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Roger placed himself wholly upon the defensive, and while he skillfully resisted Garman's efforts to end the struggle at once, he fought with himself a struggle for calm reason. He could not win. That was the basis from which he began to reason. Garman was the stronger man, so much stronger that against him Roger's powerful young body thrust as against the trunk of an immovable tree.
As he looked at the girl he saw that she too had felt it saw that it was Garman's nearness that wrought the change in her. She seemed under an influence which subdued yet excited her as might some subtle drug. Her normally calm, frank eyes were heavy and mysterious with a drowsy languor.
It couldn't have come very far through this jam, so probably that cattle prairie isn't very far out that way. We could go out there. I suppose some of Garman's men would see us if we did. I don't like to have him know where we're bound for." Higgins was silent. "Well?" The engineer's reply was to crash into the thicket, breaking the way; and Payne followed without more words.
Was it possible that their flight had some connection with Annette's disappearance? They were all desperate men, the most vicious Of criminals, who had fled to safety in the cypress swamps because their savagery unfitted them for existence in a civilized environment. Inflamed by moonshine whiskey they would be capable of anything, even of forgetting for the moment of Garman's dominance of them.
Another time two of Garman's men came out and took the place of a pair of ditch workers who were ill. Why was Garman doing it? What was behind his apparent friendliness? Roger gave up the puzzle. In fact, he had discovered that he was not so vitally interested in his land project as he had thought himself to be.
As the hours dragged by and he broiled beneath the merciless sun with no sign of a move on Garman's part, his confidence waned. Had Garman discovered that Annette was not at Payne's camp? Had he discovered her whereabouts? Roger recalled the signs of an unpremeditated flight on the part of Garman's guards, and his heart sank.
Payne, I've tried them all, won them all, and that " he blew out a great cloud of smoke "that is more real and satisfying than all of them put together." "Have your liver examined," advised Payne; "that's probably what's the matter with you." Garman's Gargantuan burst of laughter rocked him in the saddle. "Good boy! We'll have a lot of fun before we're through with one another.
Roger relaxed in apparent defeat; then bending his supple body like a bow he managed to drive a knee with all his power into the small of Garman's back. The upper part of the huge, gross body came up with a jerk; a cry of mingled pain and rage escaped Garman; his grip relaxed and Roger tore himself free.
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