To Win or to Die Part 41

The next moment Dallas was stamping and kicking out the fire, with the result that the interior of the hut grew lighter.

"Don't, don't do that, Dal," whispered Abel. "You're right in the line of fire, too."

As a proof that their position was being made more precarious a couple more shots were fired, the bullets buzzing across the interior.

"Must," was the reply. "There, the ashes will soon grow faint;" and in a few minutes the place was nearly black; but at the same time it was full of strangling wood-smoke which rose slowly towards the opening in the roof which formed their chimney.

Meanwhile shot after shot was fired through the door, and at every dull thud or tearing of the stout woodwork, the dog dashed about, snarling and barking furiously.

"Dal! Dal!" cried Abel pa.s.sionately; "are we to stop here doing nothing?"

"Yes; we are not going to shoot at random. Wait a bit, and our time will come. Have you plenty of cartridges handy?"

"Yes; a pocketful."

"Don't waste them, then. One will be sufficient to silence an enemy.

We must wing him--that will be sufficient. I say!"

"Yes, what?"

"Bob Tregelly would not knock at the door like this, would he?"

"Don't. I made sure it was he."

The firing went on through the door, and in the darkness, which now grew profound, the besieged made out that the direction of the bullets was varied, for those which came through struck the wall in different places--high, low, and to right and left; and the result of this was that suddenly, in spite of Dallas's endeavours to keep the dog close to him in shelter, he escaped from him to bound about, barking savagely, and the next minute, as a couple of shots came through the door, he uttered a peculiar snarling snap, and threw himself with a heavy thud against the door.

"He has got it, Bel," whispered Dallas. "Here, Scruff! Scruff!"

The dog came to him, whining, and then uttered a dismal howl.

"Poor old chap! you must lick the place," said Dallas. "I'll see to it when I can get a light."

"Badly wounded, Dal?" said Abel.

"Can't tell. No; not very bad, or he would have lain still. Has he come to you?"

"Yes," said Abel, from the other side of the door; "he has shoved his head against me."

There was a pause then, and an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n full of horror.

"What is it?" anxiously.

"Ugh! The poor fellow's bleeding!"

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

A DEATH SHRIEK.

"Wait a bit--wait a bit!" said Dallas through his teeth; "we'll pay the cowardly brutes yet. Bel, it makes me feel like a savage. I could enjoy pulling the rope that was to hang them!"

"I couldn't; but I wish it was daylight and I could get a good aim at one of them. I say, they'll riddle that door."

"Wait a bit," whispered Dallas, with a curious little laugh, "and we'll answer their riddle."

The firing went on persistently, but the dog barked no more--only gave vent from time to time to a low growl, while the listeners could tell from the sound that he was applying an animal's natural remedy to his wound by licking it diligently.

And the firing went on as if the enemy were searching every part of the hut with their bullets.

"Dal," whispered Abel suddenly, "don't be startled."

"You're not going to be such an idiot as to open the door to the fire, are you?"

"No; but it would not be idiotic," said Abel quietly; "for I feel as if I could hit one of them by seeing the flash of his piece."

"What are you going to do, then?--let the dog out?"

"No, not now he is wounded. I wish we had set him free, though, at the first--he'd have startled the wretches!"

"They'd have done for him with their bowies," said Dallas. "What am I not to be startled at? Ah-h-ah! You brutes! Lie right down, Bel!

They're firing at the wall now."

"Then it's time for it. Look here, I'm going to humbug them."

Two more reports came, and, as the sound died out, Abel uttered so unearthly a shriek that Dallas felt it go through him in a shudder that chilled him to the bone.

"Bel!" he panted wildly.

"All right; did it sound natural?" was whispered back.

"Oh, you wretch!" whispered Dallas; and Abel laughed.

"They'll think they've done for the dog and one of us," said Abel softly. "Let them go on firing now for a bit, and then it will be your turn; only don't squeak like I did."

"I see," said Dallas.

"You feel for something big, and when they've fired a bit more hurl it hard at the door, and then give a big groan."

"All right!"

"They'll feel sure then, and come up and begin to force open the door or the shutters. Then we must let them have it."

"Yes; four barrels at once," said Dallas.

"And some seasoning directly after from our pepper-boxes."

The dog was so quiet now that Abel trembled for his fate; but he and his companion, as they lay there in the darkness, had something else to think about, for the firing went on steadily, and they wondered it did not bring up some of the miners from their claims here and there.