Show PO mu ff M MAP ia I 1 FILM M NIP 5 01 A M 9 CO U AT 14 EY RYLEY COOPER Q COPYRIGHT COURTNEY RYLEY COOPER COOPED SERVICE CHAPTER X continued 17 1 I 1 told you never to cross that line he growled it was lew anade almost groveling as he strove to back away to reach a distance from which lie he could run lor for safety but hammond moved with him pace for pace hear me I 1 told you not to cross that linel aine I 1 to so but I 1 been bothering jeanne T ea honest to god I 1 sh she e even know im in the country what mat are you doing in this test pit just getting out a little gravel to make cement with I 1 su suppose p how long have you worked here bere he tried to frame a lie but he was too frightened since a night or two after your partner left and aad you work for bruce kenning dont you the big hands caught again at the shoulders of the trembling man dont lie you work for bruce kenning yeh I 1 work for him you helped him salt that shaft over on the bench land too you 1 I dont know what he did with the gravel gavel I 1 took over there but you did carry gravel for ive been working for him aint I 1 wheres kenning now lew anade looked up aint he at his house you know hes not there t but I 1 dont honest to god I 1 dont he said he was going to be there hammond threw the man aside and turned again for the hill A light was burning in kays cottage jae he could see her shadow as she passed a window but strangely the sight of her held no poignancy hir for him instead there was something of the same disgust which he be felt for lew anade then he went on to the kenning cabin it was hark and no one answered his knock loosening the leather latch he walked within stumbling about the two rooms kenning was not there at last the lights of whoopee lured him he did not find the man game keepers merely stared at his question or said they seen him hammond took it for what it was worth a good gamester leaves the giving of information to the proprietor etor dulled by mental fatigue hammond at last approached the bar then around the world annie strolled through a doorway and edged beside him an elbow on the mahogany a well shod foot on the brass rail well prospector she queried e celebrating ele 1 brating 1 it if you want to call it that im looking for bruce kenning if you find him tell me came caustically im still wondering if that guy pulled a fast one on me was he here tonight was he here asked around the world annie he came in M like e a f fire ire alarm that guys nuts on roulette he get to the table fast enough had a lot of gold on him making bets like a crazy man who won around the world annie pressed her lips am I 1 running a charity bazaar she ehe queried answering her own question come to think of it I 1 guess I 1 am he make a good bet all night then he began getting chips on tick say she exclaimed he was into me for ten thousand berries of borrowed money before I 1 could tell him I 1 lend to gamblers im givin you the facts fine chance ive got to get it back oh he can pay it hes got the money yeh annie became more heartened you know ive been wonderlin won derin it it a gag this little rat of a lew anade comes in just when were arguing 1 I thought he worked for you anade he did until I 1 fired him for stealing tonight he was all excited he rushed up to kenning and whispered something and kenning started to beat it but I 1 let him go not without some security on that loan when he pulled the fast one he yelled for a pen and signed his name for me and passed over the damned thing and said hed be back tomorrow morning to make it good square up and 1 I was sap enough to let him leave passed over what A check or a note or something got it upstairs in the cash box probably worth the paper its writ written tea on annie sighed oh well I 1 aint really out any dough he owes me ten thousand bucks but it was for chips that are all back in the racks now scein he lost as fast as he borrowed to hammond changed the subject you dont happen to know where this lew anade lives around the world annie screwed up her enameled face well now lets see it if I 1 can tell you how to get there know that trail that leads off to the left after youre well along toward sapphire A half hour later jack hammond crept slowly forward toward the little cabin set deep in the forest for a moment he left the trail in hiding yet watchful the door had opened revealing lew anade who paused to say something to a remaining occupant then hurried out along the trail hammond could have touched him as he passed jack waited long min utes after that then he moved slowly carefully through the tangled underbrush until he could look into the candlelit candle lit cabin A glance assured him he be ran for the door A kick and it flew open across the he room white faced hastily pulling a chair before him as if for defense was bruce kenning there was a 2 moment of glowering survey neither spoke there was no sound in fact save the queer blast like sounds of heavy breathing then jack hammond flexed the muscles of his heavy shoulders his head set a peculiar forward attitude brows lowered over watchful eyes slowly deliberately era tely he started forward suddenly he dodged A queer cry had come from kennings throat as though restraint had broken under the pressure of his hands had tightened about the back of the chair suddenly he raised it and threw it with all his strength hammond moved only enough to allow it to go harmlessly past clattering against the opposite wall kenning grimaced his lips pulling back from parted teeth well say something he broke forth staring at me like that the answer was only a low rumble of hate kenning turned dazedly as if seeking escape but jack hammond was between him and the door still coming forward slowly as if he took joy in this creeping approach yet he knew he was not going into to an easy battle they were matched men in height weight and agility one was fired with revenge the other burned with desperation foot by foot hammond went on then suddenly they met in slugging combat there was little science what boxing ability they might have possessed had been overwhelmed by rage now hammond bored in with a series of straight arm punches which drove his antagonist 0 gasping to the wall but there bruce kenning took new strength now it was he who laying himself wide open to the thudding thrusts of his fists swung blow after blow against hammonds face and head suddenly hammond began to use strategy sta staggering eggering gg ering pretending to sag at the knees kenning shouted a and nd rushed him instantly hammond leaped aside and thrusting forth bl a leg tripped the other man off balance then the prospector was on him catching him with one arm about his ne neck ck and sending his free fi fist against kennings face wit h a crashing force which seemed to drive his knuckles into his wrist bones kenning winced he cried out hammond gasping for breath allowed a grunt of triumph to pass his lips this was joy to hear an evidence of pain and suffering desperately the geologist strove to turn in the other mans grasp slowly he began to succeed now in better position for defense he began a counterattack upon hammonds midriff the prospector retaliated by driving blow after blow against the other mans face until his hands were slimy they had begun to tire staggering now their punches losing some of their power at last kenning gave up his attempts to knock the other man out by body punches soon he ceased striking entirely and clasping hammond tight tried to wrestle him from his feet A blood smeared pair the crashed from one end of the room to the other throwing each other clear rushing together again arms flailing only to clinch and struggle striving desperately to kick to bite to claw all sense of contest had become lost now this was a struggle between two great animals each enduring great suffering but content if he could give a little more than lie fie received at last tight gripped they stumbled slum bled ond and sprawled to the floor rolling roll ng madly for the advantage by Z a tremendous effort hammond forced the geologist beneath him and legs tight gripped about his chest straightened for the onslaught of blows that would bring unconsciousness ness A sound came from behind him like a door opening jack gave it no attention but suddenly aware of clattering boots on the tough rough floor he tried to turn now he saw lew anade at the pile of firewood beside the stove anade had a stick in his hand he ran forward both hands clenching the weapon the pain of the blow lasted only an instant a shattering horrible feeling as though hammonds head had been separated from his body his eyes seemed to split with the flash of blinding lights only as quickly to be smothered in darkness kenning rolled clear arid and was staggering to his feet he stumbled forward looking dazedly down at the motionless form of jack hammond then with a hand fumbling weakly at his swollen mouth he glanced slowly about him 1 see if theres still a fire f ire in that stove 1 lew anade crossed the row room 1 yeh theres some coals left I 1 lets dump them out on the floor what for if the place burns down no bodall know who was in it whose skeleton it is came thickly lew anade looked up know it me it if im around then have to hide out he gestured impatiently well hurry scrape those coals out on the floor and put some k kindling in dl in g and a n d wood on them he stood reeling while lew anade obeyed clarity of brain was gone bruce kenning was foggy mentally inert at last they turned tor for the door kenning looked back at the smoking bed of coals from which small flames were beginning to char the clean wood which had been piled atop them then he glanced toward the still form of jack ham mond his chests moving lot lew anade said he aint dead 2 kenning straightened groggily again he rubbed his hands over swollen eyes he will be came thickly as he pushed lew anade through the door finally a bluish lick of fire began to make its way along the floor inflammable from the spattered grease of cooking A quarter of an hour passed A window had cracked from the heat of crawling flame I 1 following upward along the edges of protruding logs the air had become suffocating i perhaps it was this which at last caused jack hammond to stir that was all for a moment merely a loose disjointed movement of the legs a clutching of the hands which soon died away then the movement came again the arms rose moving toward his head only to aimlessly fall the man groaned the fire licked closer it now was beginning to writhe along the cro cross was S beams jack hammond opened his eyes staring upward something leaped and darted like the tongue of a monster wearily he be lowered his lids against the sight but slowly I 1 deeper and deeper into his grudgingly awakening consciousness the knowledge that the air contained a peculiar horror laden bite a queer unpleasant searing quality which invaded his every nasal passage and which at last forced atso itself to I 1 his dulled brain this acrid acri d odor was like the odor of death suddenly I 1 woodsmen woodsman woods men instincts were awakened sharply and with terror the smell of firel fire I 1 realization full upon him h he strove to rise only to drop to his knees and weave uncertainly there at last he began to crawl from behind him outside the cabin had come a peculiar shifting crackle ending in a pulling puffing roar as flame now eating gli the cracked window into the tangled bush swept up the dry bark of a dead spruce leaped to the resinous top of a full ful 1 needled tree and there exploded it gave hammond the strength of terror calling into play all the highly developed forces of recuperative I 1 ability bred in him by years of tremendous activity jack hammond came from a phase of existence where life depended upon huge reservoirs of strength he gained his feet fee tand and reeled to the door it yielded to the plunging weight of his body he half stumbled bled half fe fell 11 outside into a world of red but as yet there was more and smoke and color than danger he shook his head as if to clear it from painful cobwebs dazedly lie he looked about him arms loose shoulders sagging his bloody jaws contorted then he into the trail soon he had gained the strength to increase his speed to a dogtrot the wind was spreading the fire swiftly behind him now no longer I 1 were there long intervals between the creeping advance of the flame and the puffing outburst as it reached a tree top the sound was almost continuous the forest was lighted as if by flares hammond moved more swiftly both his brain and his fatigue were clearing but at last he slowed his pace his head cocked inquiringly TO BE CONTINUED |