“You’re a fine friend,” says I. “You let ’em all come to the window and shoot at me.”
“They had Buddy with ’em, Sleepy. Dang it, I was afraid to shoot.”
Somebody yells at Hashknife, but I don’t hear what he said.
“No yuh don’t,” answers Hashknife. “You let us have Buddy and we’ll call it square.”
Hashknife motions for me to stay behind the shed. I seen him settle down and line up his rifle again. He lifts his head and says:
“Sleepy, for ——’s sake, look! He’s usin’ Buddy for a shield. The rotten coward!”
I jumps to the corner of the building and looks. There’s a big feller coming down the stairs, with Buddy held in front of him. He’s got his arms wrapped around the kid, and there ain’t a chance in the world for us to shoot him.
“Take that bay hoss, Sim,” yells a voice from the hall. “He can outrun anythin’ around here.”
“He, he, he!” cackles Sol Vane. “He, he, he!”
Hashknife empties his rifle through the windows of the hall and Sol quit laughing.