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They will be upon us again now at any moment," whispered the girl. "What can

we do?"

We better duck," replied the mucker. "I hates to run away from a bunch of

Chinks, but I guess it's up to us to beat it."

"But poor Mr. Theriere?" asked the girl.

"I'll have to bury him close by," replied the mucker. "I don't tink I could pack him

very fer tonight--I don't feel jest quite fit agin yet. You wouldn't mind much if I

buried him here, would you?"

There is no other way, Mr. Byrne," replied the girl. "You mustn't think of trying to

carry him far. We have done all we can for poor Mr. Theriere--you have almost

given your life for him already--and it wouldn't do any good to carry his dead

body with us."

"I hates to tink o' dem head-huntin' Chinks gettin' him," replied Byrne; "but

maybe I kin hide his grave so's dey won't tumble to it."

"You are in no condition to carry him at all," said the girl. "I doubt if you can go

far even without any burden."

The mucker grinned.

Youse don't know me, miss," he said, and stooping he lifted the body of the

Frenchman to his broad shoulder, and started up the hillside through the

trackless underbrush.

It would have been an impossible feat for an ordinary man in the pink of

condition, but the mucker, weak from pain and loss of blood, strode sturdily

upward while the marveling girl followed close behind him. A hundred yards

above the spring they came upon a little level spot, and here with the two swords

of Oda Yorimoto which they still carried they scooped a shallow grave in which

they placed all that was mortal of the Count de Cadenet.

Barbara Harding whispered a short prayer above the new-made grave, while the

mucker stood with bowed head beside her. Then they turned to their flight again

up the wild face of the savage mountain. The moon came up at last to lighten the

way for them, but it was a rough and dangerous climb at best. In many places

they were forced to walk hand in hand for considerable distances, and twice the

mucker had lifted the girl bodily in his arms to bear her across particularly

dangerous or difficult stretches.

106

The Mucker