Redskin and Cow-Boy

o him; he was in the library, and begged the lawyer to give him two minutes' conversation. Hugh was wa

ugh, what is t

ll be glad afterwards that you didn't know. You were a friend of my father's, sir. You hav

but in heaven's name d

; please let me have the money at once. You don't k

five-pound notes. Then he said: "By the way, I have gold, if you w

uch rather

desk, and then unlocked the safe.

you will let

nded him a sm

; "remember, please, whatever you

r word he opened th

olph exclaimed, as her husband returned to th

ctly," he said. "Hugh has borrowed a

ere has h

y hope he is going out of the country, and

at has h

a terrible quarrel. He begged me to ask him no questions, and I was glad not to do so. The less one knows, the better; but I am

mas, you don't mean to say t

ustee, and have the rents of his estate for the past five years in my hands, I let him have it as a matter of course. I did not ask him why he wanted it. I saw that he was agitated, and from his manner, and from my knowledge that he and his uncle did not get on very well together, I judged there had been a quarrel, and that he in

ve killed me," he said to himself, "and I had no thought of killing him when I knocked him down; anyhow, he brought it on himself. If he is dead, and I am pretty sure he is, I have no one to prove that it was done in self-defence; but if he is not dead, he will give his own version of it when he recovers. I know he is a liar, and in his quiet manner he would

ne, stopping at every station. He got out at the first station and paid the fare from Carlisle, then walked back to the town, and took a second-class ticket by the night mail for London. Arriving at Euston, he walked across to the docks, whence he had found that a steamer started for Hamburg at eight o'clock, and he woul

scription had taken a ticket to Glasgow, it would be at once suspected that he intended to sail by a steamer from that port. No pursuit could be set on foot before the morning. Indeed, it was probable

d started, and they could obtain no clue to him in Glasgow, they would think that he had gone back to Liverpool, and would make search there, watching all the steamers sailing. They would in any case hardly suspect tha

pt somewhat together near the companion leading to their portion of the ship, while the steerage passengers were well forward. The number of the latter was not very large, for the emigrant traffic across the Atla

had gone, as he expressed it, a fearful mucker. His father had paid the greater portion of his debts, but had refused to settle some that he considered debts of honour. Luscombe, therefore, sold out, and was now, as he expressed it, going over to knock about for a bit in the States, till his father took a "sensible view of things." "It was rough o

e. But before the voyage was over he ha

hat it will be more pleasant for you if he gets round, as I daresay he will, or else it will be a long while before you can show up at home. Well, you will know by the time we have been in New York a few days. If the papers

f good sense and a fund of resolution, and knew that he himself was more likely to stick to work in such companionship than he should be by himself. Luscombe's light-hearted carelessness amused Hugh, and though he did not think that his companion was likely to stick very long to anything he t

right. If he had been a good old man you would have killed him, no doubt, but bad men have alw

. We are only throwing

ke the first job of any kind that offered itself, keeping it until they had time to look round and see what would suit them b

ntil the old lady and the girls get the governor into a charitable state of mind again. He is a first-rate fellow, and I am not surprised that he cut

e. I have got a very good trustee, who will look after the estate. I will write to him to-night and let him know that I am a

as then the nearest terminus to their destination-Northern Texas. Travelling sometimes by stage-waggons,

better than it has been for the last two or three hundred miles. There are some good-sized hills. Some of those across the country ahead might almost claim to be mountains,

men in their shirt-sleeves came in and sat down with them. The tea was somewhat better than that they had hitherto obtained, and there was, in addition, the luxury of milk. Scarcely a word was spoken during the meal. It was evidently considered a serio

of making a stay

t any work to suit

o stores and eight houses being built now. This town has a great future bef

t the court-house in a month or two. Our sheriff is a pretty spry man, and doesn't stan

dryly. "We are peaceable characters ou

d be too much to expect. The week before last Buck Harr

Luscombe asked. The landlord l

seen outside their doors, and to ride about and fire through the windows. They had done it th

rised at that,

Harris and two of his gang were killed and four of the citizens. Since then we have had quiet.

get work among hor

have been no difficulty. A good workman can get his four dollars a-day. Then there is James Pawson's woodyard. I reckon you might get a job there. One of his hands got sho

harge for board

lodge you at present. I must keep a couple of rooms for travellers, and the others are full. But you

try the woodya

about a woodyard. Well, landlord, if we agree with this Mr. Pawso

piled a quantity of sawn timber of various dimensions. The name Pawson wa

combe said, and

asked, looking up as

ut for a job, and heard th

an said, "and I want hands

can get," Lus

down. "Not much accustom

But we are both pretty stron

r and a half a-day for a week, and at the end of that time, if

who nodded. "All right!

rce. "Take off your coats then," he said, "and s

e wagon, and assisted the teamster to throw down the planks, while the other two carried them away and stacked them. Both of them had rolled up their sleeves to have a freer use of their arms. The sun blazed hotly down, and they were soon bathed in

r'n most. I see you will suit me if I shall suit you; so I will make it two dollars

ning, Luscombe," Hugh said as

have broken our backs and blistered our hands, to say

said. "I had no idea that the sun was so s

nd they are beginning to smart furiously.

feel so tired that I am sure I could never

and rubbed them. "It will be some time before I turn up my sleeves to work again," Luscombe said. "I have ha

daren't turn up our sleeves, and yet the flannel rubbing on them makes them smart so that we can hardly work. Besides, as you said yesterday, we are not accustomed to work. We are so stiff tha

for it as you are. Take it easy, boys, for a few days till you get accustomed to it. We ain't slave-drivers out here, and I don't expect nothing beyond what is reasona

k a stroll round the town, of which they had seen little, and then lay down in the shade of a thick cactus hedge and dozed all the afternoon. T

it during the day?" Luscombe asked as he saw Hugh put his revolver in his pocke

e a man at work in a woodyard with a revolver stuck into his pocket at the back of his trousers. At night it

stol," Luscombe said. "Even these rowdies

men are pretty nearly if not quite tipsy. I heard my uncle say once 'A man may not often

every man in the place who had a hand in that business. The sheriff is away. He went out yesterday with two men to search for a fellow who murdered a man and his wife somewhere down south, and who has been seen down in the swamps of the East Fork. He may be away two or t

ng to let three men terrorize the whole plac

hat each of them is good to lay out five or six men before he goes under. When things are like that one puts up with a goodish lot before one kicks. They are three as ugly men as there are anywhere along this part of Texas. Any one of them is game to set up a town by himself, and when it comes to three of them together I tel

the window were pierced almost simultaneously with small round holes in the very centres. Every one bent down over their plates. The next shot might come through the second line o

the men said. "It will be more serious later

iring through the windows

off their horses to see a fellow jump and make a straight line into a house. Nobody minds the cow-boys; they are a good sort. They are reckless enough when they are on a spree, but they don't really mean to do harm. They spend their money freely, and they hate ruffians like those three fellows outside. If it wasn't for cow-boys, the bad men, as we call them, would be pretty well masters of Texas. But the cow-boys hunt them down like vermin, and I h

news? Dutch Sam and his party have broken open the door of the unde

duty and called upon every one to help him to capture or shoot these fellows as soon as they cam

e to house and agree that every man shall take his rifle and pistol, and t

giving them a fair s

o you think they give notice to a man before they shoot him, and ask him to draw and be fairl

if the coast was clear, and reported that none of the desperadoes were in sight, the party at once scattered. Luscombe and H

him. If we had a regular street here with a row of houses running along each side, so that a volley could be poured into them, it would be a different thing; but you see the houses are separated, some stand back from the road, some stand forward; they are all scattered like, and I don't expec

gh said, "that a place with something like a h

on a card twenty yards away; they each carry two revolvers, that is to say, they have got twelve men's lives in their belt, and they

Luscombe asked. "Then they couldn't come i

and if it was so barred they couldn't get in that way, they would like enou

e are quietly in bed the better. As our room is at the back of the house t

the street. They had gone but a short distan

und to the back of the house, the door is open there. I have heard t

Hugh," Lus

to run away from anyone," Hugh said doggedly. "Go on, m

rself," Luscombe said quiet

ol barrel. Another instant the pistol cracked; but Hugh, the moment he saw it bear on him, dropped on to one knee, and the ball struck the wall just above his head. He lifted his arm and fired, while two other shots

said; "the sooner we are

enty yards they heard the sound o

e they will pass those men at the windows; if they do, they will be

FIRED, HUGH DRO

of the rifles were followed by the quick sharp cracks of revolvers. Then a man dashed past th

," Hugh said, "and this fellow is evi

ey reached their room. Hugh str

d wanted nothing but to go on with your work peaceably, and here you are throwing yourself into

run away when I was armed. It is you ought to be blamed, stopping there to be shot at when you had no we