Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1925-07-03
A scattering fusillade from both


and Father McGrath were across the
neck among the gang, and laying them
about with their rifle butts.
That's for ye, ye thiefw Lee heard
the priest shout as he felled the tall
ruffian with a blow. That's for ye,
ye swindlin' hooch peddler, meexn'
your feelthy hooch In wi guild liquor.
And is that yoersel, Sweeney That's
what | promised ye lang syne when |
| caught ye near the meesion !"
Crash, thudded his rifle stock upon
a head Father McGrath, In fact,
seemed to be mixing in a good deal
Of private vengeance with the cru
sade. At every thud a man dropped,
and as he smOte right and left, GUST
ing his companions from the fray, a
sort of war chant broke from his lips.
But the rally was only mOmentary
one. Having emptied their pistols,
Railways men streamed away In flight
across the promOntory, to be brought
up and cornered at the further end.
Then, at Lees demand, arms were
flung up, and pistols went Gathering
down.
1t was not until now that the gang
appeared to realize that it was not
Railway who had turned the tables.
The sight of Lee took what spirit re-
NAMED from them. Two of the men
were slightly wounded, two were half
dazed by McGrath's blows, and all
were injured In one way or another ;
none Of them had any more fight in
them.
Lee scanned their faces. where's
Rathway?" he shouted.
They exchanged glances. willing
as they were to give up their leader,
with or without compensation, the
same thought had occurred simultane-
ously to each Of them, that to betray
Railway meant giving up all chances
Of share In the gold.
And as long as the hut remained
undiscovered that chance always
existed.
Impatient of their evasion, Lee
dashed out Of the hut into which Le-
boeuf, McGrath and he had herded
them, searching for Joyce He ran
into the hut adjacent, then raced
across the promontory to the huts near
the neck. But Joyce was not in either
Of these.
There remained the central store
house, and, running toward it, Lee
dealt succession of furious blows
against the door with his rifle stock.
1t cracked, splintered and fell off its
hinges.
McGrath was at his side The
priest struck a match and by the light
of the tiny flare it could be seen that
the interior Of the place was empty.
Lee swung his rifle butt furiously,
knocking over barrels and boxes in the
vain hope that Railway, at least, was
hiding behind them. But he was not
there. Shaking off the priest, who
sought to detain him, Lee ran back TO
the hut in which the men were herdod
"Where Is she?" he shouted, levelling
his rifle at Pierre's face.
"In the hut across the neck" Pierre
babbled, gray with the terror Of death.
Lee ran back across the promOntOry
once more, needless Of his compan-
ions shouts behind him. He dashed
along a little trail that ran into the
heart Of the reeds, f1inging the dry
stalks right and left, as one parts a
hanging screen Of beads.
For a few moments he felt the
ground hard beneath his feet Then
the little path ended. He tro1 on
quaking muskeg. He pushed on.
Again a path seemed to open before
him. Again it closed The head-high
reeds were all about him now, the
muskeg held him, and he went tiOun-
dering in the mud like a mired caribou.
He struggled on, sometimes sinking
knee deep in the swamp. He dashed
his rifle against the rattling reeds,
swinging it around and around his
head, in the effort to beat them down
and discover what lay before him.
But they rose resilient from the ground
like armed enemies, and in the dark
he could see nothing.
He shouted Joyces name, and now,
bcwildered, he began to circle blindly
on his tracks among the reeds, dash
ing them down as if they were human
enemies. Yet all the while, though
he was ignorant of it, chance was di-
recting him, circuitously, toward the
hut in which Joyce sat.
Railway, the moment that he re-
covered from the shock of hearing
Lees voice at the head of the attack,
hurried to the cabin. Estelle met
him.
Put out that light" Railway
snarled.
''It's him." he half whispered. "And
l thought he was dead!"
Listen to me, nowp He began
talking swiftly under his breath. Es
telle crept closer to him. She listened
as If he hypnotiZed her.
you mean that, Jim? You swear
to leave that girl behind?"
II swear it, Stella. I've got the gold
cached near the motor boat. Every
things ready, and I've had fresh
drum Of gasoline put in."
They heard Lee calling again