ongly tempted to disobey orders and hasten around the corner
in order to learn the worst. If that daredevil inside had hurt his pal
he would be mad enough to find some way of blowing up the shack and the
gas-mad ex-soldier along with it, regardless of consequences. He only
waited long enough to run his swollen hands over the recumbent figure of
the man in irons so as to make sure he could not play the same mean
trick a second time. Finding everything fast, he turned away from the
scene of his recent ruction, and hurried around the corner of the shack,
bent on backing up Jack or, in case his pal had been placed out of the
running, to avenge his injuries without delay.

CHAPTER XXIX

A LAST RESORT

Meanwhile how fared Jack in his share of the attempt to corner the
defiant and persistent law-breaker?

He had crept around the corner after leaving his chum, fully convinced
that some sort of heroic measures must be brought to bear on the ugly
situation if they hoped to succeed.

One thing had already been amply proved--this was the unmistakable fact
that Oswald Kearns must be having one of his occasional brain sprees,
the result of his wartime gassing when he was apt to tip over his
balance and for the time being imagine himself beset by a myriad of
bitter foes whom it was his duty, as well as privilege, to mow down,
regardless of everything. Acting under this delusion he was doubtless
resting under the belief that these were Hun machine-gun squads secreted
in nests in the Argonne and that he was duly recruited by Heaven to
round them up, disseminate their number, and fetch a goodly bunch into
the American lines as prisoners of war.

His readiness to shatter the door of his own lodge was evidence of his
obsession, Jack firmly believed and from which he deduced the opinion
that as long as his equipment held out he was ready to keep up that hot
bombardment under the belief that the enemy were falling like dead
leaves in the frosts of late Fall.

This being the case, Jack understood how exceedingly careful he must be
not to expose even the tip of his nose, since everybody said Oswald was
a most wonderful hand with firearms.

No sooner had he turned the corner of the rock shack than he made a
discovery that gave him some satisfaction. At least the man inside had
not considered it necessary that he extinguish the lamp for there was a
certain amount of light coming from the window--only tiny lances,
showing that s