Bascomb

“ Bascomb shaded his eyes with his hand and looked toward where Stukely pointed. The island was by this time about five miles distant, and the colours of the vegetation were showing up clearly in the brilliant light of the tropic day. But beyond it again, and showing over the tree-tops, there was a faint grey film that was evidently moving, sliding along, as it were, toward the low point. ”

“ The scout fired, and his bullet, passing under the body of one of the horses, seared Bascomb’s leg.
Bascomb yelled and leaped back toward the shore of the island. Bernritter followed him.
“Come on, Giles!” ordered the scout, “and come quick. Bascomb,” he added, addressing the black shore of the island, “if you or Bernritter do any more shooting, or make any more trouble, it will go all the harder with you. You’re as good as captured, and you ought to know it.” ”

“ Bascomb saw Buffalo Bill, whom he had put down in the old shaft during the night, and whom he believed to be safely out of the way. The sight of the scout naturally astounded the ruffian; then, apparently realizing that his failure to take the camp by surprise was due to Buffalo Bill, Bascomb’s rage rushed through him and found vent in a wild oath.
“Come on!” he yelled to the redskins. “Kill the long-haired warrior! A hundred pesos ter the buck that does fer Buffler Bill!” ”

“ A bullet was launched at him by Bascomb and Bernritter.
“Let up on that, you fellers!” howled Giles. “It’s me, Giles.”
“Come ahead, then,” called Bascomb.
Giles hurried on, and finally vanished in the shadows of the rocks.
“That will make three on the island,” said Dell, “and probably Bascomb and Bernritter will be able to give Giles a weapon.”
“What if they do?” the scout answered. “With some one here to guard the causeway, half a dozen men would be as secure on that island as though they were locked in a cell. Giles may get the horses, or he may not. We’ll see.” ”

“ Bascomb, I’m told, was captured on an island [215] in Quicksand Lake, and a girl, the daughter of the owner of the Three-ply Mine, was rescued——”
“By the king of scouts, single-handed!” said Dell, her admiration fiery and vehement.
“I’m willing to believe that,” went on the colonel. “A braver man than Cody never stepped; and his bravery is of the best and most telling kind, for he always couples head-work with it. I reckon that’s what makes him so successful. The last I heard of Bascomb he had been landed in the Phœnix jail, and a guard of troopers from Fort Apache was going after him. ”

“ Dell answered.
The scout watched until the forms of the horses and the girls had vanished in the dusk.
All was silent on the island. From appearances, Bascomb and Bernritter had given up the fight, and were probably behind the breastwork talking over recent disastrous events with Giles.
Quick with his weapons as was Buffalo Bill, he would have felt abundantly able to keep a dozen men bottled up on the island. The only way Bascomb and Bernritter could possibly escape would be by rushing across the causeway at top speed, in the hope of gaining the main shore. ”

“ You had a favorite theme, something about Bascomb, Smoke, and asbestos that you kept up pretty continuously.”
“I don’t doubt it,” said David, smiling. “You don’t know how I felt when I realized that I was losing my grip on things. ‘Smoke’ is a dog; Wallie Bascomb’s bull-terrier. I think I chased that dog a thousand miles the first few days I was in the hospital.”
“Don’t doubt it. Well, I must go.” The Doctor slid a plump hand down his watch-chain and glanced at his watch. “Well, Ross, you know what to do. I can’t do any more for you than I have. ”

“ Just wait till you’ve made a few casts. Nanette can tell you—”
“Nanette won’t, but perhaps Swickey will,” she said, smiling at Bascomb. As she paused, he stepped beside her and David took the lead, striding up the slope at a pace that set Bascomb puffing.
“It’s a desecration to call you Swickey,” said Bascomb, as he tramped along, swinging the lunch-bucket. “My! but our Davy’s in a hurry—I don’t think I could do it.”
“Yes, you can if you point your toes straight ahead when you walk, like this. You swing your foot sideways too much. Try it.” ”

“ We shall then have a thoroughly good lot of men left, who'll do more and better work."
"That is," almost whined President Bascomb, "if Reade, in doing what he wants, doesn't stir up so much enmity that we have the rest of our wall blown out into the gulf."
"Mr. Bascomb," put in Tom, "while I must have control of the men and their camp I don't wish to do anything to cast reflection on yourself as the head of the company. May I therefore ask, sir, if there is any especial reason why Evarts should be allowed in this camp?" ”

“ Bascomb motioned to James, who descended the stairs, and crossing the walk, stooped over the inert figure. He tried to lift the man to the car, but was unable to more than partially drag him along the pavement.
“Miss Bascomb is all right now. She fainted, and no wonder,” said Bascomb, as he joined the chauffeur. Together they placed David in the car. “Just a minute, Jimmy.” He dashed upstairs and to the bedroom.
“What was it, dearie?” Miss Ross was smoothing the girl’s forehead with a soothing hand.
“A man—in the street—we nearly ran over him.” ”

“ Bascomb slowly.
"Sorry to disagree with you, Bascomb," broke in the treasurer, "but I've had some experience in handling what is called wild labor, and I believe that Reade goes at it in just the right way. I don't believe there are really fifty really wild or troublesome men in that camp. The few bad ones usually start trouble going, and then the good ones are driven into it. Let Reade stop the vices over yonder, in the way that he wants to, and the worst of the crowd will call for their time and leave camp. ”

“ Bascomb has a hold on a bunch of renegade Apaches, and he rounded them up to put through this deal here to-day. I won’t be sure, but I think that Bascomb suggested all this gold-robbery business to Bernritter, and has been telling him how to pull it off.”
“Bernritter was a willing tool—there’s not a particle of doubt about that,” interjected McGowan.
“Does Bascomb stay in Phœnix?” asked the scout.
“He doesn’t make it a rule to stay anywhere for very long. I have my suspicions that he’s a badly wanted man.” ”

“ Comin’ over?”
“No,” replied Bascomb, leaning back against the side of the cabin. “This is feathers for me after that tramp to-day. I’ll loaf here awhile.”
“Thet’s right. You kin keep Swickey comp’ny.” Avery arose and stretched himself. “I’m gettin’ a mite stiff settin’ here.”
As the old man strode toward the light of David’s doorway, Bascomb called to Swickey.
“Did you hear that?”
“About Pop getting stiff in the night air?”
“Of course. I don’t need night air to make me stiff, though. I bear the loving marks of the trail all over me. ”

“ Swickey shaded her eyes with her hand and gazed across the pond.
“There’s a deer!” she whispered, “just under those cedars, in the water. I wonder what it’s doing here this time of day?”
“Can’t see it,” said Bascomb. “Couldn’t if he was sitting on this log eating lunch with us.”
“It isn’t a he, it’s a doe, and she has a little fawn near her. I can just see him on the edge of the bank.”
David stood up and brushed the crumbs from his clothes. “I’ll get the canoe and paddle up there. It’s down the shore a bit.”
“I’d give anything to have your eyes,” said Bascomb, as David departed. ”

“ By the way, where’s Smoke?”
“Reasonable question, my son, but unanswerable. We parted company somewhere near Tramworth, without explanations or regrets, on Smoke’s part anyway. That dog’s cut out for a bushwhacker. Boston’s too tame for him after that ‘Indian Pete’ affair. Wonder whom he’ll massacre next? I was beginning to get a bit shy of him myself.”
“He probably felt it, and vamoosed,” said David.
“He probably felt hungry,” replied Bascomb, with an unpleasant laugh. “A man’s in a bad way when his dog won’t stick to him. Perhaps he smelt the wolf at the door of the house of Bascomb.” ”

“ Bascomb, you mustn't take him too seriously. He's a first rate fellow in a lot of ways, but there's no fight in him, and he's a bit close-fisted, too. As for me, Reade, and as far as I can speak for my fellow directors, go ahead, just the way you've started. If you can find any way to hammer camp vice harder than you've been hammering it, then go ahead and do some harder work with your little hammer. ”

“ Now, Mr Winter, what is the smallest number of men that you would care to be left with?”
“If I am to defend the ship successfully in the event of a possible attack,” said Winter, “I must have at least twenty men. I cannot do with less. Leave me twenty, and you may take all the rest, even including young Chichester, who is like to be a great deal more useful ashore than he would be with me.”
“Very well,” agreed Bascomb, “twenty be it; you can scarce do with less, for it is more than likely that, while we are busy ashore, they will endeavour to recover possession of the treasure. ”

“ Is that agreeable to your worship?”
“Yes,” answered Winter; “it is as good a plan as we are like to devise, even though we were to cogitate for the rest of the day. It is true that I would have preferred to lead the landing-party, since if aught should happen to you we shall be left without a navigator.”
“Nay, that you need not be,” answered Bascomb, “for I will leave young Chichester with you, and he can be your navigator; he has been an apt pupil, and now knows as much about navigation as I do, so that difficulty is soon overcome. Hallo! the boat ahoy!” ”

“ The wound he received in that ambush was mortal. Once more, [297] pards, Geronimo has overplayed his hand. It may be that the chief collected his renegades and left the reservation for the sole purpose of laying that ambush and taking Bascomb away from the soldiers; but, in the attempt, Bascomb stopped a bullet. Instead of rescuing the deserter, Geronimo killed him.”
“Justice reaches an evil-doer in many ways,” remarked Dell. ”

“ Had he got any books or papers?"
"I don't think 'e laid much store by readin'," replied Bascomb. "We 'ad the Daily Mail come over every mornin', but as often as not 'e wouldn't trouble 'isself to open it." He hesitated for a moment, and then seemed to decide to take me into his confidence. "You see, sir, the guv'nor 'e began shift in' a good deal o' liquor after we come down 'ere. 'E was never drunk, not wot you might call proper drunk, but most evenin's 'e'd be a bit muzzy like, an' 'e'd just sit there mutterin' to 'isself or talkin' to Satan. ”

“ Bascomb's eyes. The other glared at him unbelievingly but angrily.
"Young man, you don't appear to understand that I am president and head of the Melliston Company."
"I quite understand it, sir," Reade answered. "At the same time I am chief engineer here, and I am committed to building the breakwater and dredging out the enclosed bay or harbor, all within a certain fixed appropriation. In order to keep my part of the bargain I must have men with me on whom I can depend to the fullest limit. Evarts isn't such a man and I won't have him on the work again." ”

“ Up at Tinaja Wells we knew what he was doing, and if Dangerfield hadn't sent Juan Morisco on a special mission to Phœnix the lot of us would have got away from Burke and he'd never have caught us."
Bascomb fell silent again, and for a mile or more he kept up his steady, swinging gait.
"It was you, King," he went on, but with no malice in his voice, "who put a spoke in Dangerfield's wheel. If it hadn't been for you and the Comet, the governor couldn't have got word to Burke before we had all slipped past him and gotten well off toward the border. That's the way luck will take a turn sometimes." ”

“ And yet the silly fool hasn't even the sense to try and keep his job. I suppose you'll give him the sack now you've heard the doctor's opinion of him?"
"I daresay," I returned evasively. "I'm keeping him on for the present, though. It's no good throwing away dirty water until one's got clean."
We went down to the landing-stage and stepped into our boat, which Bascomb had busied himself in making ready for us. He and Satan remained standing on the shore as we pulled out into the estuary—two motionless black figures against the lonely background of trees and shrubs. ”

“ I said heartily. "I believe in sticking up through thick and thin for anybody who has been kind to me, especially when they can't defend themselves."
The gleam of passion died out of Bascomb's face almost as suddenly as it had appeared.
"I didn't mean nothin' against you, sir," he began with a kind of clumsy apology in his voice. "I reckon you'd deal fair with anyone till you 'ad reasons for the contrary. All I feels is that mebbe you've 'eard things about the guv'nor which makes yer think a sight worse of 'im than there's any call for." ”

“ If you take my advice, sir, you'll lock 'im in 'is room, an' leave Satan loose outside the door."
"I don't want to make him suspicious," I objected. "We shan't get anything out of him by frightening him. Our only chance is to let him feel perfectly at home, and then it's just possible he'll give himself away."
"Mebbe that's so," admitted Bascomb, after a moment's reflection. "There's many a bloke trips 'isself up through bein' a bit too clever." He turned to the table again and resumed his task of clearing away the things. "I'll do wot I can anyway, sir," he added. ”

“ I don’t care how many fellers wants to marry you, so long as they don’t. Thar! now you’ve upset my pipe right on your dress.”
Swickey hurriedly disengaged herself and brushed the ashes from her skirt.
“Dave says in his letter thet thet young Bascomb, the surveyor feller, is comin’ up with him. They ought to be along purty soon now.”
“What! that Mr. Bascomb that tried to buy our place—and get the asbestos?”
“Yes, thet’s the feller.” ”