he knew it. The three white men
played their parts, raising each other without pause, and again there
was total silence in the cabin. Every face bent to the table, watching
the turn repeat its circle with obstinate increase, until new chips and
more new chips had been brought to keep on with, and the heap in the
middle had mounted high in the hundreds, while in front of Toussaint
lay his knife and a match-box--pledges of two more horses which he had
staked. He had drawn three cards, while the others took two, except
Cutler, who had a pair of kings again, and drawing three, picked up two
more. Kelley dropped out, remarking he had bet more than his hand was
worth, which was true, and Loomis followed him. Their persistence had
surprised Toussaint a little. He had not given every one suspicious
hands: Cutler's four kings were enough. He bet once more, was raised by
the scout, called, and threw down his four aces.

"That beats me," said Cutler, quietly, and his hand moved under his
frock-coat, as the half-breed, eyeing the central pile of counters in
triumph, closed his fingers over it. They were dashed off by Kelley, who
looked expectantly across at Cutler, and seeing the scout's face wither
into sudden old age, cried out, "For God's sake, Jarvis, where's your
gun?" Kelley sprang for the yellow curtain, and reeled backward at the
shot of Toussaint. His arm thrashed along the window-sill as he fell,
sweeping over the lamp, and flaring channels of oil ran over his body
and spread on the ground. But these could no longer hurt him. The
half-breed had leaped outside the cabin, enraged that Cutler should have
got out during the moment he had been dealing with Kelley. The scout was
groping for his ivory-handled pistol off in the darkness. He found
it, and hurried to the little window at a second shot he heard inside.
Loomis, beating the rising flame away, had seized the pistol from the
shelf, and aimlessly fired into the night at Toussaint. He fired again,
running to the door from the scorching heat. Cutler got round the house
to save him if he could, and saw the half-breed's weapon flash, and the
body pitch out across the threshold. Toussaint, gaining his horse, shot
three times and missed Cutler, whom he could not clearly see; and he
heard the scout's bullets sing past him as his horse bore him rushing
away.

II

Jarvis Cutler lifted the dead Loomis out of the cabin. He made a try
for Kelley's body, but the room had become