The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1921-06-16

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their lives they practiced the emotion:
hatred of their neighbors. hatred Of
law. hatred of civilization In all its
forms. Besides, this kind Of hfllman
habitually fought his duels with rifles.
Hands were not deadly enough.
But Dan was past his guard before
he had time to raise his gun. The
whole attack VS. one Of the most
astounding surprises of Cranston's life.
Dams body struck his. his fists failed,
and to protect himself, Cranston was
obliged to drop the rifle. They stag
gered. as If in some weird dance. on
the trail: and their arms clasped in
q clinch.
For long instant they stood strain
ing, seemingly motionless. CranstSn's
powerful body had stood up well under
the shock of Dams leap. It was a
hand-to-hand battle now. The rifle
had slid on down the hillside, to be |
caught in a clump of brush twenty
feet below. Dan called on every ounce |
Of his strength, because he knew what
mercy he might expect If Cranston
mastered him. The battles OF the
mountains were battles to the death.
They flung back and forth. wrench
ing shoulders, flashing fists, teeth and
feet and fingers There were no Mar
quis of Queensberry rules in this bat
tie. Again and again Dan sent home
his blows: but they all seemed inef-
fective. By now. Cranston had COM
pletely overcome the moments advan-
tage the other had obtained by the
power of his leap. He hurled Dan
from the clinch and dashed at him
with hard fists.
It is very common thing to hear
| Of silent fight. But it Is really a
| more rare occurrence than most peo-
/ Pile believe. It is true that serpents
will often fight in the strangest. most
eerie silence: but human beings are
not serpents. They partake more of
the qualities of the meat-eaters-the
| wolves and felines. After the first
instant. the noise of the fight aroused
the whole hillside The sound of blows
was in itself notable, and besides, both
Of the men were bowling the prim-
| ordial battle cries of hatred and ven
4 geance.
For two long minutes Dan fought
with the strength Of desperation. sum-
moning at last all that mysterious re-
serve force with which all men are
born. But he was playing losing
game. The malady with which he had
!. suffered had taken too much OF his
vigor. Even as he struggled, it seemed
to him that the vista about him. the
dark pines, the colored leaves OF the
perennial shrubb9ry, the yellow path
/ were all obscured in strange, white
i mist A great wind roared in his ears
and his heart was evidently about
, to shiver to pieces.
, But still he fought on, not daring to
> yield. He could no longer parry Grams
! tons blows. The latter's arms went
il around him In one Of those deadly
+ / holds that wrestlers know; and Oar
struggled in vain to free himself
Cranston's face itself seemed hideous
and unreal In the mist that was creep
ing over him. He did not recognize
the curious humping sound as Grams
, toms fists on his flesh. And nov
Cranston had hurled him off his feet
!. Nothing mattered further. He hal
: fought the best he could. This crue
beast could pounce on him at vii
and hammer away his life. But still
: he struggled. Except for the constan
: nlav Of his muscles. his almost IN
= conscious effort to free himself tina
kept one of Cranston's arms bus
holding him down, that fight on tn
: mountain path might have come to
: sudden end. Human bodies can stan
J. terrific punishment; but Dams wa
weakened from the ravages OF ri
disease, Besides, Cranston would 500
= have both hands and both feet free to
. the work, and when these four tel
= rible weapons are used at once, tn
= issue-soon or late-can never be
doubt
But even now, consciousness sti
fingered. Dan could hear his enemy
IL curses and far up the trail. he hear
kI another. stranger sound. It sounde
~ like some one running.
Il And then he dimly knew that Graz
ston was climbing from his bod
Voices were speaking quick. con
handing voices just over him. Abo'
Cranston's savage curses another voi'
rang clear, and to Dams ears. glorio'
beyond all human utteranee.
II He opened his tortured eyes. III
!? mists lifted from in front of them, ar
the whole drama was revealed. It hs
not been sudden mercy that had drive
Cranston from his body, just when q
victims falling Inconsistencies wou
have put him completely in his powe
u Rather It was something black a.
81 ominors that even now was point
ri souarely at Cranston's breast.
None too soon. ranger OF the
had heard the sounds of the strugg
kI and had left the trysting place at {
HG spring to come to Dams aid. It
y Snowbird. very pale but wholly Sc
SUFFICIENT and determined and intel
Her Distol was cooked and ready.