profile.
How long this continued Tom could
never tell 1t might have been hours
later or only minutes that seemed like
hours when the climax came. All he
, ever knew was that his head was by
this time very light. and that the moon
was no higher than the trees when it
shone upon the stray wether bleating
| piteOusly in his path, which was to
stand out terribly in his mind ever
after. Yet up to that moment forty
| hours fast had been broken but once
with sandwiches. 1t was either this or
| lingering death.
The moon won clear of the trees. 1t
shone into the glutted eyes and on the
! blood caked mouth and fingers of as
| desperate and abandoned Il young con-
! Wet as the settlement contained.
He pushed on now with new and
| dreadful energy. He thought he smelt
| the sea. The country, however, was
| still we'll timbered, and instinctively
| rather than with conscious precaution
| the fugitive made his line where the
| trees were thicleSt. He was now
steering jealousy by the moon. with
his head thrown farther back the high
er it sailed. Thus it was that little
later he tripped and staggered without
seeing what it was that had caught his
foot. but 1t felt peculiar, and after 4
moment he turned round. stood still
and went back.
1t was the dead body of a man.
The body had not rag upon it.
Tom knelt to examine it by the
moonlight, and cold thrill ran down
him. which he resented when he had
1
| something human in him yet.
The body was that of very swarthy
man, with wonderful white teeth. upon
which the moon sh0ne and glistened in
| the ghastlieSt manner, and pierced
! ears, from which the earrings had
j been brutality torn. and a chapfallen
blue chin. Tom thought the man had
not been many hours dead. What
puzzled him was the apparent absence
of Il mortal wound where the other
evidences of foul play were so glar-
ing. When found. however. the wound
itself puzzled him much more. 1t was
at the back of the sunburnt neck and
might have been bullet wound. but
Tom had never seen one before. nor
would he have expected a bullet to
drill hole so clean and round.
He now behaved as though he had
been tripping over murdered men all
his life He had not only recovered
his composure; he was able to glory in
1t as a sign that his heart was dead
after all and 50 past bleeding for any
thing or anybody any more. At this
moment he raised his eyes. and his
new found composure was at an end.
A light flashed through the trees into
his eyes-a tongue of flame from some
campfire.
Tom listened. No voices reached his
ears save those of the nocturnal bush
The fire was farther off than he hat
thought.
He got up and first walked. Their
crept toward the light. The colony
was infested with bands of bushrang
; ers. What If here were one and thi:
! corpse their handiworkf Now Ton
> thought of it, one particular and mos
> notorious band had been depredatini
this very part of the country ever since
1 the new year. He had heard enviou:
reports of the villains in the convicts
huts at Castle Sullivan. and especially
> had he heard of their terrible italian
chief. said to be an outlawed brigant
{ come to seek fresh fortunes in New
South Wales. OF the merciless ferocit!
Il of this free alien the most horrlfyin:
stories were afioat. Yet the worst o
: these but feebly expressed one whit
shot men from behind. stripped thei
corpses and tore the very rings from
their ears.
, Tom crept near the Ere in persona
fright curiously exhilarating in its in
tensity. He might almost have been
free man once more. worth robbine
worth numbering for his money. Th
novel sensation brought back a mo
meutary Whit of unconscious self re
I spect 1t was just the little though
s of having a life worth taking one
y more. OF being anything to anybod
/ but a beaten dog, and it came an
:; went and was forgotten in the sam
|. moment.
The next he was gazing on curiou
scene, and his fears were also at a
end.
In the light of the campfire four me
, were sitting solemnly at whist. an
three faces more innocently intent-fo
the fourth was turned the other way
Tom had never seen in his life. o
. his left sat long limbed striplin
whom the others addressed as Slippe