The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 64: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

256 THE TRACK OF MIDNIGHT. ** I believe you,’’ Johnson answered slowly. ‘‘ But ‘* Never mind the rest. Ill explain after. Wilton needs all our attention now,’’ Douglas rejoined. At the first glance it looked as if Wilton was beyond the reach of their attentions, for he lay bleeding copiously from a wound in his chest and ap- parently lifeless. With such means as they could devise they stanched the bleeding and bound up the wound. ‘‘ We must get him away from here sharp, or it will be all up with him,’’ Douglas said, as they proceeded with the bandaging. ‘But how are we to move him?’’ Johnson asked. ‘There was only one man in the cave where they hid me, and the black fellow settled him ; but there are a couple of horses and some blankets. Send the black fellow for them and we will make a sling to carry Wilton if he can- not sit a horse,’’ Douglas replied. Warrigal, as soon as the suggestion was made to him, supplemented the scheme. Behind the boulder, he said, was a small cave which Midnight used as a secret hiding place and which was only known to one or two of the gang. He was for carrying Wilton there before starting for the horses. ‘‘T did not see it when I was behind the boulder just now,’’ J ohnson remarked. ‘Suppose you come now,’’ Warrigal exclaimed. ‘* Look at it, Johnson, while I stay with Wilton,’’ Douglas added. ‘“‘He may be hiding there,’’ Johnson excitedly whispered. ‘‘ We fired at him and when the smoke cleared he stood there,’’ and he pointed to the spot. ‘“ He held a pistol in his hand and shot Wilton, when I jumped for him; but when I got through the smoke, he had disappeared.’’ Douglas looked up from the knot he was tying in the strip of flannel which did duty for a bandage. ‘“ Why did you not say that before?’’ he said. ‘‘ Get your rifle. We’ll both go.”’ They whispered their suspicions to Warrigal. ‘“My word; yes, yes; plenty like it,’’ the black fellow answered as he stepped lightly towards the boulder, closely followed by the two men with their rifles ready. Warrigal crept stealthily round it and stopped, listening intently. Then he pointed, and, following the direction, Johnson saw a vine straggling over a ledge in the rock. The black fellow, pressing himself against the boulder, stole silently along until he was almost beside the trailing tendrils of the vine. He peered cautiously around and then rose to his feet with a chuck- ling laugh and pushed the vine on one side, revealing the narrow entrance to a small cave. He turned towards the two with a laugh on his face when a shot echoed from high on the other side of the re and Warrigal fell to the ground. Douglas sprang forward and looked upwards. ‘The wreath of smoke floated calmly among the rocks and the vegetation on the top of the bank, but there was nothing else to indicate the whereabouts of the man who had fired the shot. Comichooks 3