Felipa's revolver was in her hand, and cocked and pointed straight between two eyes that shone out of the blackness. And so, for an appreciable time, she stood. Then a long arm came feeling out; but because she was looking along the sight into the face at the very end of the muzzle, she failed to see it. When it closed fast about her waist, she gave a quick gasp and fired. But the bullet, instead of going straight through the forehead beneath the head[Pg 79] band, as she had meant it to do, ploughed down. The grasp on the body relaxed for an instant; the next it had tightened, and a branch had struck the pistol from her hand."It's only a small trail, anyway," Cairness informed[Pg 118] them as a result of a minute examination he had made, walking round and leading his bronco, bending double over the signs, "just some raiding party of twelve or fifteen bucks. Shot out from the main body and ran into the settlements to steal stock probably."
FORE:142That-there time, Jeff might say, when the caretaker playing mechanic and pulling down the prop till the engine catches, didnt you open up the throttle too wide? Better to open it just enough to give the engine gas to carry along onand even cut the gun a bit more to let it run fairly slow till it warms up. Turning her up to full eighteen hundred revs dont gain while shes cold, and it throws dust like sin!
Jeff cut the gun swiftly, and came out of the bank pointed toward the wide, shimmering waters of Oyster Bay.How about this-here? he asked. How does this fit in?[Pg 92]And later in the day, when the buck had shuffled off again, Cairness brought out his pony,a new one now, for the little pinto one had died of a rattlesnake bite, from which no golondrina weed had been able to save it,and saddled it. Then he went again into the cabin. There was but one thing there that he valued,a life-size head of Felipa he had done in charcoal. It was in a chest beneath his cot. He locked his chest, and going out locked the door also, and putting both keys upon a ring, mounted and rode off along the trail.