McNabb and Cameron drew back and the bodies, locked in a
clench, toppled to the floor, overturning a chair.
"Oh, stop them! Stop them!" shrieked the girl. "He'll kill him!"
"Who'll kill who?" grinned McNabb, holding her back with one hand,
without taking his eyes from the struggling, fighting figures that
writhed almost at his feet, overturning boxes and bales in their
struggles.
"He'll kill Oskar! He's bigger----"
"Not by a damn sight, he won't!" roared McNabb. "Look at um! Look at
um! Oskar's on top! Give him hell, lad!"
Jean had ceased her protest, and to her own intense surprise she found
herself leaning forward, watching every move. She cried out with pain
when Wentworth's fist brought the blood from Oskar's nose, and she
applauded when Hedin's last three blows landed with vicious thuds
against the engineer's upturned chin.
Hedin rose to his feet and held the handkerchief to his bleeding nose.
McNabb's hand gripped his shoulder. "Ye done fine, lad! Ye done
fine!" he exclaimed.
Dropping to his knees, Hedin slipped his hand into the unconscious
man's pocket and withdrew a key which he tossed to one of the Company
Indians who had come running in at the sound of battle. "Here, Joe
Irish," he said, "go to the cabin and unlock the trunk that is there
and bring back the coat of fur."
A few moments later Hedin handed the garment to McNabb.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125