The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-02-15
THE DRAGON SHELTER

, door. For Is seconds HAYES held his
back TO 1t with the strength of TT.
! tanwhile flsts and knives hammered
and smote from the outside.
The buccaneer gasped under tha
strain. jammed his fot into the ear
| buttressed tho quaking door with
arms and shoulders until II ratled
and splintered about his oars. Then
his eyes fell on tn molten metal in
the glowing. handled ladle resting
against the wall, A single step took
him across the smedting house TO the
red door OF the furnace. Snatching
! up the iron ladle, he pivioted nimbly
and faced the inrushing mob Of
, coolies.
Four Of their leaders fell head
first through the suddenly opened
door. checking for the moment the
wolf-like rush OF the mob. A plunge
Of the iron ladle into the crucible
brought up a brimming mass OF mol
ten metal. that was emptled In a
binding wave over the struggling
group In the doorway. A second
helping from the glowing crucible
was executed oven more deity, for
in the air 1t scattered In q tortuous
stream over their naked backs and
shoulders Up and out he cast tho
flesh eating metal, plying his ladle
with laughter and savage grunts.
Outside the frantic mob withdrew
to the shelter OF the sandhill and dis
cussed the situation.
One OF the leaders advanced to
within & few feet OF the door and
dropped a heavy, short-fused dynamite
rfr II 60o he fhrnChn1d
ing nimbly. he Joined his comrades,
and took his stand beside the piles
OF broken stones
The buccanecr leaned forward, half
hypnotIzed. and watched the slow
burning fuse eat its way slowly to-
wards the cartridge
Then, with a glance at the mob
falf concealed behind their stone heap
he leaped out. Snatched up the Smos
ing cnrtride and cast il in their midst
Its swift passage through the air
appeared 10 quicken the last throbbing
spark; deafening roar smothered
the howls Of dismay that went up from
the close packed coolies. A blade of
white flame seemed to cut the dark
ness about them. splitting the stone
| heap In fifty directions; the sobbing
roar Of It shook the smeltering house
To its foundations
Hayes poeped out. and the bittor
fumes OF dynamite blew back in his
face. Several indistinct forms moved
from the scattered stone heap moan
Ing. calling To each other In supplicat-
Ing voices Drops OF rain fell at his
feet: he glanced skyward instinctiyely.
AZ the moment a long arm shot out
from the rear by-tree-e Jagged stone
! struck him full on the brow Stag
gering forward. he pitched over and
lay almost In the doorway Of the
smelling house.
A couple OF bib-chested coolies crept
from the scrub shadows and stood over
him critically. The stone Is better
than the knife. Chung Lee. He will
not melt or steal our gold again. Look
how he has played With IT,"
Let us do what the barbarian
would have DONE" he said hurriedly.
"and escape to the coast. The men
who fight get the blows and the
scalds- We who know better get the
beautiful gold" He paused With the
brimming ladle OF metal poised In the
air reflectively. and glanced at the
motionless figure OF Hayes stretched
near tho door.
Three bars Of gold were run on the
earthen hoor, and the last dregs
ecraped from the furnace
When Emery returned, three hours
later. he found Hayes sitting inside
the smelling house. his hands pressed
over his eyes. The bcstswain's glance
wandered from the empty crucible 70
the huddle Of coolies outside.
'frs been q drawn fight, Capt" he
ventured dismally. "Everybodys got
a headache. It seemr."
Hayes rose with an effort bis lips
puchering trifle maiiciously. "a mnn
wants two heads to fight Cinnamon
With Emery. Tho one got 10 always
stopping pieces of flying stone"
They returned through the sand
hills and gullies to the schooner
Abort Darlington