第137章

Father put on one of his old poacher dodges that he had borrowed from the lapwing in his own country, that he used to tell us about when we were boys (our wild duck 'll do just the same), and made himself out a deal worse than he was.Father could run a bit, too;he'd been fast for a mile when he was young, and though he was old now he never carried no flesh to signify, and was as hard as nails.

So what with knowing the ground, and they being flat-country men, he kept just out of pistol-shot, and yet showed enough to keep 'em filled up with the notion that they'd run him down after a bit.

They fired a shot every now and then, thinking a chance one might wing him, but this only let Moran and Daly see that some one was after dad, and that the hunt was coming their way.

They held steady where they had been told to stop, and looked out for the men they'd been warned of by father.As he got near this place he kept lettin' 'em git a bit nearer and nearer to him, so as they'd follow him up just where he wanted.It gave them more chance of hitting him, but he didn't care about that, now his blood was up -- not he.All he wanted was to get them.

Dad was the coolest old cove, when shooting was going on, ever I see.

You'd think he minded bullets no more than bottle-corks.

Well, he goes stumbling and dragging himself like up the gully, and they, cocksure of getting him, closing up and shooting quicker and quicker, when just as he jumps down the Black Gully steps a bullet did hit him in the shoulder under the right arm, and staggers him in good earnest.

He'd just time to cut down the bank and turn to the left along the creek channel, throwing himself down on his face among the bushes, when the whole four of 'em jumps down the bank after him.

`Stand!' says Moran, and they looked up and saw him and Daly covering them with their revolvers.Before they'd time to draw, two of 'em rolls over as dead as door-nails.

The other two were dumbfoundered and knocked all of a heap by suddenly finding themselves face to face with the very men they'd been hunting after for weeks and weeks.They held up their pistols, but they didn't seem to have much notion of using them --particularly when they found father had rounded on 'em too, and was standing a bit away on the side looking very ugly and with his revolver held straight at 'em.

`Give in! Put down your irons,' says Moran, `or by ----, we'll drop ye where ye stand.'

`Come on,' says one, and I think he intended to make a fight for it.

He'd 'a been better off if he had.It couldn't have been worse for him;but the other one didn't see a chance, and so he says --`Give in, what's the good? There's three to two.'

`All right,' says the other chap, the big one; and they put down their pistols.

It was curious now as these two were both men that father and Moran had a down on.They'd better have fought it out as long as they could stand up.There's no good got by givin' in that I ever seen.

Men as does so always drop in for it worse in the end.

First thing, then, they tied 'em with their hands behind 'em, and let 'em stand up near their mates that were down -- dead enough, both of them, one shot through the heart and one through the head.

Then Moran sits down and has a smoke, and looks over at 'em.

`You don't remember me, Mr.Hagan?' says he, in his drawling way.

`No,' says the poor chap, `I don't think I do.'

`But I remember you devilish well,' says Moran; `and so you'll find afore we leave this.' Then he took another smoke.`Weren't you warder in Berrima Gaol,' says he, `about seven year ago? Ah! now we're coming to it.

You don't remember getting Daniel Moran -- a prisoner serving a long sentence there -- seven days' solitary on bread and water for what you called disobedience of orders and insolence?'

`Yes, I do remember now.I'd forgotten your face.I was only doing my duty, and I hope you won't bear any malice.'

`It was a little thing to you, maybe,' says Moran; `but if you'd had to do seven long days and long cold nights in that devil's den, you'd 'a thought more about it.But you will now.My turn's come.'

`I didn't do it to you more than to the rest.I had to keep order in the gaol, and devilish hard work it was.'

`You're a liar,' says Moran, striking him across the face with his clenched hand.`You had a down on me because I wouldn't knuckle down to you like some of them, and so you dropped it on to me every turn you could get.I was a youngster then, and might have grown into a man if I'd been let.But fellows like you are enough to turn any man into a devil if they've got him in their power.'

`Well, I'm in your power now,' says he.`Let's see how you'll shape.'

`I don't like ye any the worse for being cheeky,' says Moran, `and standing up to me, but it's too late.The last punishment I got, when I was kept in irons night and day for a month because I'd tried to get out, I swore I'd have your life if ever I came across ye.'

`You'll never shoot me in cold blood,' says the poor devil, beginning to look blue about the lips.

`I don't know what old Ben's going to do with the man he found chevying his daughter,' says Moran, looking at him with his deadly black-snake eyes, `but I'm a-goin' to shoot you as soon as I've smoked out this pipe, so don't you make any mistake.'