_Chapter XXIX_
Swen Brodie, whose will had at all times directed, was now absolutedictator. Big and brutal and fearless, drunken with gold, he loomedabove his companions, driving them, commanding them, swearing violentlythat they would do what he told them to do or he'd dash their brainsout.
"I led you to it," he reminded them in a great shouting voice. "But forme never a man of you would of smelled it. There's enough here to make athousand men rich, and that's lucky for you! But we've got to hold whatwe got, and we got to get out of here with it--somehow. That somehow isfor me to figure out. And, being as one man's got to run any job and therest has got to take orders and take 'em on the jump, you're doing whatI say! If any man jack of you don't like that, let him open his headright now!"
"There's no sense scrappin'," muttered Benny. "An' we're all satisfied,I'd say. But there's no call to start wavin' a red flag."
"We're going down to the lower cave," said Brodie. "Everything we canpry loose is going down with us. We'll pitch the loose chunks of goldover the cliff and we'll stow 'em away somewhere else--where King, ifthings break some way we don't look for, won't find 'em! We start rightnow, while there's daylight. What's more, we move our camp from down thecanon to the cave below. Steve Jarrold, you and Tony are elected to thatjob, and you'd better get a move on. Bring up what grub's left, and theblankets and stuff. The rest of us will start in firing gold overboardand putting it somewhere more safe--all that's loose. And at that, thinkof the great, big, wide, yellow, rotten-soft seam of it down below!"
"Where are you goin' to put it?" demanded Jarrold.
"Not hiding it from you and Tony, Steve," cried Brodie sharply. "Putyour suspicious ways in your pocket. And, if you're on the jump, you'llhave our camp truck moved before we're done. Look alive, will you? Aman never knows what's going to happen."
"Why not leave it here until we know----?"
"For one thing, because Mark King knows this place. Now, move! Comeahead, you other fellows. You, too, Gratton; we ain't forgot you." Anuglier note crept into the harsh voice. "You can help. And so can you,"whirling on Gloria. "Woman or no woman, you got hands and feet."
* * * * *
Night, pitch-black, had come when they had done. Gloria, scarcely ableto stand from exhaustion, her body bruised, her hands and arms woundedfrom many a jagged rock as she had gone back and forth carrying heavyloads, went with the others into the lowest cave in which already thegold had been stowed away. She sank down wearily; she closed her eyesrather than watch the men about their fire, eating noisily, drinkingnoisily from the bottles which Steve and Tony had brought from theirother camp. Trying to remain unnoticed in the shadows was Gratton.Brodie, having commanded that a rude rock wall like King's be builtacross the mouth of the cave to shut out the cold, and having labouredwith the others at the task, came back to the fire. He took a long pullat a bottle, emptying it and smashing it to tinkling fragments as hehurled it behind him. He caught up a big piece of dried beef and gnawedat it like a dog; though Gloria kept her eyes away from him she couldhear the tearing and grinding of the monstrous teeth.
"It's been a day's work, at that," he said with a full mouth. "But weain't done. I noticed how no man has said a word about how we split whatwe found."
"There's five of us," said Benny quickly. "We split it five ways, even,like pardners."
Brodie turned on him slowly, still rending at his meat, still clutchinghis rifle and holding it so that no man might forget that he held it.
"Think so, Benny?" he said ponderously. "Being as I've worked on thislay a long time, since I let you others in on it, since I led you toit--think that's the fair way to split it? Now suppose you listen tome. You boys ain't mentioned a split because it was none of your say andyou knew it. Say, in round numbers--but there's ten times that--thatthere's a million dollars tucked away here. Why, there's mines allthrough these mountains that never thought of stopping at a million;that was just a fair start! Well, to get going, say there's an evenmillion. I get just half that; that leaves half a million, don't it?Now, shut up a minute!" he commanded truculently as more than one manstirred. "Listen to me. That's five hundred thousand to split betweenfour of you; that's over a hundred thousand for every man jack of you.And that's what I call a fair split."
They growled in their throats at that, but no man took it upon himselfto speak out definitely, though they glanced sidewise among themselves.Benny, who always had a thought of his own, said quietly:
"What are you doin' about Gratton? He'll claim his share, won't he? And,if you say him no, he'll shoot his face off, won't he?"
"No," said Brodie. "He won't." He paused, swallowed the last of hisbeef, caught up a bottle from Benny's side, and drank deeply. Benny,afraid that this bottle, too, still nearly full, would be broken,hastily snatched it back when Brodie had done.
"No," said Brodie heavily. "Gratton won't talk." He grew suddenlyquick-spoken--he broke into a volley of accusation; his tongue lentitself to such a rush of vileness that Gloria, shrinking back, coveredher ears with her hands. "Gratton stole grub. When grub-stealing was thesame as slitting a man's throat. And what next does he plan? Why, tomake trouble; to swear that Benny killed a man; that we was all in it;to get us all hung, if he can, or in the pen; then to grab what's ours.Look at him. You can see it in his frog eyes! He's done, that's what heis!" With a swift gesture his gun was at his shoulder.
Gratton scrambled to his feet with a choking cry. Gloria, too, hadsprung up, sick with horror. She looked from Brodie to Gratton, who wasnot two feet from her. She saw that he was panic-stricken; his fear waschoking him, stopping his heart, paralysing his muscles. He wanted torun and could not; he tried to speak but now not even a whisper camefrom between his writhing lips.
Slowly, an unshaken, senseless piece of machinery, Brodie raised hisrifle. Now Gratton's voice returned to him; a strangling cry broke fromhis agonized soul. A hand, wildly outthrown, caught at Gloria's sleeve.
"You, there," called Brodie, "stand aside. Unless you're wanting yourstoo!"
Her own heart was stopping, her feet were leaded. She understood what hesaid--she knew that it was to her that he spoke--but she wouldn'tbelieve, couldn't believe that he meant--_that_!
Gratton was pressing tight to Gloria, seeking futilely to get behindher. He began to articulate--to beg--to promise----
Brodie fired. A great reverberating roar filled the cavern. Gloria, herbrain gone suddenly numb, felt the grip on her arm tighten convulsively.Then it relaxed--slowly. Gratton, his eyes bulging, his mouth wide open,was sinking----
Gloria put her hands over her eyes and screamed. Again and again herscream broke from her. She tried to draw back, to run. But all herstrength was gone. She crumpled and settled down almost as Gratton haddone, and so close to him that she brushed him with her knee. She feltthe body twitch. She leaped to her feet and ran blindly, screaming. Shestruck against the rock wall and sank down again.
The wonder was that she did not swoon outright. As it was, her soulseemed to float dizzily out of her body and through an utter dark. Shethought that she was dying. As though across a vast distance she heardvoices.
"Well?" It was the man who had done the shooting, his voice truculent."Anybody got anything to say? Say it quick, if you have."
There was a silence. Then a shuffling of feet. Then an answering voice,thin and querulous. It was Benny; he, too, had killed his man.
"He had it coming," he said eagerly. "Any judge would say so. Stoleevery bit of grub when stealing grub is the same as cutting a man'sthroat, just like you said, Brodie. He had it coming. You done right."
"You, Jarrold," demanded Brodie. "Got anything to say?"
Again silence. Then again a voice, Jarrold's, saying hurriedly:
"No. Benny's right. He had it coming. Damn fool."
"And you, Brail? And you, Tony? Got anything to say? Talk lively!"
Brail and Tony, like the others before them, were quick to excuseBrodie's act. They spok
e briefly and relapsed into silence. Then,beginning far away and coming closer with the speed of an onrushinghurricane, Gloria heard heavy feet crunching in the dirt and gravel. Ahard hand gripped her shoulder, jerking her to her feet.
"You, friend," said Brodie. "What have you got to say about it?"
She hung limp in his powerful hand, speechless.
He dragged her closer to the firelight, peering at her with hisred-flecked eyes.
"Don't forget who she is," another voice was saying. Steve Jarrold's."Remember what I told you."
It was as though he prided himself on the fact that he alone knew herfor Gaynor's daughter, and from it derived a sort of ownership of her;for while the others had never caught a glimpse of her until now, he hadfilled his eyes with her before. "We got to think this out. She camealong with King. Got enough of him and switched to Gratton. That's likea woman."
Brodie let her slip down and turned away from her. His mood was not sosoon for a woman.
"See she keeps her mouth shut," he said threateningly. "If she ain't gotsense enough for that she ain't got sense to go on living."
Benny stooped and feasted his eyes on her. Then, straightening up, heturned to Jarrold with nodding approval.
"She skins anything _I_ ever saw," he admitted.
In some strange way it seemed to Gloria that both Benny and Brodie hadconsigned her to Jarrold as though they admitted his prior claim; asthough, among these three, she was looked upon as the property of one.She struggled to her feet.
"Don't let her go," said Brodie. "That's all I got to say about herright now."
She made an uncertain step toward the mouth of the cave. Jarrold movedat her side. She went faster. He put his hand on her.
"Didn't you hear what he said?" he asked.
She tried to break away and run. He held her One clear thought and onlyone formed in her mind. As she had never longed for anything in herlife, she yearned for Mark King.
"Mark!" she screamed, "Mark King! Save me."
Jarrold clapped a big dirty hand over her mouth. He put a wiry arm abouther and lifted her and carried her back to the fireside.
"None of that," he growled in her ear. She shrank away as she felt thetensing of his arm and was conscious of the contact of his rag-clothedbody. She grew silent, cowering. She heard a sound of something draggingand could not hide her fascinated eyes. Thus she watched as Brodiegripped the slack of Gratton's coat shoulders and shoved the body outinto the snow. She even marked how the living man spat after the dead.
"Go to the coyotes," he muttered. "They're your kind."
Gloria knew that if she took a step Jarrold would clutch her again. Soshe stood very still. Brodie came back and threw some wood on the fireand squatted down over the provisions, seeming to be taking stock ofthem. Perhaps he was but strengthening his heart, digesting the evidenceof the case, assuring himself again after the accomplished fact that thedeed was just. Still squatting, he drank again, this time from thebottle which had been Gratton's. As he tilted it up she saw that it wastwo-thirds full. When he put it down with a long sigh and wiped his wetmouth it was not over half-full. He brooded over the fire, he gave nosign of noticing her.
"Let me go," she said to Jarrold. "I am sick. I'd die here. Please letme go."
Jarrold shifted and looked to his companions. Benny shook his head.
"There ain't no hurry," he stated judicially. "What sort is she, Steve?"
"She come up to Gaynor's place along with Gratton," answered Jarrold asthough he knew all about her. "He was crazy gone on her, crazy enough towant to marry her, even. Sent me for the judge. Then Mark King showedup. She fell for him and gave Gratton the go-by. Then she comes into themountains with King, I guess. Next she gets tired of him and goes backto Gratton."
"'Frisco woman?" asked Benny.
Jarrold nodded. Benny clacked his tongue. Brodie still brooded at hisfire, his eyes sullen upon the fitful flame and red embers.
"Where is King?" asked Brodie.
"Where is King?" repeated Jarrold to Gloria.
"I don't know," she answered, speaking with difficulty. "I ... Oh, forGod's sake, let me go. I won't say anything about what I saw; I promise.If you will only let me go."
"They promise easy and break promises easier," said Jarrold.
Benny came up and touched Brodie on the shoulder. The squatting manstarted and scowled. Benny stooped and whispered. Brodie got up heavilyand together the two withdrew, going further back in the cave. Theytalked, but Gloria could not catch the words. She saw the flare of onematch after the other as they fell to smoking; the smell of strongtobacco came to her. She looked appealingly to Jarrold. He sidledcloser, standing between her and the open.
"I'll pay you a thousand dollars when I get back to San Francisco," shewhispered eagerly. "Ten thousand! If you'll let me go now."
Jarrold pondered, his stupid little eyes steady and unwinking on her.
"A thousand dollars," he returned slowly, "wouldn't do me any good if Inever got it: as I wouldn't if none of us got clear of this damn' snow;neither would ten I And it wouldn't do me any good if Benny and Brodieshot me full of lead. And it wouldn't be much, anyhow, if we got awaywith what we found to-day! Everything being as it is, I ain't half asstrong for a thousand dollars, nor yet ten, right now as I am for you!And you know it, don't you?"
He tried to ogle her, and her sick dread nearly overwhelmed her.
"And you got sense, too," went on Jarrold, leering meaningly. "It won'tbe bad to have a man stuck on you that's got all kind of kale, will it,girlie?"
As he poured out his wretched insinuations she was trembling; in herheart she thought that she had spoken truly and would die if they kepther here.
"I am married. To Mr. King," she said as steadily as she could. "I wantto go to him. You have no right to keep me here."
"But you don't even know where he is," Jarrold reminded her slyly.
Brodie and Benny had given over their whispering and came back to thefire, where Brail and the Italian looked up at them sharply. Here wasanother guarded conference among the four; Gloria, though she couldwatch them, was unable to hear what they were saying. Jarrold began togrow uneasy, so soon is distrust bred amongst those who have foundtreasure.
Brodie made a last remark and laughed; the others laughed after him, andthe four looked toward Jarrold and Gloria. Brodie, leaning back, caughtup a bottle and drank, and thereafter passed the bottle to the mannearest him. Gloria was quick to see that he had set his rifle awaysomewhere against the rock wall in the shadows. Only Brail still clungto his gun; if he should set it aside--if there should come a momentwhen she could slip to the cave's mouth--in the outside dark, despitethe deep snow, she would at least have a chance to escape from them.Even though she had nowhere to go, she longed wildly to be away fromthem. When their eyes roved toward her she thought that she would ratherbe dead, out in the clean, white snow, than here.
She wondered if these men were as utterly callous as they seemed.Gratton, so newly dead, appeared forgotten. They laughed and drank, theysmoked and spat, they soiled her with their eyes and their talk, quiteas though they had neither knowledge nor memory of manslaughter done.Benny alone, for a brief period, appeared nervous. She wondered what hewas doing; he had rolled back his coat-sleeve; he was jabbing at hisbare forearm with something which now and then caught and reflected thefirelight. After a long time she heard a long sigh from Benny; he pulleddown his coat-sleeve. The others laughed again.
"It's time we had a little talk," said Brodie out of a short silence."Without anybody's skirt listening in. Leave her back there, furtherfrom the front door, Jarrold. Where she can't get an earful, and whereshe can't make a getaway; you come on over here a minute."
Gloria made no resistance but sank down limply where Jarrold left herand watched him as he slouched over to the fire. She sought to heartheir words, to read the looks on their faces. But she caught only amonotonous mutter, unintelligible but evil, and saw only the bottlepassing from one to the other.
Brodie finished it and hurled it from himso that it broke noisily. A few times she heard them laugh; she coulddistinguish Brodie's throaty, bull tone and Benny's nervous cackle.Jarrold did not appear made for mirth, and him she feared most of all;yes, even more than Brodie, whom she had seen do murder, and Benny who,she knew, had done murder. Brail and the Italian said little; they weremen to follow where other men led. She fancied that several times SteveJarrold's little eyes left the bottle, the faces of his companions, andeven the pile of gold to quest for her face in the dark.
"Come here," commanded Brodie.
She started. He was calling to her! She got up and moved forward slowly.It was obey or be dragged to him. In the pale light by the fire,standing so that the blaze was between the five men and herself, shestopped. Until now she had been very white; suddenly she knew that herface must be flooded with bright red; she could feel the burn of it.The eyes of the men seemed veritably to disregard her clothes, to makeher feel another Lady Godiva.
"Gratton's, then King's, then Gratton's again?" Brodie chuckled. "Idon't care whose before Gratton's the first time; but whose afterGratton's the last time, that's it! Who are you for, Bright-Eyes? Me orSteve?"
"No!" she cried, her hands at her breast. "No! I am not like that! I wasnot Gratton's; I am ... I am Mark King's wife!"
"So?" admitted Brodie good-humouredly. "Well, that cuts no ice; it'sopen and shut you'd gone back to Gratton. Now, come over here. Closer."
"I won't," she shuddered. "You don't dare make me! I ... Oh, won't youlet me go? You have your gold there; you have gold and whiskey; youdon't want me...."
"Whiskey, gold, and women," muttered Brodie. "They go together fine. Andquit that little schoolgirl dodge; you make me sick. If you wasn't whatyou are, you wouldn't be where you are. Come over here and give us akiss." He jerked from his pocket a dull lump, one of the smaller, richernuggets. "I'm no pincher; come across and I'll give you a whole handfulof gold!" His tone was playful.
But Jarrold cut in less playfully:
"Leave her alone, Brodie," he advised. "She don't cotton to you, and,what's more, whose gold is it, anyhow? We ain't divided yet. Andshe.... Well, if she belongs to anybody, she's mine!"
"So?" Brodie's monosyllable was expressionless. "Well, I was asking_her_. And she ain't answered yet."
Fast as the girl's heart beat, her thoughts sought to fly faster. Thesemen were brutes; here she began, and, alas, here she ended. She hadnever known what brute meant; she had called Mark King that! And now, ifonly Mark King could hear her call, could come to her.... But that wasless thought than prayer. These were brute beasts; their bestiality whenthey had first come upon her was terrifying; now, as the alcohol burnedin their half-starved stomachs and the further intoxication of goldcrept into their blood, her terror was boundless. In a moment she wouldfeel upon her either the hands of Brodie or the hands of Jarrold. Andshe was helpless and hopeless. Until, since life connotes hope, therecame a faint flicker of light. And with it came a sudden, compelling,swift longing. If she might set them to quarrelling over her, to send asnarling man at a snarling man's throat.... Her hands dropped to hersides, and were clenched; she lifted her chin; with all that strengththat lay in the innermost soul of Gloria King she strove to drive hergreat fear out of her eyes, to hide it from their wolfish regard, tosummon up in its stead a mocking inscrutability. There was but one thingleft to do, but one part to play----Oh, God, if she could play thepart! She stood motionless, silent; she battled with herself; shestruggled mightily for a calm utterance. And in the end she said in atone which she managed to make full of challenge:
"Which of you is the better man?"
They stared at her, all of them puzzled by her change of attitude as byher words. Then Brodie, with a noisy explosion of laughter, smote histhigh and, after him, Benny giggled foolishly.
"The better man!" Brodie shouted. "Hear her, Steve, old horse? Thebetter man!" He lunged to his feet; he stood solidly, unswerving thoughmore than ever slow and ponderous. "I'll go you, Steve. The lady'sright; she goes to the man who's man enough to get her. That's big SwenBrodie, the best man in these mountains! I'll go you for her, Steve. ByGod, she's worth it, too."
But Steve Jarrold sat where he was, glaring.
"She's sly," he grunted, cursing before and after. "Can't you see whatshe's up to? She wants us to fight one another; she'd be glad if we bothkilled one another. You don't understand women, Brodie; they're sly likecats."
"Make a auction out'n it!" was Benny's mirthful suggestion. "Why justyou two guys, anyway? Where do you get that stuff? Free for all, that'swhat I say!" He waved his bottle. "Auction her off, that's what I say!I'll give a bottle of whiskey for her; hey, Brodie?"
Brodie had laughed when Jarrold spoke; he laughed now. But he looked toJarrold and not Benny as he spoke; he extended his great hands, thefingers crooked, curving slowly inward, like steel hooks.
"I can eat you alive, and you know it, Steve," he mocked. "What's more,_she_ knows it! That's what she wants; she's picked me, Steve! That'sjust her way of letting you down easy; she don't aim to hurt yourfeelings. Will you come on and take a fall for her? Or is the lady mine?What's the word? Speak up, man!"
Gloria saw that Jarrold, though he sent a black, scowling look at thebigger man, was afraid. And yet they must fight--they must be driven toblows--she must somehow set them at each others' throats. It was so hardto think at all! Yet she could think forward to one occurrence only thatcould give her respite and a frail chance for freedom: if they wouldonly fight as, in some dim instinctive way, it was given her tounderstand that such men would fight once a wrathful blow had been givenand taken--if the others would only watch them and not her, if she couldcome to one of the rifles--or outside----
She turned to Jarrold. She gathered herself for the final supremeeffort. She made her eyes grow bright through sheer force of will; shemade her lips cease trembling and curve to a smile at the man; she evenconcealed her loathing and put a ringing note, almost of laughter, intoher voice as she said softly:
"I know you are not afraid--and I think--yes, I am sure, that you couldwhip him!"
Steve Jarrold's eyes flashed. Then they left hers lingeringly; Brodiewas stamping impatiently, calling to him.
"Take her!" snapped Jarrold. "Hell take both of you."
The laughter and challenge went out of Swen Brodie's bloodshot eyes; anew red surged all of a sudden into them. He turned and came slowlyabout the fire, his arms still uplifted, the crooking fingers towardGloria.