CAIN
Hardly a score of miles away, Jim Silent and his six companions topped
a hill. He raised his hand and the others drew rein beside him. Kate
Cumberland shifted her weight a little to one side of the saddle to
rest and looked down from the crest on the sweep of country below. A
mile away the railroad made a streak of silver light across the brown
range and directly before them stood the squat station-house with
red-tiled roof. Just before the house, a slightly broader streak of
that gleaming light showed the position of the siding rails. She
turned her head towards the outlaws. They were listening to the final
directions of their chief, and the darkly intent faces told their own
story. She knew, from what she had gathered of their casual hints,
that this was to be the scene of the train hold-up.
It seemed impossible that this little group of men could hold the
great fabric of a train with all its scores of passengers at their
mercy. In spite of herself, half her heart wished them success. There
was Terry Jordan forgetful of the wound in his arm; Shorty Rhinehart,
his saturnine face longer and more calamitous than ever; Hal Purvis,
grinning and nodding his head; Bill Kilduff with his heavy jaw set
like a bull dog's; Lee Haines, with a lock of tawny hair blowing over
his forehead, smiling faintly as he listened to Silent as if he heard
a girl tell a story of love; and finally Jim Silent himself, huge,
solemn, confident. She began to feel that these six men were worth six
hundred.
She hated them for some reasons; she feared them for others; but the
brave blood of Joe Cumberland was thick in her and she loved the
danger of the coming moment. Their plans were finally agreed upon,
their masks arranged, and after Haines had tied a similar visor over
Kate's face, they started down the hill at a swinging gallop.
In front of the house of the station-agent they drew up, and while the
others were at their horses, Lee Haines dismounted and rapped loudly
at the door. It was opened by a grey-bearded man smoking a pipe.
Haines covered him. He tossed up his hands and the pipe dropped from
his mouth.
"Who's in the house here with you?" asked Haines.
"Not a soul!" stammered the man. "If you're lookin' for money you c'n
run through the house. You won't find a thing worth takin'."
"I don't want money. I want you," said Haines; and immediately
explained, "you're perfectly safe. All you have to do is to be
obliging. As for the money, you just throw open that switch and flag
the train when she rolls along in a few moments. We'll take care of
the rest. You don't have to keep your hands up."
The hands came down slowly. For a brief instant the agent surveyed
Haines and the group of masked men who sat their horses a few paces
away, and then without a word he picked up his flag from behind the
door and walked out of the house. Throughout the affair he never
uttered a syllable. Haines walked up to the head of the siding with
him while he opened the switch and accompanied him back to the point
opposite the station-house to see that he gave the "stop" signal
correctly. In the meantime two of the other outlaws entered the little
station, bound the telegrapher hand and foot, and shattered his
instrument. That would prevent the sending of any call for help after
the hold-up. Purvis and Jordan (since Terry could shoot with his left
hand in case of need) went to the other side of the track and lay down
against the grade. It was their business to open fire on the tops
of the windows as the train drew to a stop. That would keep the
passengers inside. The other four were distributed along the side
nearest to the station-house. Shorty Rhinehart and Bill Kilduff were
to see that no passengers broke out from the train and attempted a
flank attack. Haines would attend to having the fire box of the engine
flooded. For the cracking of the safe, Silent carried the stick of
dynamite.
Now the long wait began. There is a dreamlike quality about bright
mornings in the open country, and everything seemed unreal to Kate.
It was impossible that tragedy should come on such a day. The moments
stole on. She saw Silent glance twice at his watch and scowl.
Evidently the train was late and possibly they would give up the
attempt. Then a light humming caught her ear.
She held her breath and listened again. It was unmistakable--a slight
thing--a tremor to be felt rather than heard. She saw Haines peering
under shaded eyes far down the track, and following the direction of
his gaze she saw a tiny spot of haze on the horizon. The tiny puff of
smoke developed to a deeper, louder note. The station-agent took his
place on the track.
Now the train bulked big, the engine wavering slightly to the
unevenness of the road bed. The flag of the station-agent moved. Kate
closed her eyes and set her teeth. There was a rumbling and puffing
and a mighty grinding--a shout somewhere--the rattle of a score of
pistol shots--she opened her eyes to see the train rolling to a stop
on the siding directly before her.
Kilduff and Shorty Rhinehart, crouching against the grade, were
splintering the windows one by one with nicely placed shots. The
baggage-cars were farther up the siding than Silent calculated. He and
Haines now ran towards the head of the train.
The fireman and engineer jumped from their cab, holding their arms
stiffly above their heads; and Haines approached with poised revolver
to make them flood the fire box. In this way the train would be
delayed for some time and before it could send out the alarm the
bandits would be far from pursuit. Haines had already reached the
locomotive and Silent was running towards the first baggage-car when
the door of that car slid open and at the entrance appeared two men
with rifles at their shoulders. As they opened fire Silent pitched to
the ground. Kate set her teeth and forced her eyes to stay open.
Even as the outlaw fell his revolver spoke and one of the men threw up
his hands with a yell and pitched out of the open door. His companion
still kept his post, pumping shots at the prone figure. Twice more the
muzzle of Silent's gun jerked up and the second man crumpled on the
floor of the car.
A great hissing and a jetting cloud of steam announced that Haines
had succeeded in flooding the fire box. Silent climbed into the first
baggage-car, stepping, as he did so, on the limp body of the Wells
Fargo agent, who lay on the road bed. A moment later he flung out the
body of the second messenger. The man flopped on the ground heavily,
face downwards, and then--greatest horror of all!--dragged himself
to his hands and knees and began to crawl laboriously. Kate ran and
dropped to her knees beside him.
"Are you hurt badly?" she pleaded. "Where? Where?"
He sagged to the ground and lay on his left side, breathing heavily.
"Where is the wound?" she repeated.
He attempted to speak, but only a bloody froth came to his lips. That
was sufficient to tell her that he had been shot through the lungs.
She tore open his shirt and found two purple spots high on the chest,
one to the right, and one to the left. From that on the left ran a
tiny trickle of blood, but that on the right was only a small puncture
in the midst of a bruise. He was far past all help.
"Speak to me!" she pleaded.
His eyes rolled and then checked on her face.
"Done for," he said in a horrible whisper, "that devil done me.
Kid--cut out--this life. I've played this game--myself--an' now--I'm
goin'--to hell for it!"
A great convulsion twisted his face.
"What can I do?" cried Kate.
"Tell the world--I died--game!"
His body writhed, and in the last agony his hand closed hard over
hers. It was like a silent farewell, that strong clasp.
A great hand caught her by the shoulder and jerked her to her feet.
"The charge is goin' off! Jump for it!" shouted Silent in her ear.
She sprang up and at the same time there was a great boom from within
the car. The side bulged out--a section of the top lifted and fell
back with a crash--and Silent ran back into the smoke. Haines, Purvis,
and Kilduff were instantly at the car, taking the ponderous little
canvas sacks of coin as their chief handed them out.
Within two minutes after the explosion ten small sacks were deposited
in the saddlebags on the horses which stood before the station-house.
Silent's whistle called in Terry Jordan and Shorty Rhinehart--a sharp
order forced Kate to climb into her saddle--and the train robbers
struck up the hillside at a racing pace. A confused shouting rose
behind them. Rifles commenced to crack where some of the passengers
had taken up the weapons of the dead guards, but the bullets flew
wide, and the little troop was soon safely out of range.
On the other side of the hill-top they changed their course to the
right. For half an hour the killing pace continued, and then, as there
was not a sign of immediate chase, the lone riders drew down to a
soberer pace. Silent called: "Keep bunched behind me. We're headed for
the old Salton place--an' a long rest."