CHAPTER VI
LAUGHTER
"Mr. Lee," she said, "I am going to ask you to do me a favour. Willyou?"
His smile was a sufficient answer, and it was in her character thatshe made no pretext of misunderstanding it.
"You have noticed Dan among the crowd?" she asked, "Whistling Dan?"
"Yes," he said, "I saw him do some very nice shooting."
"It's about him that I want to speak to you. Mr. Lee, he knows verylittle about men and their ways. He is almost a child among them. Youseem--stronger--than most of the crowd here. Will you see that iftrouble comes he is not imposed upon?"
She flushed a little, there was such a curious yearning in the eyes ofthe big man.
"If you wish it," he said simply, "I will do what I can."
As he walked beside her towards her horse, she turned to him abruptly.
"You are very different from the men I have met around here," shesaid.
"I am glad," he answered.
"Glad?"
"If you find me different, you will remember me, whether for better orworse."
He spoke so earnestly that she grew grave. He helped her to the saddleand she leaned a little to study him with the same gentle gravity.
"I should like to see you again, Mr. Lee," she said, and then in alittle outburst, "I should like to see you a _lot!_ Will you come tomy house sometime?"
The directness, the sudden smile, made him flinch. His voice was atrifle unsteady when he replied.
"I _shall!_" He paused and his hand met hers. "If it is possible."
Her eyebrows raised a trifle.
"Is it so hard to do?"
"Do not ask me to explain," he said, "I am riding a long way."
"Oh, a 'long-rider'!" she laughed, "then of course--" She stoppedabruptly. It may have been imagination, but he seemed to start whenshe spoke the phrase by which outlaws were known to each other. He wasforcing his eyes to meet hers.
He said slowly: "I am going on a long journey. Perhaps I will comeback. If I am able to, I shall."
He dropped his hand from hers and she remained silent, guessing atmany things, and deeply moved, for every woman knows when a man speaksfrom his soul.
"You will not forget me?"
"I shall never forget you," she answered quietly. "Good-bye, Mr. Lee!"
Her hand touched his again, she wheeled, and rode away. He remainedstanding with the hand she had grasped still raised. And after amoment, as he had hoped, she turned in the saddle and waved to him.His eyes were downward and he was smiling faintly when he re-enteredthe saloon.
Silent sat at a table with his chin propped in his hand--his lefthand, of course, for that restless right hand must always be free. Hestared across the room towards Whistling Dan. The train of thoughtswhich kept those ominous eyes so unmoving must be broken. He sat downat the side of his chief.
"What the hell?" said the big man, "ain't you started yet?"
"Look here, Jim," said Haines cautiously, "I want you to lay off onthis kid, Whistling Dan. It won't meant anything to you to raise thedevil with him."
"I tell you," answered Silent, "it'll please me more'n anything in theworld to push that damned girl face of his into the floor."
"Silent, I'm asking a personal favour of you!"
The leader turned upon him that untamed stare. Haines set his teeth.
"Haines," came the answer, "I'll stand more from you than from any manalive. I know you've got guts an' I know you're straight with me.But there ain't anything can keep me from manhandlin' that kid overthere." He opened and shut his fingers slowly. "I sort of yearn to getat him!"
Haines recognized defeat.
"But you haven't another gun hidden on you, Jim? You won't try toshoot him up?"
"No," said Silent. "If I had a gun I don't know--but I haven't a gun.My hands'll be enough!"
All that could be done now was to get Whistling Dan out of the saloon.That would be simple. A single word would suffice to send the timidman helter-skelter homewards.
The large, lazy brown eyes turned up to Haines as the latterapproached.
"Dan," he said, "hit for the timbers--get on your way--there's dangerhere for you!"
To his astonishment the brown eyes did not vary a shade.
"Danger?" he repeated wonderingly.
"Danger! Get up and get out if you want to save your hide!"
"What's the trouble?" said Dan, and his eyes were surprised, but notafraid.
"The biggest man in this room is after your blood."
"Is he?" said Dan wonderingly. "I'm sorry I don't feel like leavin',but I'm not tired of this place yet."
"Friend," said Haines, "if that tall man puts his hands on you, he'llbreak you across his knee like a rotten stick of wood!"
It was too late. Silent evidently guessed that Haines was urging hisquarry to flee.
"Hey!" he roared, so that all heads turned towards him, "you overthere."
Haines stepped back, sick at heart. He knew that it would be folly tomeet his chief hand to hand, but he thought of his pledge to Kate, andgroaned.
"What do you want of me?" asked Dan, for the pointed arm left no doubtas to whom Silent intended.
"Get up when you're spoke to" cried Silent. "Ain't you learned nomanners? An' git up quick!"
Dan rose, smiling his surprise.
"Your friend has a sort of queer way of talkin'," he said to Haines.
"Don't stan' there like a fool. Trot over to the bar an' git me a joltof red-eye. I'm dry!" thundered Silent.
"Sure!" nodded Whistling Dan amiably, "glad to!" and he wentaccordingly towards the bar.
The men about the room looked to each other with sick smiles.There was an excuse for acquiescence, for the figure of Jim Silentcontrasted with Whistling Dan was like an oak compared with a sapling.Nevertheless such bland cowardice as Dan was showing made their fleshcreep. He asked at the bar for the whisky, and Morgan spoke as Danfilled a glass nearly to the brim.
"Dan," he whispered rapidly, "I got a gun behind the bar. Say the wordan' I'll take the chance of pullin' it on that big skunk. Then youmake a dive for the door. Maybe I can keep him back till you get onSatan."
"Why should I beat it?" queried Dan, astonished. "I'm jest beginnin'to get interested in your place. That tall feller is sure a queer one,ain't he?"
With the same calm and wide-eyed smile of inquiry he turned away,taking the glass of liquor, and left Morgan to stare after him with aface pale with amazement, while he whispered over and over to himself:"Well, I'll be damned! Well, I'll be damned!"
Dan placed the liquor before Silent. The latter sat gnawing his lips.
"What in hell do you mean?" he said. "Did you only bring one glass?Are you too damn good to drink with me? Then drink by yourself, youwhite-livered coyote!"
He dashed the glass of whisky into Dan's face. Half blinded by thestinging liquor, the latter fell back a pace, sputtering, and wipinghis eyes. Not a man in the room stirred. The same sick look was oneach face. But the red devil broke loose in Silent's heart when he sawDan cringe. He followed the thrown glass with his clenched fist. Danstood perfectly still and watched the blow coming. His eyes were wideand wondering, like those of a child. The iron-hard hand struck himfull on the mouth, fairly lifted him from his feet, and flung himagainst the wall with such violence that he recoiled again and fellforward onto his knees. Silent was making beast noises in his throatand preparing to rush on the half-prostrate figure. He stopped short.
Dan was laughing. At least that chuckling murmur was near to a laugh.Yet there was no mirth in it. It had that touch of the maniacal in itwhich freezes the blood. Silent halted in the midst of his rush, withhis hands poised for the next blow. His mouth fell agape with an oddexpression of horror as Dan stared up at him. That hideous chucklingcontinued. The sound defied definition. And from the shadow in whichDan was crouched his brown eyes blazed, changed, and filled withyellow fires.
"God!" whispered Silent, and at that instant the ominous crouchedanim
al with the yellow eyes, the nameless thing which had beenWhistling Dan a moment before, sprang up and forward with a leap likethat of a panther.
Morgan stood behind the bar with a livid face and a fixed smile. Hisfingers still stiffly clutched the whisky bottle from which the lastglass had been filled. Not another man in the room stirred from hisplace. Some sat with their cards raised in the very act of playing.Some had stopped midway a laugh. One man had been tying a bootlace.His body did not rise. Only his eyes rolled up to watch.
Dan darted under the outstretched arms of Silent, fairly heaved him upfrom the floor and drove him backwards. The big man half stumbled andhalf fell, knocking aside two chairs. He rushed back with a shout, butat sight of the white face with the thin trickle of blood falling fromthe lips, and at the sound of that inhuman laughter, he paused again.
Once more Dan was upon him, his hands darting out with motions toofast for the eye to follow. Jim Silent stepped back a half pace,shifted his weight, and drove his fist straight at that white face.How it happened not a man in the room could tell, but the hand did notstrike home. Dan had swerved aside as lightly as a wind-blown featherand his fist rapped against Silent's ribs with a force that made thegiant grunt.
Some of the horror was gone from his face and in its stead was baffledrage. He knew the scientific points of boxing, and he applied them.His eye was quick and sure. His reach was whole inches longer than hisopponent's. His strength was that of two ordinary men. What did itavail him? He was like an agile athlete in the circus playing tag witha black panther. He was like a child striking futilely at a waveringbutterfly. Sometimes this white-faced, laughing devil ducked underhis arms. Sometimes a sidestep made his blows miss by the slightestfraction of an inch.
And for every blow he struck four rained home against him. It wasimpossible! It could not be! Silent telling himself that he dreamed,and those dancing fists crashed into his face and body likesledgehammers. There was no science in the thing which faced him. Hadthere been trained skill the second blow would have knocked Silentunconscious, and he knew it, but Dan made no effort to strike avulnerable spot. He hit at anything which offered.
Still he laughed as he leaped back and forth. Perhaps mere weight ofrushing would beat the dancing will-o'-the-wisp to the floor. Silentbored in with lowered head and clutched at his enemy. Then he roaredwith triumph. His outstretched hand caught Dan's shirt as the latterflicked to one side. Instantly they were locked in each other's arms!The most meaning part of the fight followed.
The moment after they grappled, Silent shifted his right arm from itscrushing grip on Dan's body and clutched at the throat. The move wasas swift as lightning, but the parry of the smaller man was stillquicker. His left hand clutched Silent by the wrist, and that mightysweep of arm was stopped in mid-air! They were in the middle of theroom. They stood perfectly erect and close together, embraced. Theirposition had a ludicrous resemblance to the posture of dancers, buttheir bodies were trembling with effort. With every ounce of power inhis huge frame Silent strove to complete his grip at the throat.He felt the right arm of Dan tightening around him closer, closer,closer! It was not a bulky arm, but it seemed to be made of linkedsteel which was shrinking into him, and promised to crush his verybones. The strength of this man seemed to increase. It was limitless.His breath came struggling under that pressure and the blood thunderedand raged in his temples. If he could only get at that soft throat!
But his struggling right hand was held in a vice of iron. Now his numbarm gave way, slowly, inevitably. He ground his teeth and cursed. Hiscurse was half a prayer. For answer there was the unearthly chucklejust below his ear. His hand was moved back, down, around! He washelpless as a child in the arms of its father--no, helpless as a sheepin the constricting coils of a python.
An impulse of frantic horror and shame and fear gave him redoubledstrength for an instant. He tore himself clear and reeled back. Danplanted two smashes on Silent's snarling mouth. A glance showed thelarge man the mute, strained faces around the room. The laughing devilleaped again. Then all pride slipped like water from the heart of JimSilent, and in its place there was only icy fear, fear not of a man,but of animal power. He caught up a heavy chair and drove it with allhis desperate strength at Dan.
It cracked distinctly against his head and the weight of it fairlydrove him into the floor. He fell with a limp thud on the boards.Silent, reeling and blind, staggered to and fro in the centre of theroom. Morgan and Lee Haines reached Dan at the same moment and kneeledbeside him.