The diamond drill., 1922-01-20


two; and with the gas-main thus shut
on, the air In the shafthouse soon be-
came bearable again, the hole we had
chopped through the floor serving as
yentilator through which the cool,
crisp night air came rushing In re-
vivifying blast
Our first care. after a prolonged
silence led us TO believe that the raid
ers had withdrawn 10 study up some
fresh scheme for getting rid OF us. was
to get bar and pry our two doors
open so that the breeze might blow
through and air the place out bit.
Closing and barring the doors after
the sulphur stencil had been reduced
to a mere matchbox odor, we estab-
lished our night-watch. Daddy Hiram
taking the first trick under a solemn
promise TO call me at the end Of
couple OF hours. This time he behaved
better. rousing me little before mid
night He reported everything quiet.
and pointed to the sleeping dog as EVIL
dence that there were no intruders
chhtiiihk 0toAhntt.
'Been that-away ever since you
turned In" he said. meaning. as took
IL. that the dog had been resting easy.
"You can just keep an eye on Barney.
II anything goes to stirrin'. he'll know
II afore you WILL"
Nothing did stir; and after Daddy
had gone to wrap himself In his damp
blankets. had my work cut out for
me keeping awake; In fact, shouldn't
want to swear that I was fully awake
during all of the one hundred and
twenty minutes that my sentry-go last
ed. No matter about that Bullerton
didn't spring any more surprises on us
during my watch: and when / turned
the fortress over to Daddy at two
o'clock / was able TO pass the "all
quiet' report back to him and 20 TO
the blankets with an easy conscience.
had just dropped asleep, as II
seemed 10 me-though In reality had
slept like log for more than two
hours-when Daddy Hiram came to
shake me awake.
"Somethin' DOM" he announced
quietly. and when sat up saw that
the collie was moving uneasily from
one door 10 the other. stopping now
and then TO stand motfenless with his
ears cooked and his head on one side !:
Barney hears something" ven
tured; and moment later Daddy
broke in:
"Huh it's plain enough for my old
ears, now; It's wagon comm across
the bench"
Now the presence of wagon on our
bench at this early hour In the morn
ing might mean either one OF two
Numerically opposite things: Our
deliverance; or the upcoming Of re-
Inducements for the raiders. We were
not left long In doubt. Shortly after
the rack-rack OF the wagon wheels
stopped we heard footsteps, and the
hair stlffened on Barney's back. Next
we heard Bullerton's voice. just out
side and apparently under our window
openings.
"Broughton I" the voice called; "can
you hear mer'
$50 well that you'd better keep out
Of range" I snapped back.
"All right-listen. You've got 10 get
out, Broughton--that's fat / haven't
wanted TO go TO extremes. For per-
fectly obvious and commonplace rea-
sons / don't want 10 have TO kill you
to get rid OF you. But we are not 60
Ing 10 gentle you any more. You've
already hurt four Of my men. and two
OF the four are crippled. The next
time we hit you, itll be for finish"
"Yes." said i. "you brought the
new club up in wagon, didn't your"
He ignored this.
"We could starve you out IL we
chose 10 take the time. know pretty
well what you've got to eat--or rather
what you haven't got It's your privi-
lege TO take your life in your own
hands. Broughton; that's up to you.
But how about the old man7"
"The old mans a-plenty good and
able to speak for hisselfr' yapped
Daddy. You do your durndest.
Charley Bullertoni-
"All right, once more. You'll hear
from us directly, now; and as i said
before. we've quit gentlIng you That's
my last word"
For time after this the silence,
and the darkness. since Il was the hour
before dawn. were thick enough to be
cut with an az. But the dog was
more restless than ever, and we knew
that something we could neither see
nor hear must be going on. After a
while l asked the question that had
been worrying me ever since I had
heard the wagon wheels.
"What did they bring up in that
wagon, Daddy--a GatlIngT
The Lord only knows. Stannie--and
he won't tell" was the old prospector's
reply, made with no touch Of irrever-
ence: and the words were scarcely out
Of his mouth before thunderboIt
struck the shafthouse.
CHAPTER XVII.