jobs, and he knew.

"Get a board, or something, boys," he said. So presently they brought
a plank, and eased Sim Gage gently to it, men at each end lifting him,
others steadying him as he was carried. They took him into the house
which Waldhorn had just now left.

[Illustration: "Get a board, or something, boys"]

It was the turn of dawn now. The soft light of day was filtering
through the air from somewhere up above, somewhere beyond the edge of
the canyon.

"Better tell those women to stay away," said Flaherty to the young
lieutenant. The latter met Annie Squires at the door of her house,
ejaculating, demanding, questioning, weeping, all at once. It was with
difficulty that she was induced to obey the general orders of getting
inside and keeping quiet.

Other men came now, telling of the discovery of the dead Chinaman near
the lighting station. The bits of information were pieced together
hurriedly, this and that to the other.

Doctor Barnes had seen the light's play on the sky, had heard echoes in
the mountains. He now reached the scene, coming at top speed up the
canyon trail in his car. He met answers already formed for his
questions.

"They got Sim," said Wid Gardner. "Waldhorn----"

He hurried into the room where they had carried the wounded man. "Why,
of course," said Sim Gage dully, "I'll be all right. After breakfast
I'll be out again all right. I've got to go over and see--I've got to
go over to her house and see----" But he never told what he planned.

Doctor Barnes shook his head to Flaherty after a time, when the latter
turned to him in the outer room. The big foreman compressed his lips.

"He's done good work, the lad!" said Flaherty; and Wid Gardner, still
standing by, nodded his head.

"Mighty good. It was him got the Chink all right--hit him twict out of
three, and creased him onct; and like enough this Dutchman first, too.
Tell me, Doc, ain't he got a chanct to come through? Can't you make it
out that way for pore old Sim?"

"I'm afraid not," said Doctor Barnes. "The shot's close to an artery,
and like enough he's bleeding internally, because he's coughing. His
pulse is jumpy. It's too bad--too damn bad. He was--a good man, Sim
Gage!"

"What was it, Annie?" asked Mary Gage, over in their house. "There was
shooting. Was anybody hurt?"

"Some of the hands got to mixing it, like enough," said Annie, herself
pale and shaking. "I don't know."

"Was anybody hurt?"