Pagina 420 van 439

"Have a drink, Siegfried," suggested Struve, by way of sealing

the treaty. "Tommie, get out that bottle."

"Ay bane t'ink Ay look to my horse first," the Norwegian

answered, and immediately left by way of the back door not three

minutes before Jed Briscoe entered by the front one.

Jed shut the door behind him and looked at the convict.

"Well?" he demanded.

Struve faced him sullenly, without answering.

"Tommie, vamos," hinted Briscoe gently, and as soon as the cook

had disappeared, he repeated his monosyllable: "Well?"

"It didn't come off," muttered the other sulkily.

"Just what I expected. Why not?"

Struve broke into a string of furious oaths. "Because I missed

him--missed him twice, when he was standing there naked before

me. He was coming down to the creek to take a bath, and I waited

till he was close. I had a sure bead on him, and he dived just as

I fired. I got another chance, when he was running across,

farther down, and, by thunder, I missed again."