To Win or to Die Part 42

"Surely they're not too cowardly to come to our help," thought Dallas.

Four shots were fired now in quick succession, as if the enemy were anxious to bring matters to an end, and Abel whispered, "Try it directly they fire again."

"Yes," said Dallas; and directly after Abel heard the handle of the galvanised iron bucket c.h.i.n.k softly.

Then came two more shots, and in an instant Dallas dashed the bucket against the door with all his might, uttered a heavy groan, and was silent.

The firing outside ceased now, showing that the ruse had been successful; and the two young men held their breath as they listened for the nearer approach of the enemy, which they felt sure must now be imminent; but they listened a long time in vain.

At last, though, the crackling of the snow outside, as from the pressure of a heavy foot, warned them that their time was coming, and they lay ready with the muzzles of their pieces ready to direct at door or window, as the necessity might arise, and their revolvers on the floor by their knees.

Which was it to be--door or window? They would have given years of their lives to know at which to aim, and they felt now what guesswork it must be.

"They'll come to the window, I hope," thought Dallas; "and if they do I won't fire till I am sure of winging one of them."

But though they waited, no such opportunity seemed likely to come, for there was not a sound at the front after they heard the soft crackling of the snow.

All at once, when the horrible suspense seemed greater than they could bear, and Dallas felt that he must spring to his feet, rush to the door, and begin firing at random, it seemed to both that an icy hand had grasped each of them by the throat.

It was another exemplification of the aphorism that it is the unexpected which always happens. For all at once, after a long period of perfect silence, there was a peculiar grating sound at the back of the hut instead of at the front, and for a few moments both the defenders of the place were puzzled.

Then, as the sound was repeated, they realised what it was. There were several pieces of thickish pine-trunk lying outside in the snow, pieces that had been cut to form uprights for the rough shedding over their shaft. These pieces were very rough and jagged with the remains of the boughs which had been lopped off, so that they would be as easy to climb--almost--as a ladder. Two of these had been softly placed so that they lay along the slope of the roof, and up them one of the enemy was cautiously climbing, while his companion was holding them at the foot.

"Bel must grasp this," thought Dallas, who dared not whisper, for fear of giving the alarm to the enemy and putting them on their guard. For, cunning enough in the plans that had been devised, the enemy were about to ignore door and window, and make their approach by the opening in the roof through which the smoke pa.s.sed.

There was a sort of lid of boards nailed a foot above to prevent the snow from falling straight through, but there was ample room for an active man to lower himself down through the hole; and, drawing a deep breath full of satisfaction, Dallas changed the direction of the muzzle of his gun, feeling quite sure that the one who was to attack would lower himself down feet first, so that the task of performing vengeance would be easy as far as one of the men was concerned, and at any rate they could make sure of him.

Dallas's teeth gritted softly together as he waited, and Abel's heart beat with heavy throbs, for he had been as quick to grasp the way of attack as his cousin. But they had not fully fathomed the enemy's plans, and were completely taken by surprise.

It was only a matter of a few minutes, but it seemed like an hour as the young men strained their eyes in the black darkness, and mentally saw one of their foes climb slowly up till he reached the sloping roof, up which he progressed steadily, the two pieces of tree rasping and crunching the thick, icy snow which clung to the roof; and then fingers trembled about triggers as the defenders tried to guess at the opening exactly in the centre of where the ridge-pole ran.

And now the sounds came more plainly; a hand was evidently feeling about for the opening, for a bit or two of snow from the edge of the hole-- pieces which had not melted away--fell down amongst the embers with a soft pat, and a low, hissing sound of steam arose from the hot fire-hole.

"Now he knows exactly," thought Dallas, "and I shall hear him turn and begin to lower himself down. We ought to wait till he is more than half through before we fire. Will Bel think of this?"

He drew a long breath, for there was a heavy, rustling sound above, as if the man on the roof was altering his position. Then there came a sharp scratch, for the greater part of a box of matches had been struck all at once. Then there was a brilliant flash of light, the momentary glimpse of a big hairy hand, from which the burning matches began to fall, while the interior of the dark hut was lit up, showing the dog, with eyes glistening and bared teeth, crouched to spring, and the two young men kneeling, each with his weapon raised.

But they did not fire, feeling that it would be madness to trust to hitting the unseen, for the hand was too small a target; and before they could make up their minds what to do next, two shots were fired from outside, and a cry rang out on the midnight air.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

THE STRIKING OF ANOTHER MATCH.

The long-silent dog burst out into a hoa.r.s.e bark once more, as the two young men knelt there as if paralysed, and the tiny splints died out one by one where they had fallen amongst the wood ashes, while from the roof there was a horrible scrambling, struggling sound, hoa.r.s.e cries, the crunching of the frozen snow, followed by the sc.r.a.ping sound as of some one sliding down the slope of the roof, and then a dull, heavy thud, a groan or two, and finally complete silence.

"He has it," said Dallas hoa.r.s.ely.

"Hus.h.!.+ Hark!" cried Abel.

For there was another shot, then another, and another, till quite a dozen had rung out, each growing more and more distant; and as the young men dashed to the door now and threw it open, they saw flashes of light as other shots were fired. Then came shouting, voices calling to one another.

"Some of the lads heard the firing at last, and come to our help," said Dallas.

"Look out; there's some one coming back," whispered Abel.

"I hear him. Be ready, and if he's an enemy let him have it. Hah!

Bravo! Good dog! You're not so very bad, then."

For at the sound of the heavy footsteps coming at a trot over the creaking snow Scruff uttered a fierce growl, began to bay and dashed out into the darkness.

"He'll have him," said Dallas. "But come on; we mustn't leave it all to him."

"Hullo there!" came in a cheery, familiar voice. "Good old dog!" and Scruff's fierce bay changed to a whining yelp of pleasure, while Tregelly's hearty cry of "Ahoy!" came.

"Ahoy! Ahoy!" was sent out joyfully in answer, and directly after the big Cornishman came trotting up.

"Thank G.o.d, my sons," he cried. "But what about that chap on the roof?

Did I bring him down with those two shots?"

"Was it you that fired?" cried the young men in a breath.

"Of course. Who did you think it was?"

"The enemy--we did not know--some of the others come to our help," was the confused answer, given in a duet.

"Nay, it was me, my sons; he gave me such a chance--lighting up a whole box of lucifers. I could see him splendid. Going to burn you out, wasn't he?"

"No; to see if we were dead, and, if not, to fire again."

"I'm afraid the other beggar has got away."

"But you had some one with you?" said Dallas eagerly.

"Yes, I suppose so, but it is so plaguy dark. I was so long away that I made up my mind--or something I can't explain made it up for me--to come straight on and get to you early in the night; but that blessed sledge got heavier and heavier, so that I had to stop and rest and have a pipe now and then. Last time I was going to stop I was so near my shanty that I thought I'd go round by it, and see how things were there. So I did; left the sledge and crept up to it, to find a bit of fire smouldering, showing some one lived there; but n.o.body was at home. No, that isn't right, for when I got inside I struck a match, and somebody was at home; but he didn't live there. Understand?"

"That scoundrel who was bitten by the dog?" cried Dallas excitedly.

"Was he there?" cried Abel.

"His mummy was," said Tregelly. "I dunno how they could do it--I couldn't. I didn't want to live in such company as that. I stayed just as long as the match burned, and then I came away as fast as I could.

Ugh! it wasn't nice. Those fellows can't be men."

"And then you came on?"

"Yes, my son. I came along at a horrible crawl, which was getting slower and slower; for it's no use to deny it--us big chaps have so much to carry on one pair of legs that we're downright lazy ones. There I was, getting slower and slower, and smoking my pipe, and in a rare nasty temper, cussing away at that old sledge for being so heavy, and that sleepy that I kept dropping off fast as a top, and waking up again to find myself going on like a bit o' machinery. 'This won't do,' I says to myself; and I roused up again, knowing that I couldn't have been asleep long, because my pipe wasn't out; but all the same I dreamed a lot, all about dragging a truck on a tram-line down in Botallack mine, right away under the sea. Then I'm blessed if I wasn't asleep again, fast as a top--chap told me once that didn't mean a spinning top, but a _taupe_, which he said was French for dormouse. But that don't matter, do it?"