With groping hands he felt about the room--it was unoccupied.
Then he passed to the door at the far end. Cautiously
he opened it until a narrow crack gave him a view of the
dimly lighted chamber beyond. Within all seemed asleep. The
mucker pushed the door still further open and stepped
within--so must he search every hut within the village until
he had found those he sought?
They were not there, and on silent feet that disturbed not
even the lightly slumbering curs the man passed out by the
front entrance into the street beyond.
Through a second and third hut he made his precarious
way. In the fourth a man stirred as Byrne stood upon the
opposite side of the room from the door--with a catlike
bound the mucker was beside him. Would the fellow awake?
Billy scarce breathed. The samurai turned restlessly, and then,
with a start, sat up with wide-open eyes. At the same instant
iron fingers closed upon his throat and the long sword of his
dead daimio passed through his heart.
Byrne held the corpse until he was positive that life was
extinct, then he dropped it quietly back upon its pallet, and
departed to search the adjoining dwelling. Here he found a
large front room, and a smaller chamber in the rear--an
arrangement similar to that in the daimio's house.
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