The marshal directed the men of the posse to scatter to various points on the railway lines.
“Hodges’ll probably try to get out of the country, the minute he hears the hound after him,” Stone explained. “All of my men have seen him, and they’ll be able to stop him, if he manages somehow to cover his scent from the dog, and get off.”
Sutton, much against his will, was forced to remain inactive at the cabin as he was not physically fitted for the hard tramping over the mountains.
Zeke was the prey of emotions too deep to permit much interest in a stranger, but he had a friendly, if wan, smile for the veteran, whom he remembered from their single meeting. He attempted a display of attention on hearing of the marriage so recently achieved, but the effort failed pitifully. Seth Jones, however, took no offence, since he understood how great must be the young man’s misery. 203 On the contrary, his sympathies were deeply stirred, and he essayed a few words meant to comfort.
“An’ I reckon I’ll go ’long with you-all, Zeke, in the mornin’,” he concluded.
But Zeke shook his head at the offer.
“I got to cross over home fer my rifle-gun,” he explained, vaguely.
“I clean fergot to tell ye,” Uncle Dick cried. “Yer rifle-gun’s hyar, Zeke. I done fotched it over fer ye.”
“Thank ye, Uncle Dick,” was the grave response. But the young man did not rescind his refusal of the veteran’s company.
Uncle Dick offered a share of his bed to Brant and the marshal, but it was refused by both. There were blankets spread for the men on the floor of the porch, where the smoke gushed from a smudge kettle to keep off the mosquitoes. There, presently, the company stretched themselves for the brief dreamless sleep won by the day’s fatigues.