The Night Horseman

by Max Brand

  CHAPTER XXIII

  HOW MAC STRANN KEPT THE LAW

  For when the dog sprang, Mac Strann fired, and the wolf was jerked up inthe midst of his leap by the tearing impact of the bullet. It was easyfor Strann to dodge the beast, and the great black body hurtled past himand struck heavily on the floor of the barn. It missed Mac Strann,indeed, but it fell at the very feet of Haw-Haw Langley, and a splash ofblood flirted across his face. He was too terrified to shriek, but fellback against the wall of the barn, gasping. There he saw Black Bartstruggle to regain his feet, vainly, for both of the animal's forelegsseemed paralyzed. Now the yellow light of the fire rose brightly, and byit Haw-Haw marked the terrible eyes and the lolling, slavering tongue ofthe great beast, and the fangs like ivory daggers. It could not regainits feet, but it thrust itself forward by convulsive efforts of the hindlegs towards Mac Strann.

  Haw-Haw Langley stared for a single instant in white faced fear, butwhen he realised that Black Bart was helpless as a toothless old dog,the tall cowpuncher, twisted his lean fingers with a silent joy. Oncemore Bart pushed himself towards Mac Strann, and then Haw-Haw Langleystepped forward, and with all the force of his long leg smashed hisheavy riding boot into the face of the dog. Black Bart toppled backagainst the base of the manger, struggled vainly to regain his poise,and it was then that he pointed his nose up, and wailed like a lostsoul, wailed with the fury of impotent hate. Mac Strann caught Haw-Hawby the arm and dragged him back towards the door.

  "I don't want to _kill_ the dog," he repeated. "Get out of here,Haw-Haw. Barry'll be comin' any minute."

  He could have used no sharper spur to urge on the laggard. Haw-HawLangley raced out of the barn a full stride before Mac Strann. Theyhurried together to the little rise of ground behind which they had lefttheir horses, and as they ran the scream which had curdled the blood ofRandall Byrne rang through the night. In a thousand years he could neverhave guessed from what that yell issued; his nearest surmise would havebeen a score of men screaming in unison under the torture. But MacStrann and Haw-Haw Langley knew the sound well enough.

  When they mounted their saddles they could look over the top of thelittle hill and observe everything easily without being seen; for thehill-top commanded a range of the corrals and a view of the fronts ofthe barns and sheds which opened upon the fenced enclosures. The largestand longest of these buildings was now plainly visible, for a long armof fire reached above the roof on one side of the low shed and by thisgrowing light the other barns, the glimmering-eyed horses and cattle ofthe corrals, the trees about the house, the house itself, were in turnvisible, though vaguely, and at times, as the flame lapsed, all werelost in a flood of swift darkness. Once more that unhuman shriek echoedfrom hill to hill and from building to building. It was Satan in his boxstall. The flames were eating through the partition, and the stallionwas mad with fear.

  Lights flashed, here and there, in the big ranch house; and from thebunk-house on the farther side of the corrals rose a volley of cursesand yells of dismay. The cattle began milling blindly, bellowing andstamping, and the horses ranged at a mad gallop back and forth acrosstheir corrals, wild-eyed with terror. It was like the tumult of abattle, and sharper than a trumpet a new sound cut through the din--itwas a short, high whistle, twice repeated. An answer came from theburning barn--the long, strong neighing of the stallion.

  "D'ye hear?" muttered Mac Strann. "It's the hoss talkin' to his master!"

  "And there he comes!" said Haw-Haw Langley. "Runnin' like the wind!"

  The flame, picked up by the gale, tore for itself a wider breathingspace through the roof and sent up an audibly roaring column of blindingred. By that light, Mac Strann, following Haw-Haw's directing arm, saw alithe figure vault over the fence on the farther side of the corral anddart forward among the milling cattle.

  Now, when cattle begin to mill it takes a brave man on a brave,well-trained horse to trust his chances in the midst of that ocean oftossing horns. But this man ventured it on foot. Mac Strann could followhim easily, for the man's hat was off, and the firelight glittered onhis black hair. That glimmering head darted here and there among thecircling cattle. Now it was lost, swamped, to all appearances, under ascore of trampling hooves. Again it reappeared on the further side. MacStrann could see the runner in a comparatively open space, racing like atrained sprinter, and he headed straight towards a wall of tossinghorns. They were long-horns, and one sway of those lowered heads coulddrive the hard, sharp point through and through the body of a man. Yetstraight at this impassable wall the stranger rushed, like a warrior inhis Berserker madness leaping naked upon a hedge of spears. At the vergeof the danger the man sprang high into the air. Two leaps, from back toback among the herd, and he was across the thickest of danger, down oncemore on the ground, and dodging past the outskirts of the bellowingcows. Over the nearer fence he vaulted and disappeared into the smokewhich vomitted from the mouth of the burning barn.

  "God A'mighty," groaned Haw-Haw Langley, "can he get the hoss out?"

  "It ain't possible," answered Mac Strann. "All hosses goes mad whenthey gets in a fire--even when they sees a fire. Look at them fools overyonder in the corral."

  Indeed, in the horse-corral a score of frantic animals were attemptingto leap the high rails in the direction of the burning barn. Theirstamping and snorting came volleying up the hill to the watchers.

  "All hosses goes mad," concluded Mac Strann, "an' Barry'll get trampedunder the feet of his own hoss even if he gets to the stall--which hewon't. Look there!"

  Out of the rush of fire and smoke at the door of the barn Dan Barrystumbled, blindly, and fell back upon the ground. Haw-Haw Langley beganto twist his cold hands together in an ecstasy.

  "The hoss is gone and the wolf is gone, and Barry is beat!" he chuckledto himself. "Mac, I wouldn't of missed this for a ten days' ride. It'sworth it. But see the gal and that new gent, Mac!"

  * * * * *

  For when the clamour arose outside the house, Buck Daniels had run tothe window. For many reasons he had not taken off his clothes thisnight, but had lain down on the bed and folded his hands behind his headto wait. With the first outcry he was at the window and there he saw theflames curling above the roof of the barn, and next, by that wild light,how Dan Barry raced through the dangerous corral, and then he heard theshrill neighing of Satan, and saw Dan disappear in the smoking door ofthe barn.

  Fear drew Buck Daniels one way but a fine impulse drew him another. Heturned away from the window with a curse; he turned back to it with acurse, and then, muttering: "He went through hell for me; and him and metogether, we'll go through hell again!" he ran from the room andthundered down the crazy stairs.

  As he left the house he found Kate Cumberland, and they went ontogether, running without a word to each other. Only, when he camebeside her, she stopped short and flashed one glance at him. By thatglance he knew that she understood why he was there, and that sheaccepted his sacrifice.

  They hurried around the outer edge of the corrals, and as theyapproached the flaming barn from one side the men from the bunk-houserushed up from the other. It was Buck Daniels who reached Dan as thelatter stumbled back from the door of the barn, surrounded by afollowing cloud of smoke, and fell stumbling to the ground. And Buckraised him.

  The girl was instantly beside them.

  She had thrown on a white dressing gown when she rose from bed. It wasgirded high across her breast, and over it showered her bright hair,flashing like liquid gold in growing light. She, now, received thesemi-conscious burden of Dan Barry, and Buck Daniels stepped forward,close to the smoke. He began to shout directions which the two watchersbehind the hill could not hear, though they saw his long arms point andgesticulate and they could see his speaking lips. But wild confusionwas on the crowd of cowpunchers. They ran here and there. One or twobrought buckets of water and tossed the contents uselessly into theswirling, red-stained hell of smoke. But most of them ran here andthere, accomplishing nothing.

 
"An' all this come from one little match, Mac," cried Haw-Hawecstatically at the ear of Mac Strann. "All what we're seein'! Look atthe gal, Mac! She's out of her wits! She's foolin' about Barry, doin' nogood."

  A gust of smoke and fire must have met Barry face to face when heentered the barn, for he seemed now as helpless as if he were under astrong narcotic influence. He leaned heavily back into the arms of thegirl, his head rolling wildly from side to side. Then, clearer thanbefore, dominating all the confusion of noise, and with a ringing,trumpet note of courage in it, the black stallion neighed again from hisburning stall. It had a magic effect upon Barry. He stood up and torehimself from the arms of the girl. They saw her gesture and cry to thesurrounding men for help, and a dozen hands were stretched out to keepthe madman from running again into the fire. They might better haveattempted to hold a wild horse with their naked hands. He slipped andbroke through their grips, and a second later had leaped into theinferno of smoke, running bent close to the ground where the pure air,if there were any, was sure to be.

  "The gal's sick!" said Haw-Haw Langley. "Look, Mac!"

  And he began to laugh in that braying voice which had given him hisnickname. Yet even in his laughter his eyes were brightly observant; nota single detail of misery or grief was lost upon him; he drank it in; hefed his famine-stricken soul upon it. Kate Cumberland had buried herface in her arms; Buck Daniels, attempting to rush in after Dan Barry,had been caught beneath the arms by Doctor Byrne and another and was nowborne struggling back.

  From the very heart of the burning barn the sharp single whistle burstand over the rolling smoke and spring fire rose the answering neigh. Ahuman voice could not have spoken more intelligibly: "I wait in trust!"

  After that neigh and whistle, a quiet fell over the group at the barndoor. There was nothing to do. There was not enough wind to blow theflames from this barn to one of the neighbouring sheds; all they coulddo was to stand still and watch the progress of the conflagration.

  The deep, thick voice of Mac Strann broke in: "Start prayin', Haw-Haw,that the hoss don't kill Barry when he gets to him. Start prayin' thatBarry is left for me to finish."

  He must have meant his singular request more as a figure of speech thana real demand, but an hysteria was upon Haw-Haw Langley. He stretched uphis vast, gaunt arms to the dim spot of red in the central heavensabove the fire, and Haw-Haw prayed for the first and last time in hislife.

  "O Lord, gimme this one favour. Bring Barry safe out of the barn. Bringhim out even if you got to bring the damned hoss with him. Bring him outand save him for Mac Strann to meet. And, God A'mighty, let me be aroundsomewhere's when they meet!"

  This strange exhibition Mac Strann watched with a glowering eye.

  "But it ain't possible," he said positively. "I been in fires. Barrycan't live through the fire; an' if he does, the hoss will finish him.It ain't possible for him to come out!"

  From half the roof of the shed flames now poured, but presently a greatshower of sparks rose at the farther end of the barn, and then Haw-Hawheard the sound of a beating and crashing.

  "Hei!" he screamed, "Barry's reached the black hoss and the black hossis beating him into the floor!"

  "You fool!" answered Mac Strann calmly, "Barry has got a beam orsomething and he's smashing down the burning partition of the box stall.That's what he's doing; listen!"

  High over the fire, once again rose the neighing of the black horse, asound of unspeakable triumph.

  "You're right," groaned Haw-Haw, downcast. "He's reached the hoss!"

  He had hardly finished speaking when Mac Strann said: "Anyway, he'llnever get out. This end wall of the barn is fallin' in."

  Indeed, the outer wall of the barn, nearest the door, was wavering in agreat section and slowly tottering in. Another moment or two it wouldcrash to the floor and block the way of Dan Barry, coming out, with aflaming ruin. Next the watchers saw a struggle among the group whichwatched. Three men were struggling with Buck Daniels, but presently hewrenched his arms free, struck down two men before him with swingingblows of his fists, and leaped into the smoke.

  "He's gone nutty, like a crazy hoss with the sight of the fire," saidMac Strann quietly.

  "He ain't! He ain't!" cried Haw-Haw Langley, wild with excitement. "He'sholdin' back the burnin' wall to keep the way clear, damn him!"

  Indeed, the tottering wall, not having leaned to a great angle, was nowpushed back by some power from the inside of the barn and kept erect.Though now and again it swayed in, as though the strength which held itwas faltering under the strain.

  Now the eyes of the watchers were called to the other end of the barn bya tremendous crashing. The entire section of that part of the roof fellin, and a shower of sparks leaped up into the heart of the sky, lightingthe distant hills and drawing them near like watchers of the horror ofthe night.

  "That's the end," said Mac Strann. "Haw-Haw, they wasn't any good inyour prayer."

  "I ain't a professional prayin' man," answered Haw-Haw defensively, "butI done my best. If----" He was cut short by a chorused cry from thewatchers near the door of the barn, and then, through the vomitted smokeand the fire, leaped the unsaddled body of Satan bearing on his back thecrouched figure of Dan Barry, and in the arms of Barry, limp, his headhanging down loosely, was the body of the great black dog, Bart.

  A fearful picture. The smoke swept following around the black stallion,and a great tongue of flame licked hungrily after the trio. But thestallion stood with head erect, and ears flattened, pawing the ground.With that cloud of destruction blowing him he stood like the chargerwhich the last survivor might ride through the ruin of the universe inthe Twilight of the Gods.

  At the same instant, another smoke-clad figure lunged from the door ofthe barn, his hands outstretched as though he felt and fumbled his waythrough utter darkness. It was Buck Daniels, and as he cleared the doorthe section of tottering wall which he had upheld to keep the way clearfor the Three, wavered, sagged, and then sank in thunder to the floor,and the whole barn lay a flame-tossed mass of ruin.

  The watchers had scattered before the plunge of Satan, but he came to asliding halt, as if his rider had borne heavily back upon the reins.Barry slipped from the stallion's back with the wounded dog, and kneeledabove the limp figure.

  "It ain't the end," growled Mac Strann, "that hoss will go runnin' backinto the fire. It ain't hoss nature to keep from goin' mad at the sightof a fire!"

  In answer to him, the black stallion whirled, raised his head high, and,with flaunting mane and tail, neighed a ringing defiance at the risingflames. Then he turned back and nuzzled the shoulder of his master, whowas working with swift hands over the body of Black Bart.

  "Anyway," snarled Haw-Haw Langley, "the damned wolf is dead."

  "I dunno," said Mac Strann. "Maybe--maybe not. They's quite a pile thatwe dunno."

  "If you want to get rid of the hoss," urged Haw-Haw, writhing in theglee of a new inspiration, "now's the time for it, Mac. Get out your gunand pot the black. Before the crowd can get after us, we'll be milesaway. They ain't a saddled hoss in sight. Well, if you don't want to doit, I will!" And he whipped out his gun.

  But Mac Strann reached across and dragged the muzzle down.

  "We done all we're goin' to do to-night. Seems like God's been listenin'pretty close, around here!"

  He turned his horse, and Haw-Haw, reluctantly, followed suit. Still, asthey trotted slowly away from the burning barn, Haw-Haw kept his glancefixed behind him until a final roaring crash and a bellying cloud offire that smote the zenith announced the end of the barn. Then Haw-Hawturned his face to his companion.

  "Now what?" he demanded.

  "We go to Elkhead and sit down and wait," answered Mac Strann. "If thedog gets well he'll bring Barry to us. Then all I've got to do is defendmyself."

  Haw-Haw Langley twisted up his face and laughed, silently, to thered-stained sky.