FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>  
the jig is up, and, according to the noise, he's rowing mighty fast." Jim was on his feet in an instant, and the two started at full speed through the underbrush, paying little attention to the disturbance of the foliage, because Sam was so nearly intoxicated that he would not heed slight sounds. "He'll land somewhere here," Jet said, breathlessly, as he halted where the glimmer of the camp-fire could be seen. "If he don't we must creep up while he's fastening the boat." Sam was evidently amusing himself by making the light craft spin through the water, and when he turned for the shore the boys saw that they had stationed themselves in the most advantageous position. It was not necessary to move out of their tracks, for after landing the man came directly toward where they were standing. Jet raised his revolver by the muzzle, and Jim stood ready to make a spring. Sam reeled along shouting for Bob and lurching from side to side. The time had not come to strike the blow; but the boy, believing he was about to be discovered, struck at the fellow's head. The blow was not delivered fairly, but glanced off, and instead of being stunned Sam was only alarmed. Leaping back quickly, before Jet could strike again, he fired into the bushes from whence he believed the attack had come. The bullet whistled so near Jim's nose that the young gentleman leaped back with a howl, and this outcry was sufficient to show Sam where to send another. Before the echoes had fairly died away the sound of hurried footsteps through the bushes told that the small guide had taken refuge in flight. Jet was alone, amid darkness so intense that he had no means of judging the whereabouts of his enemy save by the flash when the revolver was discharged. The knowledge of danger had sobered Sam, and he understood he must make a desperate fight or be arrested, for, quite naturally, the first thought was that the officers of the law were on his track. Jet was wholly at a loss to know what course should be pursued. Sam was not charged with a capital crime, and Harvey never intimated that he cared to take him prisoner, therefore to shoot now, save actually in self-defense, would be little less than murder. Sam emptied the chambers of his weapon while retreating toward the boat, and that he had reloaded before reaching her was told by the second volley which he sent in the direction of Jet. By the grating of wood and sand the am
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>  



Top keywords:
bushes
 

fairly

 

revolver

 

strike

 

intense

 
darkness
 
judging
 

refuge

 
flight
 

whereabouts


sobered

 

understood

 
desperate
 

danger

 
knowledge
 

discharged

 
attack
 
outcry
 

sufficient

 

leaped


gentleman

 

whistled

 

hurried

 

footsteps

 

Before

 

believed

 

echoes

 

bullet

 

emptied

 

murder


chambers

 
weapon
 

retreating

 

defense

 

reloaded

 
reaching
 

grating

 
direction
 

volley

 
wholly

officers
 

naturally

 
thought
 
intimated
 

prisoner

 

Harvey

 
pursued
 

charged

 
capital
 

arrested