He wondered that he felt no sense of
fear. He believed that Alex Thumb would do that, yet it was a matter
that seemed not of any importance. He raised his eyes and encountered
the malevolent glare of the breed. The black eyes seemed to glow with
an inner lustre, like the smoulder of banked fires.
With a start he seemed to have returned from some far place. The words
of Corporal Downey flittered through his brain: "You'll be servin' with
the devils in hell if you don't quit makin' enemies of men like Alex
Thumb." And there was Alex Thumb regarding him through narrowed
smouldering eyes across the little fire. Alex Thumb would kill him!
Would kill _him_--Ross Wentworth! The whole thing was preposterous.
If the man had really meant to kill him he would have done it before
this. He wouldn't dare; there were the Mounted. Other words of Downey
came to him, "If he does kill you, I'll get him." So there was a
possibility that the man would kill him. Why not? Who would ever
know? They would think he disappeared with Orcutt's money--would even
institute a world-wide search from him--but not in the bush. Thought
of the money nerved him to speak.
"How much will you take to get into your canoe and paddle back the way
you came?" he asked.
The breed laughed. "Wen I'm keel you I'm got you money, anyway. But
I'm ain' wan' so mooch de money. I'm wan' you heart.
Pages:
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135