United States or Iran ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"It seems to me it's no use fooling round like this," Peters exclaimed, when for a moment there was silence between Gleeson and Walker. "If he wants the claim, let him have it, and we'll shove along up the creek. Come on, Tony, my lad; there's no points in this game." He slung his swag over his shoulder, and Tony did the same.
There's no gold in the country. Let the others find it out for themselves; but now Walker's turned up no good, and we're all mates in the swim, I'll tell you straight. The whole game was a bit of bluff." "Here, steady, young feller," Palmer Billy said, as he swung his swag to the ground and faced Gleeson. "Let's have a plain talk about this. What's your game, anyhow?"
He, feeling something of the excitement, miscalculated a bump, or forgot a hard patch on the cushion, and broke down, just two from home. Gleeson, cool, collected, and unmoved, said "Pity" under his breath, and a shiver passed through the audience.
When darkness came he escorted him to the tent of the men from Nyalong, and was introduced to them by his new friend. Their names were Gleeson, Poynton, Lyons, and two brothers McCarthy. One of these men was brother-in-law to Barton, and had been a fellow-trooper with him under Captain Foster.
To these drawbacks Gleeson earnestly attributed the bad luck which usually attended the play of his opponents, and the extraordinary strokes with which he was able to win the hardest fought games; but not even these extenuating circumstances could quite reconcile the miners to the constant loss they suffered at his hands, and so it came about that he was the first one at whom they shied.
As the noise lulled before the growing desire to toast success, long life, and various other pleasant prospects to the winner of the second game, an artistic piece of by-play was introduced by a violent altercation between Walker, Tap, and Gleeson, the first two savagely attacking the latter for having thrown away their money by playing double or quits.
Walker, still suffering from the kick he had received, took advantage of the lull to sit down and abuse Gleeson. "Call yourself a leader!" he grumbled. "Here's a pretty state of things! If we ain't all killed in half an hour it won't be your fault. I'm full of your tricks, first losing our horses, then our " "If you don't like it, clear," Gleeson exclaimed, wheeling round sharply.
Instinctively every eye was turned toward the hills to the eastward among which the Comanches had vanished with their captive. "They haven't had time to go far," said Zach Collis, "and if we ride hard we shall soon run 'em down." "But is it best to try that?" was the question of Ward Burrell, or Old Bronze. Gleeson, who was naturally looked upon as the leader, shook his head.
As the mob closed in on him and bore him down by sheer force of numbers, Peters darted for the revolver when it struck the earth, and Tony, rushing to the rescue of Gleeson, saw how the crowd, in their hurry to reach their victim, were hitting and pushing one another, while he was struggling to escape between their legs.
Yet it did not give me any warmth at that moment. Dr. Munro and Lieutenant de Broqueville mounted the steps of the Town Hall, followed by another brancardier and myself. Gleeson was already taking down a stretcher. He had a little smile about his lips. A French officer and two men stood under the broken archway of the entrance between the fallen pillars and masonry.
Word Of The Day