CHAPTER XIX--THE MAN AT TINTACKER
Ruth waited for her companion to suggest their course of action. The manshe had come to see--the mysterious individual whom she believed hadtaken her uncle's money to buy up the property known as the TintackerClaim--was in a raging fever in that old shack near the site of the mine.She had heard his delirious babblings while Jib was in the hut. It neverentered her mind that Jib would contemplate leaving the unfortunatecreature unattended.
"You can't talk to him, Miss. He don't know nothing," declared theIndian. "And he's pretty far gone."
"What shall we do for him? What needs doing first?" Ruth demanded.
"Why, we can't do much--as I can see," grumbled Jib Pottoway.
"Isn't there a doctor----"
"At Bullhide," broke in Jib. "That's the nearest."
"Then he must be got. We must save this man, Jib," said the girl,eagerly.
"Save him?"
"Certainly. If only because he saved my life when I was attacked by thebear. And he must be saved for another reason, too."
"Why, Miss Ruth, he'll be dead long before a doctor could get here,"cried Jib. "That's plumb ridiculous."
"He will die of course if he has no attention," said the girl,indignantly.
"Well?"
"Surely you won't desert him!"
"About all we can do for the poor fellow is to bury him," muttered Jib.
"If there was no other reason than that he is a helpless fellow-being,we could not go away and leave him here unattended," declared the girl,gravely. "You know that well enough, Jib."
"Oh, we'll wait around. But he's got to die. He's so far gone thatnothing can save him. And I oughtn't to go into the shack, either. Thatfever is contagious, and he's just full of it!"
"We must get help for him," cried Ruth, suddenly.
"What sort of help?" demanded the Indian.
"Why, the ranch is not so awfully far away, and I know that Mr. Hickskeeps a big stock of medicines. He will have something for this case."
"Then let's hustle back," said Jib, starting to climb into his saddle.
"But the coyote--and other savage beasts!" exclaimed Ruth.
"Gee! I forgot that," muttered Jib.
"One of us must stay here."
"Well--I can do that, I suppose. But how about you finding your way tothe Rolling River outfit? I--don't--know."
"I'll stay here and watch," declared Ruth, firmly. "You ride forhelp--get medicine--tell Mr. Hicks to send for a doctor at Bullhide, too.I have some money with me and I know my Uncle Jasper will pay whateverit costs to get a doctor to this man. Besides--there are other peopleinterested."
"Why, Miss, I don't know about this," murmured Jib Pottoway. "It's riskyto leave you here. Old Bill will be wild at me."
"I'm going to stay right here," declared Ruth, getting out of thesaddle. "You can leave me your gun if you will----"
"Sure! I could do that. But I don't know what the boss'll say."
"It won't much matter what he says," said Ruth, with a faint smile. "Ishall be here and he will be at Silver Ranch."
"Ugh!" muttered Jib. "But what'll he say to _me_?"
"I believe Mr. Hicks is too good-hearted to wish to know that we leftthis unfortunate young man here without care. It would be too cruel."
"You wait till I look about the camp," muttered Jib, without paying muchattention to Ruth's last remark.
He left his pony and walked quickly up the overgrown trail that had oncebeen the main street of Tintacker Camp. Ruth slipped out of the saddleand ran to the door of the sick man's hut. She laid her hand on thelatch, hesitated a moment, and then pushed the door open. There wasplenty of light in the room. The form on the bed, under a tattered oldblanket, was revealed. Likewise the flushed, thin face lying against therolled-up coat for a pillow.
"The poor fellow!" gasped Ruth. "And suppose it should be _her_ brother!Suppose it _should_ be!"
Only for a few seconds did she stare in at the unfortunate fellow. Hishead began to roll from side to side on the hard pillow. He mutteredsome gibberish as an accompaniment to his fevered dreams. It was a youngface Ruth saw, but so drawn and haggard that it made her tender heartache.
"Water! water!" murmured the cracked lips of the fever patient.
"Oh! I can't stand this!" gasped the girl. She wheeled about and sent along shout after Jib: "Jib! I say, Jib!"
"What's wantin'?" replied the Indian from around the bend in the trail.
"Bring some water! Get some fresh water somewhere."
"I get you!" returned the cowboy, and then, without waiting anotherinstant, Ruth stepped into the infected cabin and approached thesufferer's couch.
The sick man's head moved incessantly; so did his lips. Sometimes whathe said was audible; oftener it was just a hoarse murmur. But when Ruthraised his head tenderly and took out the old coat to refold it for apillow, he screamed aloud and seized the garment with both hands andwith an awful strength! His look was maniacal. There were flecks of foamon his lips and his eyes rolled wildly. There was more than ordinarydelirium in his appearance, and he fought for possession of the coat,shrieking in a cracked voice, the sound of which went straight to Ruth'sheart.
The sound brought Jib on the run.
"What in all tarnation are you doing in that shack?" he shouted. "Youcome out o' there!"
"Oh, Jib," said she, as the man fell back speechless and seeminglylifeless on the bed. "We can't leave him alone like this."
"That whole place is infected. You come out!" the puncher commanded.
"There's no use scolding me now, Jib," she said, softly. "The harm isdone, if it _is_ to be done. I'm in here, and I mean to stay with himtill you get help and medicine."
"You--you----"
"Don't call me names, but get the water. Find a pail somewhere. Bringplenty of cool water. He is burning up with fever and thirst."
"Well, the hawse is stole, I reckon!" grunted the Indian. "But you'dought to be shaken. What the boss says to me about this will bea-plenty."
"Get the water, Jib!" commanded Ruth Fielding. "See! he breathes sohard. I believe he is dying of thirst more than anything else."
Jib grabbed the canteen that swung at the back of his saddle, emptiedthe last of the stale water on the ground, and hurried away to where athin stream tumbled down the hillside behind one of the old shaftopenings. He brought the canteen back full--and it held two quarts.
"Just a little at first," said the girl, pouring some of the cool waterinto her own folding cup that she carried in her pocket. "He mustn'thave too much. And you keep out of the house, Jib. No use in both of usrunning the risk of catching the fever. You'll have to ride for help,too. And you don't want to take the infection among the other boys."
"You _are_ a plucky one, Miss," admitted the cowboy. "But there's boundto be the piper to pay for this. They'll say it was my fault."
"I won't let 'em," declared Ruth. She raised the sick man's head againand put the cup to his lips. "I wish I had some clean cloths. Oh! letsomebody ride over from the camp with food and any stimulants that theremay be there. See if you can find some larger receptacle for waterbefore you go."
"She's a cleaner!" muttered the Indian, shaking his head, and walkingaway to do her bidding.