The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

258 THE TRACK OF MIDNIGHT. ‘Take a pull at this,’’ Douglas said, as he interrupted Wilton to offer him the pannikin. ‘‘ Dick made it. He boiled down almost a bullock into a half gallon of water, and says it will put you right in two days if you'll drink it.’’ The two men raised him up and he drank the warm liquid that was in the pannikin. "It'll make a man of him in a week,’’ Dick whispered to Douglas, as Wilton lay back, feeling refreshed and revived by the draft. ‘“Just do a bit of a sleep, Mr. Wilton, and you’ll buck into shape in an hour,’’ Dick added to the sick man, who, tacitly accepting everything he was told, closed _ his eyes and drifted into slumber. When next he awakened he found that it was daylight, and his body felt more of the vigor of life than it had done the night before. He glanced towards the fireplace and saw Johnson standing there and looking at him, ‘*I dropped the lid of the billy. I was afraid it would disturb you,’’ he said, as he came over to Wilton. ‘‘ How do you feel now? They told me you came round in the night. Don’t move,’’ he added quickly, as Wilton -made as if to rise. ‘“What is it? I cannot get the hang of things at all,’’ Wilton said irri- tably. ‘‘ Was Douglas here? I thought I saw him.”’ ‘‘ Just keep quiet and you’re all right,’’ Johnson answered. ‘‘ You had a bit of a twister a week or so since, but I reckon you're well over it now. Have some more of Dick’s stew; he swears it is what has saved you.”’ ‘“ It’s good stuff,’’ Wilton said ; ‘‘ but tell me all about this affair. I feel played out, and what is all this on my chest?’’ ‘‘ You take things easy for a day or so longer and trust to us to look after you. Then when you can get up, we'll go over the yarn again,’’ Johnson replied. 3 He was as good as his word, and all that Wilton could get out of him was the praise of Dick’s stew, which he insisted was the only thing that saved Wilton, and enabled him a few days later to get about again. Then Johnson told him all the story of the adventure in the gully, and made the confused memory clear. ““ We were wrong in both firing at once,’’ Johnson said as they sat and talked the matter over. “It is the last thing I clearly remember,’’ Wilton answered. ‘‘ After that Iam all confusion. Tell me exactly what took place.’’ ‘Well, Midnight had you covered with his pistol and fired at you as soon as the smoke from our shots cleared away. You fell and I jumped for him, but he had gone before I could reach him. You called me back as you heard Warrigal coming and feared treachery, but there was no treachery about poor Warrigal. He had found Douglas chained in a cave down the gully where we heard him that night, and had let him free after knocking the one mem- ber of the gang who was there on the head. Douglas can tell you his yarn himself ; he will be back here tomorrow night. All that I can say is that Warrigal set him free and brought him along to help us. But when he ap- peared I thought he was Midnight and came near shooting him before I Eomicbooks. 3