A New Volunteer

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?"