"Confound you!" hissed the man in a voice full of intense wrath, "I'll fix you so you won't shoot any more honest men."
He clutched his antagonist by the throat, and attempted to throttle him.
August prevented this, turned suddenly, and hurled his foe backward against the wall.
With a leap like a tiger the engineer came to his feet.
"Hold up!" yelled Jones, whose face was bleeding from scratches received in the scuffle.
Panting from exertion, August leveled his revolver and fired.
His hand was unsteady, and the bullet flew wide of the mark.
At this moment a sound behind him warned Bordine to guard his rear. He turned to see the man he supposed dead once more on his feet, with bloody face and flowing eyes, clutching at the side of the door to steady himself.
The sight startled the young engineer, and deeming it best to seek safety in flight, he turned, dealt the reeling tramp a tremendous blow in the face that swept him from his feet, and dashed swiftly into the blackness of the night.
The man in the shanty sprang swiftly after, anxious now to prevent the escape of his intended victim.