Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 268 by Maxwel l Grant

Author:Maxwel,l Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

CHAPTER XIII. MASKED BATTLE

NEAR the shore of Iron Lake the light of a campfire showed six tents pitched in a semicircle. Those tents were the living quarters for Roy Haskell, Harry Vincent and the dozen men with them. Arranged thus, the tents formed an outer line of defense, with the edge of the lake at either flank.

In the midst of all this, close by the fire, were the crates of mining equipment not yet unpacked. Over the crates were large coverings of canvas, as a protection should the rainy season return with a final spasm.

Roy was surveying the stock pile rather ruefully.

"If we were only working those pumps tonight!" Roy argued. "We'd be stealing a real march on Clinch's crowd!"

"And they'd be staging a march on us," returned Harry. "Right up the hill and into this camp to wreck everything in sight."

"Maybe you're right," conceded Roy.

"And maybe I'm more than right," Harry added. "That mass meeting may turn into a riot, anyway."

One of the listening men gave a grunt.

"What do you mean, mass meeting?" he queried. "I just came up from town. When I went past the hall the meeting had started but the place wasn't more than half full."

Harry turned his steady eyes toward Roy, who gave a significant nod and rose to his feet.

"You're guessing right, Vincent," Roy said. "The half that isn't in the hall may have started here already.

Let's take a look around!"

Harry was a trifle slow in getting to his feet, which was fortunate. The brick that came sailing past Roy's shoulder skimmed only a few inches above Harry's head. Harry turned his rise into a dive, which Roy copied, yelling for his men to do the same. More bricks came flying over their heads, glancing from tents, bouncing into the fire.

"Let's go!"

Grabbing clubs and heavy tools, the crew responded to Roy's order. Crouched low, they darted in between the tents, then straightened as they met the brick heavers. The rapid sortie scattered the attackers, who went darting off into the dark.

That was only the beginning. As Roy's men were spreading in pursuit, Harry yelled a warning. Looking back, Roy saw that their foemen were taking advantage of the spread, cutting in through the gaps to reach the much-prized equipment.

Turning at Roy's quick order, the mining crew converged upon the vandals, producing as hard a free-for-all as Harry had ever attended. At least a dozen men had broken through the lines, all armed with clubs of their own. Who they were, it was impossible to judge, for they were wearing masks in keeping with vigilante tradition.

Clubs began to thwack like quarterstaffs, some of the blows glancing from heads that didn't bob fast enough. Very quickly the masked men scattered, but again their purpose was tricky. Revolvers began to talk from the farther darkness, sending their slugs above the heads of the mining crew.

As Roy's men ducked, the masked clubbers surged into the fray anew, but the gunfire didn't stop.

Rather, it served as a barrage for the attack.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.