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It used to do you a lot of good, and I suppose all these years since you have had no one to keep you where you belonged. I won't do this, you understand, unless you get careless with guns and things again. You hear, Velo?" Velo made no reply. The two boys carefully bearing the stretcher tramped along in silence. "You hear, Velo?" said Zaidos again.
Velo looked eagerly and gave a cry of dismay. "Oh, oh, oh!" he screamed. "We are lost; we are lost!" He burst into tears. Zaidos rolled over and looked. When you are in the water, as every Boy Scout knows, every object afloat looks mountainous.
My fate is what I deserve." Zaidos hated to hear her self-reproaches. "I don't know about that," he defended awkwardly. "Probably he ought to have come half way. It looks so to me." "It is growing light in the east," said Helen. "We have talked all night about my poor little affairs. Let us think of something else now, let us " She was interrupted by a shattering boom of artillery.
It was like a good game of solitaire. He was not dependent on some other fellow. The other fellow was incidental, a sort of side issue and like a good pace-maker. Of course you had to beat him, but the sport was in coming in ahead of your own time. It was for this that Zaidos had always worked.
The urge of Evil became like a heavy hand knocking on his heart. He almost feared Zaidos would hear it. "Now now now!" it went. "Come on, Zaidos," he said, standing up. "Let's get to work. I suppose we have an all-night task before us." Zaidos yawned. "I thought so, too," he said; "but it seems they are looking for a bad day to-morrow and we have been relieved from duty for the night.
As his cousin passed him he gave a sly twist to the dragging shovel, which threw the corner of it between Zaidos' feet. He stumbled and fell headlong toward the open door where a horrible death seemed reaching for him. But as he plunged forward, the chief, who was beside him, turned and shoved his rake against the falling body. It was enough to change the direction of his fall.
"I could not fight again, and there are reasons I really don't care a hang about living. Just send those letters for me. And one thing more," he tried to lift his hand to his throat, but was too weak. "Will you kindly take off the chain under my blouse," he said, "before anyone else gets here?" Zaidos felt for the chain with his free hand, still pressing the artery with the other.
The deserter repeated, "Quickly, quickly!" and as Zaidos handed him the packet he disappeared, the night swallowing him in its blackness. Zaidos crawled to the door and, flat on the floor, put his head out the opening into the street. All was quiet. The sentry marched up and down the long block with the dragging slowness of a weary man. The mountaineer had escaped!
Velo thought a moment. "I had it in my hand just now," he said. "Look on the ground." The papers lay beside Velo's hand. Zaidos picked them up, and put them in his pocket. "I have them," he said gruffly. "I'm glad of that," said Velo. "Zaidos, I sold my soul for those papers. I have been a bad boy all my life, not because I had bad surroundings, not because I was neglected.
It was filled with soldiers, and with them was a little fellow closely bound. Zaidos looked at him with a sinking heart. He had never seen the pallid, quivering face, with its wild black eyes. No, the night had been too dark, but instinct told him that here was the deserting mountaineer. Zaidos looked away.
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