Arizona state miner., 1926-07-03
CHAPTER XV-Continued

murray ) SOuer, mates CUu-
peau's shark-bait! There's only the
two Buckskins left. Go easy WI they
Jameses Naught for We to fight about,
James lads! Well divide square
with ye"
Men swirled toward us from all
sides of the stOckade, the James crew
mingled with the Walrus', and where
our people fought at all twas faint
heartedly and to no purpose. We were
pressed back, and presently were put
to 1t to avoid being surrounded.
eve go to der house, Bob" sQueaked
Peter. der James men don't fight
for us no more"
He had Murray's limp body slung
over one shoulder and still retained
the iron barrel of his musket-the
stock had been demolished; but he
ran easily beside me through the sand.
We reached the blockhouse alone
on the side opposite the door, and
circled 1t cautiously no little con-
cerned for Moira's safety, for pistols
were popping and cutlasses clashing
I'm several directions close at hand
With the moon obscured we could not
see a musket's length ahead, and as I
turned in toward the black oblong of
the doorway I tripped over corpse,
"'Tis on your own head your death
will be, my man." said cool voice. 81
can hear you fine, and if you're not
after"
"Moira =" I exclaimed.
"And is it you, Bob? Oh, blessed
saints, but I'm that glad I thought
you we're Is that PeterY
"Ja," said Peter.
"And what will ye have on your
shoulder? A dead man? Is it him 1
shot a few minutes back?"
'Tis Captain Murray" 1 answered.
making way for Peter.
"Oh, Queen of Heaven! Sure, we're
I'm bad case"
1--WE are 1 assented grimly as l
followed Peter inside. "Have you a
light?"
She took a lanthorn from under
cloth, and its scanty rays played hide
and-seek with the shadows over the
rude log walls and the piles of rum bar
rels and kegs of hard-tack and the
clumsy stack of treasure.
Peter laid my great-uncle gently
upon the earthen fiuOr-there was no
softer bed-and began cutting away
the garments from around the hilt Of
the knife, which was still fixed in his
right side.
'And why didn't you go with them?'
1 asked. She gave me an indignant
look.
'And be leaving the two of vel l
am not that kind of friend, Bob"
Peter looked up from his task.
''You got to watch dot door, Bob.
Andt, Moira, you bring me some rum.
Maybe Murray gets back his sense be-
fore"
l suddenly found myself unwilling
to believe it could be so.
"He can't Peter!"
"Ja," replied the Dutchman patient
ly. "Pretty soon he goes. He bleeds
inside"
stumbled to. the doorway with my
head in a whirl Murray dying?
Twas incredible! That tremendous
personality, so masterful, so aloof,
dominating all with whom he came in
contact, saltily compounded of wick
edness, greatness, wisdom and naive
vanity! And explain it how you will,
I suddenly discovered an admiration
for him which had been growing for
months beneath my surface resent
Tnent. Up to this mOmtnt I had de-
tested him. But I chOked now at the
thought of his death. Whatever he
was, he was no coward. And there
was about his end in this sordid, hap
hazard fashion, stabbed by a blind
man in the dark, redeeming touch
of high tragedy. He, whose ambitions
had vaulted the stars, to perish by
the hand of Pew! And in a moment
when apparently he had snatched vic
tory from defeat!
Mechanically I carried chests of
gold and silver ingots from the heap
of treasure and built a barricade
across the doorway. But nothing came.
Feet shush-shushed in the sand saIl
around the blockhouse; voices called,
shot was f1red-no more Flint's
triumph had been too amazingly COM
plete for him to grasp, and evidently
there were dissensiOns in the pirates
ranks as to what the next step should
be.
The hOurgIass we had fetched from
the Royal James stood by the door, and
I remember that l turned it twice be-
fore Peter tapped my shoulder
"He wants you," he said
Murray lay with his head in Moira' s
lap. On his face was stamped waxy
pallor. His nostrils were sunken and
pinched in. A crimson froth showed
at the corner of his mouth. But his
tawny eyes blazed with the uncon-
querable fire of his spirit. AS 1 stopped
over him mocking gleam "adiated