The Adair County news., 1921-12-06

but she leaped aside, lodged the 9TH
er SlOw-fOOt, and thrust a drill at
Lund, who grasped it with a cry Of
exultation, swinging 1t over his head
as If it had been a bamboo. Hansen
had shaken off his men, and came
leaping in for the second drill.
The knife fell tinkling on the frozen
rock as Lund smashed the wrist of the
Finn. The girls gun made the second
would-be stabber throw up his hands,
while Hansen snatched his weapon,
flung it over the farther cliff, and
knocked the seaman to the ground
before he joined Lund, charging the
rest, who fed before the sight of them
and the threat of the bars of steel.
Lund laughed loud, and stopped
striking, using the drill as a goad,
driving them into a huddled horde,
like leaderless sheep, knee-deep,
thigh-deep, into the water, where they
stopped and begged for mercy while
Hansen turned to put finish to the
separate struggles.
1t ended as swiftly as it had begun.
One hunter could barely stand for his
kicked knee, Rainey's back was
strained and stiffening, Lund had lost
a handful of his beard, and Hansen's
cheek was laid open.
On the other side the casualties
were more severe. Deming was
drowned, his body flung up by the
tide, rolling in the swash. Beale was
coughing blood, though not danger
ously wounded. The Finn was crying
over his broken wrist, all the fight out
of him.
Lund took swift inventory, lining
them up as they came timOrOuSly out
of the water or struggled against the
cliff at his order Tamada had come
down from the fires. Peggy had told
of his share, and Sandy'S timely
shout. Lund nodded at him in a
friendly manner.
you're white man, Tamada," he
said. You, too, Sandy. I'll not for
get it. Rainey, round up these dere-
lictS an help Tamada fix 'em up. I'll
settle with 'em later. Hansen, put the
rest of 'em to work, an keep 'em
to it! Do you hear? They got to do
the work of the whole bunch"
Lund turned to the two hunters
who had stood apart.
"Wal, you yellOw-bellied neutrals,"
he said, his voice cold and his eyes
hard. Thought 1 might lose, and
hoped so, didn't you? Pick up that
skunk Beale an tote him aboard.
Then come back an go to work.
You'll git yore shares. but you'll not
git what's comm to those who stood
by. Now git out of my sight. You
can bury That when you come back"
He nodded at the sOdden corpse Of
Deming, flung up on the grit. You
can take yore pay as grave diggers
out of what you owe him at poker.
He amt goin' to collect. this trip
Rainey, lame and sore, helped Ia
mada patch up the wounded, turning
the hunters quarters into a sick bay,
using the table for operation. BeaIe
was the worst off, but Tamada pro-
nounced him not vitality damaged.
After he had finished with th";n ne
insisted upon Rainey's lying, face
down, on the table. stripped to the
waist, while he rubbed him with Oil
and then kneaded him. Once he gave
a sudden, twisting wrench, and Rainey
saw blur of stars as SOluethiA~
snapped into place with a citcx.
inly oil ,;,rh+
said Tamada.
you and Miss Simms turned the
tide said Rainey. If they'd got
these tools first they'd have finished
us in short order"
"FOOls!' said Tamada. Suppose
they kill Lund, how they get away:
No one to navigate. Presently the
gunbOat would find them. | think
Mr.. Lund will maybe trust me no.5."
he said quietly.
what do you mean?"
"Mr. Lund think in the back Of his
head l arrange for that gunboat to
come. He cannot understand how
they know the schooner at island. H.:
think to come JUS this time too much
curious, I think
at was bit of a coincidence"
Tamada shrugged his shoulders
slightly.
Il think Japanese government know
all that goes on in North Polar re-
giOn," he said. There is wireless sta
tiOn on WrangeIl island. We pass by
that pretty close"
Rainey chewed that information as
he put on his clothes, wondering if
they had seen the last of the gunbOat.
They would have to pass south through
Bering strait. It would be easy to
overhaul them, halt them, search the
schooner, cOnfscate the gold. They
were not out of trouble yet
When he went into the cabin to re-
place his torn coat-he had hardly a
button intact above the waist, from
jacket to undershirt-he found the
girl there with Lund. Apparently,
they had just come in. Peggy Simms.
with face aglow with the excitement
that had not subsided, was proffering
Lund her pistol.
keep it." he said. "YOu may need