The desperate seriousness of their situation was only too evident.
Both men recognized this, yet had no opportunity then to reflect over
its possibilities, or plan for relief. Without exchanging a word,
except as related to their present labor, the two at once began
ministering to the relief of Hayes, confident that Brown, stationed
without, would guard vigorously against any surprise attack. The two
wounds upon the sheriff's head were extremely ugly in appearance, being
both deep and jagged, and having bled profusely. However, when
carefully washed and probed, neither proved particularly severe or
dangerous. In less than an hour, conscious yet exceedingly weak and
becoming somewhat feverish, the injured man, dazed in mind but fairly
comfortable in body, had been safely stowed away in a bunk, with every
prospect of an early recovery.
Not until all this had been accomplished did his anxious nurses venture
to look thoughtfully into each others' faces and take direct cognizance
of their own perilous position. Hicks stepped outside into the
sunlight, wiping the perspiration from off his face, and a moment later
Winston joined him, the two standing in grave silence, gazing off
toward the apparently deserted "Independence." The strain of the past
night and day had plainly marked them both, yet it was not exposure and
toil alone that gave such anxiety to their faces. Finally Hicks turned
from his long scrutiny and glanced back toward the younger man,
stroking his goat's beard solemnly.
"Looks ter me like we'd managed ter drop into a mighty bad hole, an'
was up agin the real thing," he began gloomily, yet hastening to add in
explanation, "not as I have any notion o' cavin', you onderstand, only
I ain't overly pleased with the situation, an' thet 's a fact. I never
yit objected in particular ter no fair fight, not o' any kind, free fer
all, or stan' up, but I ain't used ter buckin' agin the law nohow, an'
someway thet seems ter be 'bout what we 're up agin this trip. Beats
hell the way things turned out, don't it?"
Winston nodded without opening his lips. He was thinking more
earnestly about Miss Norvell's unpleasant position than of their own,
yet compelled himself to attention.
"Now, this yere Farnham is a gambler an' a thief; he 's all round
crooked, an' we 've got a cinch on him fer the penitentiary. But we
ain't got the right holt," the old miner continued, squinting his eyes
as if thus endeavoring to get the thought firmly lodged in his brain.
"He 's ben made a deputy sheriff. He kin turn that crowd o' toughs
over thar into a posse, an' come over here with the whole law o' the
State backin' them in any deviltry they decide on, even ter killin' off
the lot o' us for resistin' officers. Es Sam Hayes said, if we shoot,
we 'll be a-shootin' up Gulpin County. An' yet, by thunder, we 've
plumb got ter do it, er git off the earth. I jest don't see no other
way. Biff, he won't care a damn how he gits us, so he gits us afore we
have any chance ter turn the tables on him, an' shift the law over ter
our side. Hayes can't help any, fer he 's out o' his head.
Consequent, it's up ter us. Thet warrant business, an' deputy sheriff
racket, was a blame smart trick, all right. It would 'a' corralled us
good an' proper if thet fool Swede had n't run amuck. Not that he left
us in no bed o' roses, but, at least, we got a fightin' chance now, an'
afore we did n't have even that. I was inclined ter let yer surrender
to the sheriff, fer Sam Hayes is a squar' man, but not ter Farnham an'
his gang--not much, Mary Ann! Thet would mean lynchin', an' I know it.
So, I reckon we jest got to plug it out, an' trust ter luck. Thet 's
my view-point, but ye 're a more higher edycated man ner me, Mr.
Winston, an' maybe you kin see some other way out."