“He’ll be after him in a minute, boys,” said Aleck Gault, quickly. “Steve’ll take the Toss-Up Track to the hills, and the trooper will follow. Who’s game to help me? Come on,” and he ran for the horse paddock without waiting for an answer.
“What’s the game, Aleck?” said Whip, as they hurriedly flung the saddles on. “There’s some o’ us too drunk to walk, but none o’ us too drunk to ride. What is it?”
“Dan’ll take the hill track hell-for-leather,” said Aleck. “We’ll get there first, and block the path through the Axe-Cut.”
CHAPTER IX.
“How’s the woman, mavourneen?” asked Trooper Dan.
“She’s clean crazy, I think,” said his wife. “She sits there moaning an’ wringing her hands, an’ not a word out o’ her but ‘He’s dead—he’s dead.’ She was screaming crying a while, then laughing to herself, then crying again, then over an’ over ‘He’s dead—he’s killed.’”
“Killed,” repeated the trooper, thoughtfully. “She said he was killed, but not a word who killed him. Ah, well, there’s divil a doubt, I’m feared, who ’twas did it. They’d been quarrellin’ an’ tearin’ their throats out, an’ he’d swore he’d kill him....”
“Who swore?” interrupted his wife.
“Who but Steve Knight?” said Dan, sadly. “An’ he shlipped away from the rest—but I mustn’t be sthandin’ talkin’ here. He bate me an’ got away on his horse, an’ he’ll be off t’ the hills, an’ I must take after him. I’ll go get me ridin’ things on. I must be out o’ here in fifteen minutes.”