What followed Andrew could not hear, except an occasional
roar from Rankin. Once Larry la Roche came and
stood before the new leader, gesturing frantically,
and the ring of his voice came clearly to Andrew.
The Scotchman negligently stood to one side; the way
between Andrew and Larry was cleared, and Andrew could
not help smiling at the fiendish malevolence of Scottie.
But he was apparently able to convince even Larry
la Roche by means of words. At length there was
a bustling in the cabin, a loud confusion, and finally
the whole troop went out. Somebody brought Scottie
his saddle; Jeff Rankin came out reeling.
But Scottie stirred last from the doorway; there he
stood in the shaft of light until some one, cursing,
brought him his horse. He mounted it in full
view. Then the cavalcade started down the ravine.
Certainly it was not an auspicious beginning for Scottie
Macdougal.
The first ten days of the following time were the
hardest; it was during that period that Scottie and
the rest were most apt to return and make a backstroke
at Dozier and Andrew. For Andrew knew well enough
that this was the argument—the promise
of a surprise attack—with which Scottie
had lured his men away from the shack.
During that ten days, and later, he adopted a systematic
plan of work. During the nights he paid two visits
to the sick man. On one occasion he dressed the
wound; on the next he did the cooking and put food
and water beside the marshal, to last him through
the day.
After that he went out and took up his post.
As a rule he waited on the top of the hill in the
clump of pines. From this position he commanded
with his rifle the sweep of hillside all around the
cabin. The greatest time of danger for Dozier
was when Andrew had to scout through the adjacent
hills for food—their supply of meat ran
out on the fourth day.
But the ten days passed; and after that, in spite
of the poor care he had received—or perhaps
aided by the absolute quiet—the marshal’s
iron constitution asserted itself more and more strongly.
He began to mend rapidly. Eventually he could
sit up, and, when that time came, the great period
of anxiety was over. For Dozier could sit with
his rifle across his knees, or, leaning against the
chair which Andrew had improvised, command a fairly
good outlook.
Only once—it was at the close of the fourth
week—did Andrew find suspicious signs in
the vicinity of the cabin—the telltale trampling
on a place where four horses had milled in an impatient
circle. But no doubt the gang had thought caution
to be the better part of hate. They remembered
the rifle of Andrew and had gone on without making
a sign. Afterward Andrew learned why they had
not returned sooner. Three hours after they left
the shack a posse had picked them up in the moonlight,
and there had followed a forty-mile chase.
