Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police Part 28

"You were evidently mistaken, for I see him just across the room there,"

said Cameron quietly.

"Oh! is he a friend of yours?" enquired the red-faced man.

"No, I don't know him at all, but Tim does, and Tim wants him," said Cameron, beginning to push his way through the crowd towards the vociferating Haley, who appeared to be on the point of backing up some of his statements with money, for he was flouris.h.i.+ng a handful of bills in the face of the young man Sam, who apparently was quite willing to accommodate him with the wager.

Before Cameron could make his way through the swaying, roaring crowd, the red-faced man slipped from his side, and in a very few moments appeared at a side door near Tom Haley's corner. Almost immediately there was a shuffle and Haley and his friends disappeared through the side door.

"h.e.l.lo!" cried Cameron, "there's something doing! We'll just slip around there, my boy." So saying, he drew Tim back from the crowd and out of the front door, and, hurrying around the house, came upon Sam, the red-faced man, and Haley in a lane leading past the stable yard. The red-faced man was affectionately urging a bottle upon Haley.

"There they are!" said Tim in an undertone, clutching Cameron's arm.

"You get him away and I'll hitch up."

"All right, Tim," said Cameron, "I'll get him. They are evidently up to no good."

"What's yer name?" said Tim hurriedly.

"Cameron!"

"Come on, then!" he cried, dragging Cameron at a run towards his father.

"Here, Dad!" he cried, "this is my friend, Mr. Cameron! Come on home.

I'm going to hitch up. We'll be awful late for the ch.o.r.es and we got them groceries to git. Come on, Dad!"

"Aw, gwan! yer a cheeky kid anyway," said Sam, giving Tim a shove that nearly sent him on his head.

"Hold on there, my man, you leave the boy alone," said Cameron.

"What's your business in this, young feller?"

"Never mind!" said Cameron. "Tim is a friend of mine and no one is going to hurt him. Run along, Tim, and get your horses."

"Friend o' Tim's, eh!" said Haley, in half drunken good nature. "Friend o' Tim's, friend o' mine," he added, gravely shaking Cameron by the hand. "Have a drink, young man. You look a' right!"

Cameron took the bottle, put it to his lips. The liquor burned like fire.

"Great Caesar!" he gasped, contriving to let the bottle drop upon a stone. "What do you call that?"

"Pretty hot stuff!" cried Haley, with a shout of laughter.

But Sam, unable to see the humour of the situation, exclaimed in a rage, "Here, you cursed fool! That is my bottle!"

"Sorry to be so clumsy," said Cameron apologetically, "but it surely wasn't anything to drink, was it?"

"Yes, it jest was something to drink, was it?" mocked Sam, approaching Cameron with menace in his eye and att.i.tude. "I have a blanked good notion to punch your head, too!"

"Oh! I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Cameron, smiling pleasantly.

"Say, Sam, don't get mad, Sam," interposed Haley. "This young feller's a friend o' Tim's. I'll git another bottle a' right. I've got the stuff right here." He pulled out his roll of bills. "And lots more where this comes from."

"Let me have that, Mr. Haley, I'll get the bottle for you," said Cameron, reaching out for the bills.

"A' right," said Haley. "Friend o' Tim's, friend o' mine."

"Here, young feller, you're too fres.h.!.+" cried the red-faced man, "b.u.t.tin' in here! You make tracks, git out! Come, git out, I tell yeh!"

"Give it to him quick," said Sam in a low voice.

The red-faced man, without the slightest warning, swiftly stepped towards Cameron and, before the latter could defend himself, struck him a heavy blow. Cameron staggered, fell, and struggled again to his knees.

The red-faced man sprang forward to kick him in the face, when Haley interposed--

"Hold up there, now! Friend o' Tim's, friend o' mine, ye know!"

"Hurry up," said Sam, closing in on Haley. "Quit fooling. Give 'im the billy and let's get away!"

But Haley, though unskilled with his hands, was a man of more than ordinary strength, and he swung his long arms about with such vigour that neither Sam, who was savagely striking at his head, nor the red-faced man, who was dancing about waiting for a chance to get in with the "billy," which he held in his hand, was able to bring the affair to a finish. It could be a matter of only a few moments, however, for both Sam and his friend were evidently skilled in the arts of the thug, while Haley, though powerful enough, was chiefly occupying himself in beating the air. A blow from the billy dropped one of Haley's arms helpless. The red-faced man, following up his advantage, ran in to finish, but Haley gripped him by the wrist and, exerting all his strength, gave a mighty heave and threw him heavily against Sam, who was running in upon the other side. At the same time Cameron, who was rapidly recovering, clutched Sam by a leg and brought him heavily to earth. Reaching down, Haley gripped Cameron by the collar and hauled him to his feet just as Sam, who had sprung up, ran to the attack. Steadied by Haley, Cameron braced himself, and, at exactly the right moment, stiffened his left arm with the whole weight of his body behind it. The result was a most unhappy one for Sam, who, expecting no such reception, was lifted clear off his feet and hurled to the ground some distance away. The exhilaration of his achievement brought Cameron's blood back again to his brain. Swiftly he turned upon the red-faced man just as that worthy had brought Haley to his knees with a cruel blow and was preparing to finish off his victim. With a shout Cameron sprang at him, the man turned quickly, warded off Cameron's blow, and then, seeing Sam lying helpless upon the ground, turned and fled down the lane.

"Say, young feller!" panted Haley, staggering to his feet, "yeh came in mighty slick that time. Yeh ain't got a bottle on ye, hev yeh?"

"No!" said Cameron, "but there's a pump near by."

"Jest as good and a little better," said Haley, staggering towards the pump. "Say," he continued, with a humourous twinkle in his eye, and glancing at the man lying on the ground, "Sam's kinder quiet, ain't he?

Run agin something hard like, I guess."

Cameron filled a bucket with water and into its icy depths Haley plunged his head.

"Ow! that's good," he sputtered, plunging his head in again and again.

"Fill 'er up once more!" he said, wiping off his face with a big red handkerchief. "Now, I shouldn't wonder if it would help Sam a bit."

He picked up the bucket of water and approached Sam, who meantime had got to a sitting position and was blinking stupidly around.

"Here, ye blamed hog, hev a wash, ye need it bad!" So saying, Haley flung the whole bucket of water over Sam's head and shoulders. "Fill 'er up again," he said, but Sam had had enough, and, swearing wildly, gasping and sputtering, he made off down the lane.

"I've heard o' them circus toughs," said Haley in a meditative tone, "but never jest seen 'em before. Say, young feller, yeh came in mighty handy fer me a' right, and seeing as yer Tim's friend put it there." He gripped Cameron's hand and shook it heartily. "Here's Tim with the team, and, say, there's no need to mention anything about them fellers. Tim's real tender hearted. Well, I'm glad to hev met yeh. Good-bye! Living here?"

"No!"

"Travellin', eh?"

"Not exactly," replied Cameron. "The truth is I'm looking for a position."

"A position? School teachin', mebbe?"

"No, a position on a farm."

"On a farm? Ha! ha! good! Position on a farm," repeated Haley.

"Yes," replied Cameron. "Do you know of any?"

"Position on a farm!" said Haley again, as if trying to grasp the meaning of this extraordinary quest. "There ain't any."