Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-31
INSTALLMENT XXIV.

| ii CE6Ckeo Jill :
mark sprang convulsively up
and plunged down to roll and
i weave out of sight. The man
Smoky had shot at sank fiat
and lay still. Next moment a volley
banged from the cliff and a storm
of bullets swept kissing and spanging
uncomfortably close.
Jim slid and leaped to the floor OF
the cave below. Smoky, by lying down,
lowered the rifles to him, and then
came scrambling after.
Hays had slouched back TO them,
followed by Happy.
Heeseman amt havin' q walk-over,
said Smoky. IF We can kill two or
three more, an particularly Heeseman,
we'll have tibet outfit licked"
"Yes. But how. Smoky? We're stuck
here. And they'll take less risks now
THE thing Is We can't let night
overtake US in hyar."
why not? It's as safe for US as
for them"
safe nothin'. We can't make no
LIGHT. This green brush wouldn't burn
An Heeseman has us located. He'd
be slick enough to station men after
dark. Behind the center an the rocks
In tibet wash, an shore above us
watchin' our hole. Then when day
light come we'd be snuffed out. No
If we don't end it before dark we shore
gotta sneak out Of hyar after dark.
Hays staggered closer. "Thets a
good idee. Smoky
You wanta talk. huh?'
Course l DO. I'm boss hare an
what I say"
Hey, fellers, the boss wants to talk
interrupted Slocum fercely. You
Happy, an Mac. talk to the skunk who
us.d to be our boss. An you, jeff, all
you able to talk to Hays?"
The dying man raised a haggard, re-
lentless face, which needed no speecf
to express his hate for the fallen chief
Hays, when meet you in hell-1l
stamp your cheatin' brains out!" Wills
pered Bridges. in terrible effort to ex.
nd all h S last strength and passion
| in ore denunciation. Then he saI.s
back, his head fell on his breast, and ne
died.
Gone! Tibet makes three Of us
calculated Mac, twisting restless hand:
, round his rife.
Jack, gimme Jeff's gun an belt.
HAYS said. and receiving them ht
| buckled them over his own. Next HI
open his pack to take out a box o.
| rife shells. which he broke open Il
| drop the contents in his coat pocket on
the left side. After that he opened hi:
] SIllib W NIilU CIl LiOdd. NldNA III Az
| bit. This was what had made hin
bulge so and give the impression O
stoutness, when in fact he was lean
! He hung this belt over a projecting
| point of wall
In case 1 don't git back" he added
/ An there's a bundle of chicken feec
change in my PACK"
| There was something gloomy anc
/ splendid shout him then. Fear of God
T., III, a.
/ in hand ne crept to the corner on th'
I left and boldly exposed himself. drawing
| volley OF shots from two quarters
! Then he disappeared.
What's Hays idea?" asked Jim.
| He must know way to sneak aroune
on them"
A metallic, spanging sound accom-
panied rather than followed by shot
! then a soo6tn thud right at hsnc
choi:ed further speech. Happy Jack haC
been cut short in one OF his low whistles
He swayed second upright, then utter
| ing an awful groan. he fell.
SmoE" lesp-d to him. bent over.
Dean! Hit in the temple. Where {
! tibet bullet come froEn?"
1T s.anced from a rock. 1 know the
sound"
SpoHwi The same sound-anothel
sEot. and another heavy Lad. DETECTED
il It's course, struck the stone above
Jin1's head.
Tibet rock thar" shouted Smoky
pointing. SEE the white bullet mari
Jim. some slick sharpshooter ha:
figgered one on u.s.
Twenty feet out little to the lef
of the center of the cave. lay a hugs
block Of granite with slanting siot
facing west. This side inclinrd slightly
toward the cave. On it, rusty surface
, showed two white spots close together.
Another spsrg and shot followed. with
a banging OF another heavy bullet from
well to wall.
Come on. Jim. it amt healthy hval
no more" said Smoky. husging the
wall and working to the extreme left
hand corntr
I'm goin' up in tibet hole" declared
Mac. furicusly. after another leaden mis-.
size mad chased him around the cave.
he laboriously climbed up out Of
sight. and presently Jim heard hin
shooting.
Other shots battered out from the
CHI. Jim heard a scuffle above. ther
the ciang CT metal on stone. Mac hac
cropped his rife. sodden crash die
not surprise him. Mac had fallen back
INTO the hole to lodge upon the shelf
HIS shaggy head hove in sight over the
~ lppcu DIOOQ. linen ne Sic
heavily of the bottom of the notch
An instant later, before either Jim
or Smoky could comment on this fur
Their diminution of their outfit another
spanging. tipping. spatting ounce of
lead entered the cave
Jim the only safe. place from tibet
Is hyar, huggin' this corner" declared
Smoky. An there amt. room enough
fer the two CT us
Keep it, Smoky I'm not going to
get hit. This is my day 1 feel some
thing in my bones but it's not death. -
Huh. I feel somethin'. too-clear
to my marrow-an' it's sickish an
/ cold. Jim, I'll sneak out an
crawl back of them. Thets my idee.
1 don't have wrong idees at this stage
of a fight"
That was the last he spoke to Jim.
Muttering to himself. he laid a huge
roll OF bills under the belt HAYS had
deposited on the little shelf of rock.
Then he vanished
Scarcely had he gotten out of sight
when Jim thought of the field glass.
Smoky should have taken it. Jim
risked going back to his pack to Sc
cure it and had the fun Of lodging
another bullet.
Jim returned to his safest cover and
waited. Sitting against the wall. he
used the glass to try to locate Smoky
across the oval. Meanwhile the sharp
Gnn Rrfva orlx