Dorothy's Double. Volume 3 (of 3)Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
Dorothy's Double. Volume 3 (of 3)
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Great Britain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction
'There are a good many in the camp who have been gentlemen,' he said;
'but it makes no matter what we have been, each man has to work for
himself here and to keep on the common level, and the master is he who
can work hardest and steadiest, or, on the other hand, he who can draw
his pistol the quickest.'
'They are calling me,' the girl exclaimed, as she heard her name shouted
within. 'I must go now,' and she darted back to the door while Ned
walked on carelessly.
'She is certainly marvellously like Dorothy,' he said to himself. 'Her
expression was softer this evening than I have seen it before--that
makes the likeness all the stronger.'
In the evening Ned heard pistol shots in the direction of the saloon,
and a few minutes afterwards Jack Armitstead came up.
'More murder,' he said. 'Ben Hatcher has just shot down two new-comers.
They only arrived this afternoon, and knew nothing of what was going on.
They walked up to the bar and gave an order. Ben Hatcher was standing
there and made some insulting remark to them. They resented it, and he
drew and shot them down at once.'
'You had better bring up the other men,' Ned said. 'We will see if we
cannot take this fellow as he leaves the saloon to-night. Don't bring
them here; the gathering might be noticed; take them forty or fifty
yards behind; then I will join you.'
Ten minutes later Ned took a coil of rope and sauntered off to the spot
he had indicated, where he was presently joined by the ten men.
'It would be useless trying to take this fellow in his tent to-night,'
he said; 'after what has happened they will be certain to keep a good
lookout. We must watch as they leave the saloon. Will you, Armitstead,
go in there now and seat yourself at a table and see what is going on,
and when you see them coming out get out before them, and come and tell
us; we shall be gathered just round the corner.'
'I don't expect they will be long,' Armitstead said. 'There won't be
much play going on to-night after what has happened. Yes, I will go in.'
There were a few men still sitting at the tables when he entered; they
were drinking silently, and watching with scowling faces the group
standing at the bar. He took his seat at the table nearest to the door,
and in the silence of the place could plainly hear what was being said
at the other end.
'I tell you, you were wrong,' Bluff Harry was saying; 'there was no call
to draw. The men were new-comers and meant no harm; it is enough to set
the whole camp agin us. It ain't no use your scowling at me; I ain't
afraid of you and you knows it.'
'Bluff Harry is right, Ben; however, it ain't no use having words atween
friends. We have got to stick together here, and if we does that we can
clear this camp out.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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