CHAPTER XVIII.
THE ISLAND.
The actions of the man had they been planned by the scout himself, could not have worked out better for the scout’s plans.
Tired from his work of unrolling the big bundle of slabs, the man stepped from the causeway and plumped down on one of the kegs, his back to the scout.
The man was a stranger to the scout. He was one whom Buffalo Bill had never seen before.
Quite likely he had helped Hendricks and Banks in carrying out the rascally plan for the abduction of Annie McGowan.
While the man sat on the keg, Buffalo Bill rose softly behind him, caught him about the throat with both hands, and jerked him backward to the ground.
The fellow’s surprise must have been overwhelming, but he had no way of manifesting it. The compression at his throat rendered any spoken sound impossible.
After a moment of limp inaction, however, he began to struggle. Being a powerfully built man, it was necessary for the scout to get the whip-hand of him quickly.
Pulling his right hand from the fellow’s throat, Buffalo Bill dealt him a heavy blow between the eyes—a blow calculated to do little damage other than to stun and thus afford leeway for making him secure.