第 13 页

"Liar!" thundered the prisoner, his olive face flushing pink. Fellers," he continued, appealing to the audience with outstretched hands, "you've known me for a white man all these years, and you'll not think so mean of me as that. You'll not believe that I gave up Block Hamilton for all the greenbacks betwixt here and " His remaining words were drowned.

The audience had risen up as one man in noisy clamour to protest against the interruption. The judge on the piazza held Macon County's breast covered with a steady rifle muzzle.

"Gentlemen," said Old Man Davidson, making his voice with difficulty heard above the uproar, "order in court. Order, I say! Order! By gum," he went on to three or four ardent spirits who still persisted in having their say, " if any man of you doesn't drop his voice to a coon's whisper, I'll lay for him myself. Macon County, speak in your turn, and go slow on language, or you shan't be heard at all."

The prisoner had regained his cool indifference. " I've entered my protest, Old Man," he remarked; " I guess I shan't want to chip in again."

"We'll waive this question," said the judge, "as I don't see that it matters much, and I'm not here to create any ill-will. There's counts enough without it. Macon County's clearly convicted of the murder of Hamilton he of course using another man's fingers to do the actual trick and besides, he's guilty of a much wickeder crime. He's not stood by his pard; he's done the rank opposite. And in rounding on Hamil ton, he rounds on us. The lesson Hamilton taught 'em with that repeating shot-gun is all chucked away; no sheriff's posse can ever respect us after this. This is what I call Macon County's biggest crime, and you'll all understand me, though I can't give it a fancy lawyer's name."

"Seems to me," remarked Davidson, thought fully, "it foots up to a kinder high-treason, Steve."

"Plum centre," said the judge, with a nod of approval. " Murder and high-treason; and if that doesn't entitle a man to a rope and a tree, damn me if I know what does."

The court hummed acquiescence, and Macon County borrowed another chew of tobacco.

"But before we go any further," continued the judge, " I'd like to ask the prisoner what it was that made him hitch on to this job. Say, is it true that you got religion?"

Macon County expectorated in contempt. "You bet not, Steve."

"I'm glad of that. But out with it. What was the cause? Give it a name."

"You tire me. What does it matter? But if you do hanker after knowing, why oh, I took a sudden fancy for the laws of the United States, and thought it a pity they should be trod on. That's it, Steve; note that down. I ran in Block Hamilton because I'm a law-abiding citizen and love the interests of Justice with a big J."

The sarcasm was so outrageous that the humour of it overdid all efforts to keep grave. A ripple of laughter ran round the audience.

"Of course," said the judge, grimly, " if you don't care to let on your real reason, Macon County, you may keep it t'other side of yoor teeth. You've had your chance of palaver, and now I guess you may as well swing without further waiting. Jim, bring out Poppa's new well-rope."

II

"Hold on!"

The shout came down the rough horse-trail which led into the clearing, and the scattered group of men instinctively slid hands on to their weapons. But the next moment the ready fingers were drawn away, and some of the men smiled. The new comer was a girl of twenty, unattended. She was mounted on a rough, long-tailed colt with a sack by way of saddle. She came into the clearing at a canter, a goodly expanse of bare brown ankle showing beneath her skirts. She was bare-headed, ragged, unkempt. Like themselves, she was a tarheeler of the mountains.

Now, Liza," said the judge, "what do you want? I guess you'd better git. There'll be a man hanged here in less'n three minutes."

"It's about him I corned," said the girl, slip ping to the ground and hitching the colt's bridle to the down-hanging branch of a white oak.

"You can't do no good for Macon County now," remarked the lean man on the snake-fence.

"No, Liza," said the prisoner, " you're only interrupting the ceremony. I'd rather you didn't pi each the funeral sermon if it's all the same to you. Just quit, there's a good girl, without talk. I guess it's the last thing I'll have to ask you."

The girl advanced stolidly to the middle of the open with set, white face. The chewing-stick at the corner of her mouth dropped to the ground, bitten off close by her clenched teeth. She studiously avoided the prisoner's glance; she took no apparent heed of his words; she kept her great black eyes riveted on the judge.

"Steve, say now, was any evidence heard that 'ud kinder help Macon County?"

"None was wanted."

"Answer me. Was any heard?"

"No."

"Then," said the girl, "you've got to just let this hanging wait, and listen to mine, right now.

Jim, what's that you've got? Yer Poppa's new well-rope? Then just you tote it back into the house. I reckon it may not be wanted."

She swept the assembly with her glance. Now, boys, you needn't think I'm here to beg Macon County's life just because I'm fond of him. I'm not. He never had no spare molasses to heave over me. We uster meet 'most once a week, but he'd never nothing more to say than ' Howdy, Liza: clear out and don't come pawin' round me.' No, Macon County kep' all his likings for another woman, and that was Block Hamilton's wife. They was raised together in these mountains, and was sweethearts till she got her fancy for Block and married him in church. Afterwards when Macon County came round to chip in at the moonlighting, there was nothing wrong between her and Macon. I'll take my oath to that. I'd not be standing here if he had ever done any wrong thing by that woman. Why he liked her I can't tell a mean slip of a split-rail, with her mud-coloured face and her wispy hair. But he did, and many's the time he stood between her and Block's fist."

"Oh, Liza!" the prisoner broke in; Liza, ye fool, dry up. Why in thunder can't you let that woman alone?"

The girl went on without seeming to notice the interruption. " You know, boys, what kind of a brute Block Hamilton was; but yer none of ye can half understand what a hell he made of that woman's life. Macon County knew, though, and was for ever trying to make her run with him. The fool, she'd never go. At last after all these years she went by herself. Macon follered and found her; wanted to chip in and be her man; but she'd have none of him. ' I'm a lawful married wife and I'll not shame myself,' says she. ' Then I'll make ye a bouncing widow,' says Macon County. At that she gets on her knees and prays him, and prays till he'd promised not to take Block's life with his own fingers in any fashion. She made him swear to this; she told me all about it with her own silly trem'ling lips; and like a fool he swored. But he was a white man, was Macon County; and he saw what was best for her, and he did it, though he knew it would bring him mortal trouble. He knew that woman would never have an unweary hour so long as Block was above the ground; so he set about getting Block planted in the only way he could without breaking his vow. Boys, I guess Macon County's the whitest man in the Carolinas this minute."

She stopped, with her small breasts heaving, and the colour coming and going from her thin face in waves.

"Is that all you have to say, Liza?"

I reckon."

"Then as this court has heard your evidence, you may as well go whilst we decide upon it. Yer Poppa'll take you."

The lean man from the snake-fence came up and hooked his fingers into the girl's arm, leading her towards where the horse-trail cut into the trees.

As she was passing the prisoner, he reached out his hands and drew her to him.

"You are a good little soul, Liza," he began, but there she stopped his utterance by a shower of mad, wild kisses; "a good little soul. And you've done all any one could do. But I wish you hadn't come. So long."

Father and daughter went away down the muddy trail, and the elders of the court drew their heads together in earnest conversation. A turkey buzzard, on patrol above, circled nearer to the clearing, and signalled to other carrion fowl from the more distant beats of the sky. After a while the men separated to their places again, and chewed stolidly. The judge delivered the reconsidered sentence.

"Macon County," said he, "Liza has told a lot of things which weigh a deal in your favour. You are just as guilty of high treason against us whisky-millers as ever you were. But as regards Hamilton, you aren't near so black as you was painted before. We wanted to commute your sentence, and you may thank Old Man Davidson for suggesting how it could be done. You've got to be made an example of, d'ye see, or else the rest of us would never know what it was to sleep safe. But you shan't be hanged. You shall be shot, like a gentleman, and you can choose who you'd like to drop you."

The prisoner's face brightened up. "Now," said he, "that's mighty kind of you, Steve. Mighty kind and thoughtful of you, Old Man, and boys all. As you give me the choice, I'll pay Steve the compliment of being the cleanest shot in this crowd. Steve, I'll trouble you."

The judge lifted his Marlin rifle and cuddled the stock with his cheek. The prisoner took a pace forward to receive his fire. Encouraged by the silence, the bronze humming-birds whirred down again to sip sweets from the red flowers of the trumpet vine.

IX

THE CONSUMPTIVE

"THE grisly part of it is," said Tennant, " that if I go away from Grand Canary here, I shall forthwith die. Whereas if I could manage to stay in the island, I could hang on with life for another five months and a bit, and my esteemed cousin must certainly crumple up with his Bright's disease before that time and hand me on the title and the estates. You can calculate out these things to such definite dates. That's the beauty of modern medical science when it begins to interest itself in diseases, even if it can't cure them." He broke off and coughed for a couple of minutes, and then gasped, "Especially consumption. By Jove! isn't that greeny-blue on the sea splendid?"

Addingham, the other man, shivered. " I say, you are gruesome," he complained.

"What," said Tennant, with a wry smile, "do you grudge me a sight of colour on the sea-water now? No, I know what you mean, old man, and I'm sorry; but you must bear with me a bit. We consumptives have such a way of talking about our blessed health, and dreaming about it, and counting up the exact number of days we've got to live, and swapping views on vintages of cod-liver oil, that we forget that all these details are a bit noisome to outsiders."

"Oh, it's not that," said Addingham, rather feebly.

"Yes, but it is, and I'm going to make things worse by keeping on with the same tale. Here are the Americans on the point of declaring war with Spain; and when they actually do, Las Palmas won't be a safe place for an Englishman to live in."

"I suppose it won't be for you."

"Especially for me, as you say. If a man will be fool enough to interfere in the national amusement of beating a mule to death, he must expect to be locally unpopular."

"You hit that tartana driver across the face, remember, with your stick."

"Because I was too limp and feeble to do more. My dear boy, I'd cheerfully have cut him to ribbons if I'd been equal to the exertion. You see, I'd been looking on at the process of torturing that mule for some time, and was naturally feeling rather sick and very wrathful. I suppose from the driver's point of view it's equally natural that he and his friends should have done their best to knife me at intervals ever since."

Addingham rubbed his chin. It's awkward," he said " very. These Canaries are the tamest of people generally, but since this war trouble's been on they've developed a fine patriotism, and grown very excited over it. I don't suppose many Americans find their way as far out as this, and so, as an Englishman talks the same language, they make him do instead. In fact, to tell the truth, I was mobbed near the cathedral to-day, and had a howling escort of them to see me home right out here to the hotel."

"I wish the Yankees were at the devil 1 " said Tennant, irritably. " Or rather, I wish they'd 1 suspend hostilities ' till I get through my five and a half months here below, and then come down like the Assyrians and sweep the place clear."

"And I wish you wouldn't talk of your hor rible five and a half months," said Addingham, waking up to a memory that it is always a sound man's duty to hearten the sick. " You are looking a sight better than you did a week ago. You'll pull round again all right with a bit more rest."

"My dear boy," said Tennant, " don't pit your puny opinion against science. My local pill-mixer here has done nothing but handle consumptives for the past ten years. He gets hold of his patient on landing, sounds him, tries his wind, counts his teeth, puts the result on paper, and multiplies by ten. Three days later he takes a second observation to check the first, and then he tells your friends the exact number of weeks, days, and hours you've got to live. If they're new to Grand Canary, the friends bet he's wrong, and lose their money. He tells you, of course, as all doctors are forced to by their initiation oath, or whatever it is, that there's not much the matter, and you'll probably live for ever; but you can worm the truth out of servants for a tip; and that's the way you get hold of the expert opinion that you've paid the doctor to give."

Addingham was going to speak, but the sick man put his thin brown bird's claw of a hand on his wrist, and stopped him. Just let me have my way," he said, "without more argument. You know I'm right, and I know you know, and so let's chuck conventionality. I've stared at death too long, and guessed at what's behind too much, to have any room for further emotions on the matter. But you can do me a very real ser vice if you'll put me in the way of not being robbed of my appointed span. I'm always very sick at sea, and if I go away from here to Madeira or any of those places, I shall certainly shake my self to bits on the road, and die before I get there. If I do that, my venerable cousin will outlive me, and my will may be counted as waste paper, and I shall die writhing. But if you can think of a way to let me dangle on to the end of my allotted tether, his Bright's disease must collar him for a certainty within this next week or so, and then . . well, I shall inherit, and can dispose of the cash as I please. But honestly, the only way I can think of is by grabbing the fort on the hill behind there from the local army, and holding it till we're through. Otherwise an enthusiastic mob will scrag me to a certainty the day war breaks out."