“Hello, Brack.”
At the sound of my voice and the sight of the revolver in my hand
Garvin gave a spring backward and splashed into the water. Brack
smiled and vaulted on to the deck. There was a wound on one side of
his head where the negro’s bullet had marked him, but he bore himself
as confidently and masterful as ever. He had two revolvers in his
belt, but as I made ready to shoot him when his hands moved toward
them he desisted and smiled again.
“So I didn’t quite get you, eh, Pitt? Well, it was pretty dark, though
you did step out into the light like an accommodating lamb to the
butcher. Well, what are you going to do?”
“Put up your hands.”
He looked at me, smiled, and calmly folded his arms across his chest.
“Putting up one’s hands is undignified. I do not do so. What are you
going to do about it?”
I was nonplussed. Here I was, the victor. I was armed, he was
helpless; and yet he had taken the upper hand. What did one do under
such circumstances?
“This revolver is loaded, Brack,” I warned, but I knew that my speech
was futile.
“I know it is: I can see the lead in the cylinder. That doesn’t make
any difference. To be of any danger to me said loaded revolver must be
in the hands of a man who is capable of shooting another man. You
can’t do that, Pitt; you know you can’t. You’re too civilized. Try it.
Just try it. Pick out a certain spot on me—my forehead, for
instance—point the gun at that spot and pull the trigger. Try it.
You’ll find that it’s a very hard thing to do—impossible for you, in
fact.”
He laughed low.
“No, Pitt, you can’t shoot me.” With imperceptible movements he began
to approach me. “Do you hear me, Pitt: You can’t shoot me—you can’t
shoot me.”
Suddenly he stopped. His countenance seemed to break into flame. I
heard a light step behind me and understood.
“Go back, Betty!” I said, keeping my eyes on Brack. “Go back!”
I was retreating slowly. For the moment Brack was invincible, he was
great! His colossal will was mastering us. With it he was driving me
back, helpless in spite of my weapon, and he was holding Betty
fascinated to the spot.
“Go back!” My shoulder had touched hers. I turned to look at her.
“Gardy!” she gasped, pointing.
I turned. Brack’s mighty spring had carried him on to us, and I sprang
between him and Betty. He paid scarcely any attention to me, merely
struck with his right arm and smashed me to the deck. Then he had
Betty in his arms, kissing her, sweeping her to his breast like a
struggling child, and retreating toward the rail, the girl held as a
shield before him.
I sprang up and ran toward them. My weapon had been knocked from my
hands, and as Brack crouched to spring over the rail with his burden I
threw myself on him. He shifted Betty to his left arm and with his
right drove me back with a single blow.
“Never fear, Pitt,” he laughed, tugging at his revolver, “I don’t
intend leaving before I’ve settled you.”
I rushed again as his weapon came free. I struck him between the eyes
and tore Betty from his grasp. My blow staggered and blinded him for
the instant. He was at the rail brushing his hand across his eyes when
two rifle reports sounded far across the bay and Brack fell flat on
the deck without a struggle.
“But you’ve got to admit he was game—game as a mad ol’ silver-tip,”
said the patriarchal Slade when a boat had brought him and Harris
aboard from the point from which they had shot Brack. “A devil he was,
with a twisted laugh, but too game to live if he was licked. Me ’n’
Bill we was hiding up in the hills and come down to take a peek when
the shooting begun. We see him and the other fellow crawling up the
anchor-chains, and Brack was driving the other fellow with a gun.
“We couldn’t believe it was him at first; didn’t seem any man’d try
anything so desp’rit; but when we see you scuffling with him, Mr.
Pitt, we knew it was him, and savvied how he’d had his gang to start
shooting from the other shore to draw everybody aft so we could take
one desp’rit whirl at you. Me ’n’ Bill we put the sights on him then,
but we was afraid of hitting your young lady. So I prayed a little for
a clear shot, and the Lord answered my prayer pretty _pronto_. Amen.”