Page:Jackson Gregory--joyous trouble maker.djvu/244

228 "You'll do nothing of the kind," retorted Steele sharply. "You feel like it right now but tomorrow is another day. For one thing, I don't think that Embry'd let you get that raw. He's a trifle too smooth for that sort of a play."

"Embry be damned. I don't take orders off him."

"But you do. Ordinarily. Right now you take them from me. Call to those jaspers over there to run for it while the way is open; will you? They've hurt one of my men and I want to take care of him."

"I just heard the shooting," growled Banks. "And come down here to stop it …"

Steele laughed understandingly.

"Sure you did! Well, stop them now, why don't you?"

And when Jim Banks gave over to cursing again and to binding up the flesh wound in his arm, it was Steele who shouted out mightily:

"Hey, you poor boobs over there! I've got Banks all sewed up and he says you'd better be getting back to bed before we find out just whose beds are empty to-night! Scat!"

And sweeping up Banks' rifle he sent a couple of shots in the wake of his words.

"Rice!" he called then, and when Rice answered:

"Knock out a board after all and let a little water into the Goblet. We're going to get Turk to my cabin and have a doctor on the way before morning."

"Curse the luck," Banks was saying heavily, "can't you see it's a mistake, Steele? Can't you see how it is? I heard the shooting …"