"Glad to be rid of me, Jim?" she asked archly.
"I shore am," was the ungallant reply. "Get behind that rock there--these hombres will be sendin' somethin' more than invitations soon." Even as he spoke, another bullet whined over their heads and the puncher laughed as he dived behind the outcrop of stone he had pointed out. Another half-dozen shots followed, thudding into the slope in front of them.
"Hank is gettin' peevish," Sudden grinned. "It ain't goin' to be so simple as he figured." Lora did not reply. Crouched behind their rampart, she was considering her companion. With all her experience of men, she had never met his like. His heartless attitude still rankled though she knew that, save for it, they would probably be in captivity again. But he had carried her up the slope, and at the thought her eyes softened.
He had dared death rather than break a promise to a friend, and now, facing odds of five or six to one, he joked. She could not fathom him. Hitherto, conquest of the other sex had been so easy as to become almost tiresome. This man was different.
"I will make him care," she promised herself. "Bring him to his knees, and then--laugh." She watched him, prone on the ground, peering between two chunks of stone, his lean, brown face alight with interest, the keen eyes never still.
"If I had my rifle I'd make them reptiles hunt their holes mighty rapid," he remarked. His pistol exploded and a man who had incautiously shown himself jumped from his dropping mount and shook a curious fist.
"Did you--hit one?" she asked.
"Hell, no," he said disappointedly. "It's too long a range for good pistol-work. Downed his hoss--he'll have to hoof it if he wants to follow us."
"More walking?" she queried dismally.
"Shorely, since I can't carry yu that far an' we ain't got wings--yet. If we stay here till dark they'll creep up an' gather us in. 'Sides, we got no water." Both of them were becoming painfully aware of this fact, for the sun, a great golden ball, was now well above the eastern ranges and its rays, though still oblique, were strong enough to cause discomfort. Down in the valleys the purple mists lingered.
"You might have chosen a shadier place," she pouted.
"Yeah," he drawled. "Or I mighta told the sun to stay put, like the gent in the Bible, or--" His gun cracked again. "Tally one," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Just a term we use brandin' cattle," he explained. "Right now it signifies we got one less bandit to bother about." Callous as she herself could be, Lora shivered. Then she remembered that the speaker was fighting for his life, and for her. His next remark gave her something else to think about.
"Hell! Here they come." Either the loss had exasperated the attackers or they realized that a bold policy only was likely to he successful, for they suddenly burst from the brush and raced towards the ridge, yelling and shouting. There were five of them.
Sudden, on his knees, both guns out, waited until they were half-way, and then, with inconceivable rapidity, the hammers rose and fell, sending out a staccato stream of crashes like a roll of thunder. Two of the ponies went down and the rider of one lay still; the second lighted on his feet, to turn and bolt before that death-storm of lead. The other three, one of whom was swaying in his saddle, promptly followed his example. Sudden watched till he saw them far up the hill.
"They've skedaddled," he said.
Lora rose and looked down the slope. The dead man, grotesquely sprawled in the sunshine, and the two horses, wereall she saw. One of the animals was making futile efforts to stand up. The cowboy fired and the poor brute sank down. The seemingly wanton act jarred her frayed nerves.
"Haven't you shed enough blood?" she asked bitingly.
He looked at her levelly. "I'm fond o' horses. That one had a broken leg. Have yu ever seen how buzzards treat a wounded beast? They pick out the eyes first "
"Don't tell me," she almost screamed. "Let us go." They set out and presently found a stream where they drank and bathed their scratched faces and hands. The water, ice-cold from the mountains, seemed to steady the girl. She was obviously worn out, but she made no complaint, and he could not but admire her courage. Several times she refused his proffered help, but once, on the bank of a shallow creek, she hesitated. Without a word, he swept her up into his arms and carried her over.
"No wonder they call you `Sudden'," she said breathlessly as he put her down again.
"They don't--if they like me," he returned harshly.
They fell into a silence which endured until he called a halt and went to climb a hillock which would give him a wider view of the country.
"Hearney's Peak is over there," he said, pointing. "Deadwood can't be so far away; we should make it before night. Yu can sleep for an hour. They say, 'He who sleeps, dines.' " As obedient as a child, she curled herself up on a carpet of dry leaves and closed her eyes. Sudden lighted a cigarette and sat down to keep watch. Lying there, one soft cheek pillowed on a palm, she looked very lovely despite her torn garments and untended hair, but the man gave her one thought only--"As dangerous to handle as a rattler," and fell to studying the --to him--more interesting problem of her brother.
When they resumed the journey it was patent that the rest had done her good.
Peering into a stream she caught the reflection of herself. "Heavens! what a sight I am," she ejaculated.
"I like yu better this way," he said bluntly, and got a quick smile of thanks.
Night was falling when, at long last, they reached the top of the gulch and saw the blurred string of lights which marked the town below. Both were terribly footsore, and the woman was so completely exhausted that her companion had almost to carry her. By keeping behind the buildings and so avoiding the street, they managed to reach her dwelling unobserved. Spent as he was, he would not go in.
"It ain't far to Jacob's an' the sooner yu hit yore blankets, the better," he excused.
"I feel I can sleep a week," she confessed.
"Forty winks won't be no use to me either," he grinned. "Jim, you've been splendid," she whispered.
"Aw, forget it," he said uncomfortably. "Yu pulled yore weight--an' more."
"I'll always remember," she said in a low voice. "Good night --partner." How he managed the final stage of the journey Sudden never quite knew. Gerry told him afterwards that he stumbled in, wolfed a meal, gave them a brief account of his adventures, and flinging himself on his bed, slept like a dead man.
"We didn't know whether yu was drunk or dreamin'," he said. "An' we didn't care neither."
Chapter XIV
When Sudden awoke in the morning his first impression was that the events of the previous day had been a nightmare, for his hands were still bound. Then he realized that he was in his own room and that it was full of men, one of whom--a giant known as "Husky" Miller--was shaking him roughly by the shoulder and telling him to get up. In the background he could see Gerry, struggling savagely with two burly fellows who were each gripping an arm. Jacob was not there. The hard, scowling faces cleared his sleep-befogged brain.
"What's the trouble?" he asked.
"No trouble a-tall--it's goin' to be a pleasure," was the grim retort, and some of the men laughed. "Aimin' to walk or have we gotta tote you?"
"What do yu want with me?" the puncher asked quietly. "They're intendin' to hang yu, Jim," Gerry oroke in. "Yo're accused o' murderin' miners while yu were away."
"I've been held prisoner in the hills the whole time," Sudden said. "Don't I get a hearin'?"