by Max Brand
CHAPTER VII
THE MUTE MESSENGER
Almost at once Haines raised a hand and spoke to the crowd: "He's allright, boys. Badly cut across the head and stunned, but he'll live."
There was a deep gash on the upper part of the forehead. If thecross-bar of the chair had not broken, the skull might have beeninjured. The impact of the blow had stunned him, and it might be manyminutes before his senses returned.
As the crowd closed around Dan, a black body leaped among them,snarling hideously. They sprang back with a yell from the rush of thisgreen-eyed fury; but Black Bart made no effort to attack them. He satcrouching before the prostrate body, licking the deathly white face,and growling horribly, and then stood over his fallen master andstared about the circle. Those who had seen a lone wolf make its standagainst a pack of dogs recognized the attitude. Then without a sound,as swiftly as he had entered the room, he leaped through the door anddarted off up the road. Satan, for the first time deserted by thiswolfish companion, turned a high head and neighed after him, but heraced on.
The men returned to their work over Dan's body, cursing softly. Therewas a hair-raising unearthliness about the sudden coming and departureof Black Bart. Jim Silent and his comrades waited no longer, but tookto their saddles and galloped down the road.
Within a few moments the crowd at Morgan's place began to thin out.Evening was coming on, and most of them had far to ride. They mighthave lingered until midnight, but this peculiar accident damped theirspirits. Probably not a hundred words were spoken from the momentSilent struck Dan to the time when the last of the cattlemen took tothe saddle. They avoided each other's eyes as if in shame. In a shorttime only Morgan remained working over Dan.
In the house of old Joe Cumberland his daughter sat fingering the keysof the only piano within many miles. The evening gloom deepened as sheplayed with upward face and reminiscent eyes. The tune was uncertain,weird--for she was trying to recall one of those nameless airs whichDan whistled as he rode through the hills. There came a patter ofswift, light footfalls in the hall, and then a heavy scratching at thedoor.
"Down, Bart!" she called, and went to admit him to the room.
The moment she turned the handle the door burst open and Bart fell inagainst her. She cried out at sight of the gleaming teeth and eyes,but he fawned about her feet, alternately whining and snarling.
"What is it, boy?" she asked, gathering her skirts close about herankles and stepping back, for she never was without some fear of thisblack monster. "What do you want, Bart?"
For reply he stood stock still, raised his nose, and emitted a longwail, a mournful, a ghastly sound, with a broken-hearted quaver at theend. Kate Cumberland shrank back still farther until the wall blockedher retreat. Black Bart had never acted like this before. He followedher with a green light in his eyes, which shone phosphorescent anddistinct through the growing shadows. And most terrible of all wasthe sound which came deep in his throat as if his brute nature wasstruggling to speak human words. She felt a great impulse to cry outfor help, but checked herself. He was still crouching about her feet.Obviously he meant no harm to her.
He turned and ran towards the door, stopped, looked back to her, andmade a sound which was nearer to the bark of a dog than anything hehad ever uttered. She made a step after him. He whined with delightand moved closer to the door. Now she stopped again. He whirled andran back, caught her dress in his teeth, and again made for the door,tugging her after him.
At last she understood and followed him. When she went towards thecorral to get her horse, he planted himself in front of her andsnarled so furiously that she gave up her purpose. She was beginningto be more and more afraid. A childish thought came to her thatperhaps this brute was attempting to lure her away from the house, asshe had seen coyotes lure dogs, and then turn his teeth against her.Nevertheless she followed. Something in the animal's eagerness movedher deeply. When he led her out to the road he released her dress andtrotted ahead a short distance, looking back and whining, as if to begher to go faster. For the first time the thought of Dan came into hermind. Black Bart was leading her down the road towards Morgan's place.What if something had happened to Dan?
She caught a breath of sharp terror and broke into a run. Bart yelpedhis pleasure. Yet a cold horror rose in her heart as she hurried. Hadher father after all been right? What power had Dan, if he needed her,to communicate with this mute beast and send him to her? As she ranshe wished for the day, the warm, clear sun--for these growing shadowsof evening bred a thousand ghostly thoughts. Black Bart was runningbackwards and forwards before her as if he half entreated and halfthreatened her.
Her heart died within her as she came in sight of Morgan's place.There was only one horse before it, and that was the black stallion.Why had the others gone so soon? Breathless, she reached the door ofthe saloon. It was very dim within. She could make out only formlessshades at first. Black Bart slid noiselessly across the floor. Shefollowed him with her eyes, and now she saw a figure stretchedstraight out on the floor while another man kneeled at his side. Sheran forward with a cry.
Morgan rose, stammering. She pushed him aside and dropped beside Dan.A broad white bandage circled his head. His face was almost as pale asthe cloth. Her touches went everywhere over that cold face, and shemoaned little syllables that had no meaning. He lived, but it seemedto her that she had found him at the legended gates of death.
"Miss Kate!" said Morgan desperately.
"You murderer!"
"You don't think that _I_ did that?"
"It happened in your place--you had given Dad your word!"
Still she did not turn her head.
"Won't you hear me explain? He's jest in a sort of a trance. He'llwake up feelin' all right. Don't try to move him tonight. I'll go outan' put his hoss up in the shed. In the mornin' he'll be as good asnew. Miss Kate, won't you listen to me?"
She turned reluctantly towards him. Perhaps he was right and Dan wouldwaken from his swoon as if from a healthful sleep.
"It was that big feller with them straight eyes that done it," beganMorgan.
"The one who was sneering at Dan?"
"Yes."
"Weren't there enough boys here to string him up?"
"He had three friends with him. It would of taken a hundred men to layhands on one of those four. They were all bad ones. I'm goin' to tellyou how it was, because I'm leavin' in a few minutes and ridin' south,an' I want to clear my trail before I start. This was the way ithappened--"
His back was turned to the dim light which fell through the door. Shecould barely make out the movement of his lips. All the rest of hisface was lost in shadow. As he spoke she sometimes lost his meaningand the stir of his lips became a nameless gibbering. The grey gloomsettled more deeply round the room and over her heart while he talked.He explained how the difference had risen between the tall strangerand Whistling Dan. How Dan had been insulted time and again and borneit with a sort of childish stupidity. How finally the blow had beenstruck. How Dan had crouched on the floor, laughing, and how a yellowlight gathered in his eyes.
At that, her mind went blank. When her thoughts returned she stoodalone in the room. The clatter of Morgan's galloping horse diedswiftly away down the road. She turned to Dan. Black Bart was crouchedat watch beside him. She kneeled again--lowered her head--heard thefaint but steady breathing. He seemed infinitely young--infinitelyweak and helpless. The whiteness of the bandage stared up at her likean eye through the deepening gloom. All the mother in her nature cameto her eyes in tears.