The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-02-17
ITO THE VILE DUST"
Continued from Wednesday,

muir OF lear ana Drancn, WITHOUT u
sound from bird or beast TO break its
soothing monotone, the two men lay
down within a few yards, though out
of sight of each other And for a
time all was very still.
Then Vanheimert rose slowly, with.
out n sound, and came on tiptoe to the
other tent, his right hand in the pocket
| where the bandanna handkerchief had
been but was no longer. He came close
up to the sunny side Of the tent and
listened vainly for a sound. But Sting
aree lay like log in the shade on the
far side, his face to the canvas and his
straw sombrero tilted over IT. And so
Vanheimert found him, breathing with
the placid regularity Of sleeping
child.
Nanhelmert looked about him; only
the ring of impenetrable trees and the
| deep blue eye of heaven would see
what really happened. But as to what
exactly was to happen Vanheimert
| himself was not clear as he drew the
revolver ready cooked; even he shrank
from shooting a sleeping man. What
| he desired and yet feared was sud
den start, u semblance Of resistance, n
swift UNSUITABLE shot. And as his
minds eye measured the dead man at
his feet the live man turned slowly
| over on his back.
1t was too much for Vanheimert's
nerves The revolver went of in his
hands. But 1t was only a cap that
snapped. and another and another, as
he stepped back, firing desperately.
| Stingaree sat upright. looking his
| treacherouS enemy in the eye. And
when the sixth cap snapped as harm
lessly as the other five Vanheimert
caught the revolver by its barrel to
throw or TO strike. But the raised arm
was seized from behind by HOWE. who
had crept from the scrub at the snap.
ping Of the first cap; at the same mo-
ment Sungaree sprang upon him. and
In less than minute Vanheimert lay
powerless, grinding his teeth, foaming
and bleeding at the mouth.
The bushrangers' action was silent,
swift, concerted. prearranged. They
dashed their prisoners wrists together,
dashed his elbows to his ribs, hobbled
his ankles and tethered him to n tree
by the longest and the stoutest OF their
many ropes. The tree was the one
under which Vanheimert had found
himself the day before.
when we came upon you yester-
day morning In the storm one OF us
was for leaving you to die In your
tracks" began Stingaree. He was Inn
mediately Interrupted by his mate.
THAT was mel" cried HOWE. with
savage satisfaction.
1T doesn't matter which OF us It
was" continued Stingaree, 1.-THE other
talked him over. We put you ON one
Of our horses, and we brought you
more dead than alive to the place which
no other man has seen since we took
fancy to It, We saved your miser-
able life, l won't say at the risk Of
our own, but at risk enough even II
you had not recognized u.s. We were
going to see you through, whether you
knew us or not; before this we should
have set you on the road from which
you had strayed. / thought you must
know us by sight, but when you de-
MED 1t l saw no reason to disbelieve
you. II only dawned on me by de-
grees that you were lying. though
HOWE here was sure OF It.
Il still couldn't make out your game
If 1t was funk | could have under
stood it--so / tried to get you to own
up in the night. | let you see that we
didn't mind whether you knew us or
not and yet you persisted IN your lie.
So then l smelled something deeper
But We had gone out OF our way 10
save your life. Ii never struck me that
you might 90 out OF your way to take
ours"
II never meant taking your lives"
muttered Vanheimert. 81 meant tax.
Ing you, as you deserved"
I'VE scarcely deserved It Of you. But
that is a matter OF opinion As for
taking us alive, no doubt you would
have preferred TO do so II II had seem.
ed equally safe and easy. You had not
the pluck TO run single risk. You
were given every chance. I sent HOWE
into the scrub. took the powder out OF
six cartridges and put what anybody
would have taken for loaded revolver
all but into your hand. / sat at your
mercy, quite looking forward 10 the
sensation OF being stuck up for
change. II you had stuck me up like a
man." said stingaree, you might have
lived TO tell the tale.
you tried 70 shoot me In my sleep"
said stingaree speaking slowly, with
intense articulation. That's your