THE FIGHT AT THE WELL.
"Gosh!"
Perk hissed this one word even as he ducked down behind the well curbing
at sight of the figure in the doorway. Jack was not a breath behind him,
both acting through mere intuition or instinct.
Whether they had been seen was the important question flashing through
the mind of each. There was no sudden outcry which seemed a favorable
sign, Jack decided and the short, muscular man was even then emerging
from the interior of the shack, evidently bent on replenishing the
drinking water supply.
Perk thrust his eager hand into the pocket of his leather jacket to grip
his automatic with the idea that he would be needing it before many more
seconds had ticked off. In his mind he entertained a comprehensive view
of what their plan of action would most likely be--to down this husky
chap, either by means of a blow or else a bit of lead delivered where it
would do the most good--then a swift rush into the shack and crushing
the ex-war veteran before he could fully grasp the meaning of it all.
Easy enough to figure it out after this manner, but there must be
considerable chance that matters would not work so smoothly. For one
thing it must be considered that Oswald Kearns was no weakling, but a
more or less athletic figure, accustomed to feats of strength and
agility beyond the measure of an ordinary man. Then, too, he was known
to be irrational, even to the length of being considered dangerous when
thoroughly aroused and it went without saying that he must always be
well armed for in his reckless way of living he must many times be in
close touch with desperate characters, some of whom might conceive it
worth while to plot against his liberty, with a heavy ransom in their
mind's eye.
It was quite too late for either of them to think of slipping off, since
the light from the interior of the shack poured through the open door
and dissipated the friendly darkness in that especial vicinity.
Consequently all they could do was to continue to crouch there in the
shadow of the well curbing, and await whatever was scheduled to come to
pass.
If Perk had been so eagerly praying for something to breeze along that
would give him the thrill he loved so well, his wish seemed well on the
road of being realized since everything was set for a dramatic discovery
with its attendant speedy action.
It was apparent that after all the man could not have glimpsed their
vanishing faces as they ducked so swiftly, for he continued to advance
in the direction of the well and Perk could hear him softly singing,
just as though he might be a "musical cuss," as Perk told himself with
one of his customary chuckles since his first stab of alarm had passed
off under the realization that they had another chance.
Jack, too, was telling himself what a peculiar state of affairs had come
upon the stage--here, with an ambush lying in wait before him, this man
could step blithely along, swinging his aluminum bucket and softly
warbling one of the most recent hits from a comic opera--Jack had
himself heard the song on the boards of a great metropolitan theatre in
New York--had even caught himself whistling the catchy air more than a
few times since.
The man who seemed to be so well pleased with his fortunes while basking
in the favor of the wealthy chief of smugglers had a little surprise
waiting for him at the end of his rainbow--if those lurking shadowy
figures knew their business and managed it as they should, he would be
singing quite a different air before a great while, perhaps interlarding
his humming with a choice variety of expletives concerning the cruelty
of Fate.
A few more steps and he would have reached the well--then what must take
place? Perk was asking himself as he crouched there, his muscles set and
his breath coming in little noiseless gasps--he resembled nothing so
much as a cat ready poised to make a deadly leap upon a fat robin
struggling with a worm that it had pulled halfway out of its hole.
There was not one chance in twenty that the man could actually reach the
well, drop the bucket down, switch it around in order to induce water to
enter and then make use of the windlass so as to draw it to the top,
without discovering the presence of those two huddled forms; so Perk did
not deceive himself in the least with any extravagant hopes of the
affair passing off smoothly and their plans being uninterrupted.
Now the man had set his pail down and was giving the well bucket a
switch as though intending to dislodge any stale water it might contain.
From this little incident Jack understood that undoubtedly the man must
himself have left the water they had used up in the bucket when last at
the well and subconsciously remembered the fact.
He went about the job of lowering the rope with the manner of one quite
familiar with the necessary movements, pulling the rope from the barrel
of the windlass hand over hand. Then there came a splash, a gurgle and
following these symptoms of success the man, with a jerk at the rope,
managed to sink the bucket.
Next he started to turn the handle in order to fetch the bucket to the
top of the well. In order to get a better purchase on the handle, he
took a step to the left, and as luck would have it, struck his knee
against the crouching form of Perk.
Then came a quick look downward, since he was naturally curious to know
what sort of object he had collided with--possibly he may even have had
a sudden suspicion it would turn out to be some native beast from the
neighboring swamp--possibly a panther, since such animals had been known
to frequent the western shore of Okeechobee as a hunting-ground in days
gone by.
Of course he instantly made a startling discovery, since there was
enough light to show him the form of a man doubled up against the rocky
well curbing.
It would have been instinctive for the man to have let out a yell on
making this discovery but he did not have the chance to give tongue, at
least fully, for Perk made a lightning-like spring and had both hands
clasped about his throat effectually throttling the intended shout so
that it emerged only as a queer sound, rather on the order of a bull
alligator's bellowing suddenly cut short.
That was but the beginning of the affair as Perk knew only too well it
must prove to be. He found he had a tough proposition on his hands for
the man struggled desperately, as who would not on finding his wind
suddenly cut entirely off with a pair of iron-like hands pressing his
throat as though it were gripped in a vise?
Jack sprang up, ready to lend his pal any necessary assistance if only
the opportunity showed itself. Just then all he could make out in the
dim light was a whirling set of wildly struggling figures, looking for
all the world like one of those teetotums children delight in
spinning--only on an exaggerated scale.
Then they went down with a crash, first one on top and then the other in
rapid succession. It would have made an excellent picture for the silver
screen, Jack could not help thinking while he drew his automatic and
kept tabs on that open door, more than half expecting to see Oswald
Kearns dash wildly out with some sort of machine-gun in his hands, ready
to take a chance in the game, knowing that the attack must have
everything to do with his own safety.
Perk seemed to be hanging on with the tenacity of a bulldog, for not
another peep did the wolfish man, whose throat he squeezed, give vent to
as the slam-bang fight continued. It was lucky indeed there chanced to
be a raised wall about the well or in their frantic staggering this way
and that the wrestlers might have plunged down into the yawning
aperture, much to their mutual discomfiture--as it was they smashed up
against the curbing several times, to emit grunts at the rough contact.
Finally, Jack, to his relief, saw Perk slam his now weakening adversary
to the ground and immediately follow this up by sending in a number of
furious blows that took every atom of fight out of the unfortunate chap
who collapsed as if wholly done for.
Perk himself was far from fresh--his breath came in gasps and he must
have been trembling in every joint from the tremendous exertion put
forth but as always, victory was sweet in his nostrils and after
assuring himself that nothing further need be feared from the man he had
downed, he struggled to his feet, and ranged himself alongside Jack, as
if to declare his readiness to fight it out along those lines if it took
all night.