"
"Never!" said Anthony Harding.
"You'll have to, though," replied Billy. "That's part of the
scheme. It won't work any other way." He raised his revolver
and fired a single shot in the direction of the howling savages.
"That's to let 'em know we're still here," he said. "I'll keep
that up, off and on, as long as I can. It'll fool 'em into
thinking that we're all here, and cover your escape. See?"
"I won't do it," said Mallory.
"Yes you will," replied the mucker. "It's not any of us that
counts--it's Miss Harding. As many as can have got to get
back to her just as quick as the Lord'll let us. I can't, so you
two'll have to. I'm done for--a blind man could see that. It
wouldn't do a bit of good for you two to hang around here
and get killed, waitin' for me to die; but it would do a lot of
harm, for it might mean that Miss Harding would be lost
too."
"You say my daughter is on this island you speak of, with
Norris and Foster--is she quite safe and well?" asked Harding.
"Perfectly," said Byrne; "and now beat it--you're wasting a
lot of precious time."
"For Barbara's sake it looks like the only way," said
Anthony Harding, "but it seems wicked and cowardly to
desert a noble fellow like you, sir.
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