As they opened fire Silent pitched to
the ground. Kate set her teeth and forced her eyes to stay open.
Even as the outlaw fell his revolver spoke and one of the men threw up
his hands with a yell and pitched out of the open door. His companion
still kept his post, pumping shots at the prone figure. Twice more the
muzzle of Silent's gun jerked up and the second man crumpled on the
floor of the car.
A great hissing and a jetting cloud of steam announced that Haines
had succeeded in flooding the fire box. Silent climbed into the first
baggage-car, stepping, as he did so, on the limp body of the Wells
Fargo agent, who lay on the road bed. A moment later he flung out the
body of the second messenger. The man flopped on the ground heavily,
face downwards, and then--greatest horror of all!--dragged himself
to his hands and knees and began to crawl laboriously. Kate ran and
dropped to her knees beside him.
"Are you hurt badly?" she pleaded. "Where? Where?"
He sagged to the ground and lay on his left side, breathing heavily.
"Where is the wound?" she repeated.
He attempted to speak, but only a bloody froth came to his lips. That
was sufficient to tell her that he had been shot through the lungs.
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