Sand and Diamonds By Victor Rousseau Read online

  He carried only his service revolver and three

  exposure to sunlight for a lengthy period,

  or four dozen rounds of ammunition. revealing the stones embedded within. Beside Moreover, he was one man against seven or

  the pit was a long, leveled stretch of ground,

  eight. But delay was not to be thought of.

  covered with decomposing clay.

  “Come, Pete, show me where they

  Luke looked at it and was completely

  are,” he insisted.

  enlightened as to the motives that had led to

  Pete urged him to ride.

  the murder of his companions, and the

  “You’ll need the horse for fighting,”

  kidnaping of Emmy and her father. There was

  he hiccoughed. “I ain’t going to fight. I’m

  no doubt but that Hart and his men had

  only showing you where the diamonds is, and

  discovered the diamond pipe on old Jan’s

  you divide with old Pete. You won’t keep

  land, and had kidnaped him in order to force

  them all?” he pleaded anxiously, upturning a

  from him a deed to the property. The two

  face as woeful as a child’s.

  murdered policemen must have nosed out the

  “I’ll see that they’re divided fairly, trail of the conspirators.

  according to the law,” answered Luke, and

  As Luke looked down he felt a tug at

  Pete seemed satisfied. Chuckling and his arm. Pete Flanagan was at his side once staggering, the old man took up the trail, first

  more.

  past that awful pit of death, then through the

  “They’ve got the stones!” he whimpered.

  scrub.

  “Big, white, shining stones, as good as De

  How far it was, Luke had no idea, but

  Beers. They’re going to make their escape

  they had not gone more than a mile or two,

  with them. My stones that I found when

  and there was only the faintest tinge of saffron

  everybody laughed at old Pete and called him

  in the east when the flicker of a campfire

  a madman! Kill them, policeman, and we’ll

  appeared through the scrub, at the base of a

  divide the stones between ourselves. We’ll be

  low kopje.

  rich! We’ll have everything we want. I tell

  Pete indicated to Luke to dismount,

  you they are the finest stones that ever came

  and he did so, fastening the horse to a thorn

  out of South Africa!”

  tree. Silently the two crept forward, not going

  Suddenly, from the house, came an

  directly toward the fire, however, but circling

  outburst of oaths and drunken laughter.

  it. Luke pushed through the scrub in the old

  Instantly Luke was all alert. Shaking off the

  man’s wake, until he reached a clearing.

  old man, who vanished, still whimpering, into

  In the distant foreground, outlined by

  the darkness, Luke turned his steps toward the

  the fire, he could see a queer little brick house, house, his hand gripping his revolver. As he

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  14

  approached he heard a renewed outburst of

  side.

  quarreling, more distinct.

  As the sergeant hesitated, preparing for

  As he began to round the structure, he

  the leap through the doorway beside the

  caught the faint reflected light of a candle

  window, the wrangle broke out again, and he

  upon the ground outside. Creeping nearer, awaited the propitious moment.

  Luke perceived that the building was divided

  Hart and Van Reenen were facing each

  into two rooms, to judge from a tiny window

  other across the table, snarling savagely.

  at the rear, but there seemed to be only a

  Baldy Smith and Brouwer, upon opposite

  single door, with another window beside it.

  sides, looked on at the dispute impassively to

  Advancing softly to the rear window,

  outward appearances, yet their unconscious

  Luke raised himself on tiptoes and looked

  attitude showed that the former was with Hart,

  inside. A single candle was guttering in its

  as the latter was with the Dutchman.

  socket. Luke could make out an iron cot, and

  “You’ve won that pot, Hart,” Van

  old Jan Duplessis stretched out upon it. From

  Reenen shouted, “but I want my revenge! I’ll

  the posture in which the old man was lying

  play you for the mine. The whole damn mine

  Luke surmised that he was bound. It was

  and all the stones we’ve got to go to the

  impossible to see anything clearly.

  winner of the next pot! Are you game, Hart?

  Beside her father crouched Emmy, Or are you afraid? All to the winner of the with ropes about her body. The sight next pot, I say, after Baldy and Brouwer here awakened all the sergeant’s indignation, and it

  have had their share. If you win the stones, I’ll was with difficulty that he succeeded in be satisfied with the girl!”

  keeping in control his impulse to rush in upon

  the kidnapers in the outer room. He must act

  cautiously, he realized, if he was not to

  CHAPTER VI

  encounter disaster. How many of them there

  RED BATTLE!

  were he could not know for sure, but there

  would be, in addition to Brouwer and his two

  confederates, Van Reenen and the party he

  “I’LL go you, Van Reenen!”

  had brought with him and which had mocked

  Hart’s face was livid with excitement.

  the policeman from the edge of the pit.

  Luke saw Brouwer glance at Van Reenen,

  If only Pete Flanagan could be relied

  lean toward him, and whisper something.

  on! But Luke realized that the old man would

  “You keep out of it, Brouwer!” Hart

  be worse than useless in an emergency.

  shouted. “This here’s between Van Reenen

  He made his way around the house to

  and me. All or none—that’s the game I’ve

  the little window beside the door, and peered

  played all my life, and by God I’ll play it now!

  through the sheets of mica that covered it.

  First pot, the winner takes the stones. If either Dimly he could see that there were seven men

  of you two blokes wins, it’s off till the next

  in the room. Four of them, Hart, Van Reenen,

  one.”

  Brouwer, and Baldy Smith, were seated

  “Stones or the girl!” Van Reenen

  around a table, thumbing a pack of greasy

  affirmed. “The winner gets his choice, the

  cards by the light of a candle stuck into the

  loser takes the other.”

  neck of a bottle. The three others were

  “To hell with her! If you win the

  stretched out upon the floor asleep. Each of

  stones, you can have her, too!” shouted Hart.

  the players had a bottle of Cape smoke and a

  “Cut the cards, Baldy. Van Reenen deals.”

  tin mug before him, and a pile of money at his

  The play began. Brouwer opened on

  Sand and Diamonds

  15

  the second deal. He drew two cards. Van

  Smith that Brouwer fired, Van Reenen at Ha
rt.

  Reenen drew three, Hart one, and Baldy Smith

  Baldy’s gun alone answered. He had

  sat out. Brouwer bet five pounds, and Van

  been waiting for that move. But he was a

  Reenen raised him five. Hart raised five more.

  second late. Brouwer’s bullet caught him

  The betting grew faster and more between the eyes. He crumpled forward in his furious. Luke, completely absorbed in the chair, collapsed, and rolled to the floor.

  spectacle, and concluding his moment had not

  With a terrible cry Hart staggered

  yet come, crouched between the window and

  back, upsetting the table, Van Reenen’s bullet

  the doorway, listening. One of the three in his throat. A wild, inhuman scream broke drunken men upon the floor staggered to his

  from his lips as he pressed his fingers to the

  feet and came up to the table, blinking in the

  wound, from which the blood came spurting.

  light of the candle. The two others sat up.

  There was the bitter foretaste of death

  “And ten!” yelled Van Reenen, in the wild cry that bubbled from Hart’s lips.

  pushing forward two five-pound notes into the

  Holding his wound, he rocked to and fro,

  great heap in the centre of the table. “That’s

  while Van Reenen, knocked to the floor by the

  the last of my money. Never mind raising me

  overturned table, deliberately picked himself

  no more. See me, if you ain’t afraid!”

  up and walked toward him.

  “I’ll see you!” Hart shouted.

  Deliberately he shot Hart through the

  Brouwer, though he had opened, had

  brain. The bloated body crashed down among

  withdrawn from the game in the beginning.

  the gold that strewed the floor. Even as it fell

  His eyes were watching the three men like a

  the inner door burst open and Emmy

  hawk’s, Baldy more than either Hart or Van

  Duplessis appeared upon the threshold,

  Reenen. The gold formed a pyramid, screaming.

  prevented from toppling over by the crumpled

  Her arms were bound to her sides. She

  five-pound notes that banked it up.

  was struggling desperately to free herself. At

  Slowly Hart laid down two pairs, the sight of the two dead men she screamed queens up. Van Reenen, with a savage shout,

  again.

  revealed two pairs, aces up, on his side of the

  With a howl of triumph Van Reenen

  table.

  leaped forward and seized her in his arms.

  The shouting gave place to absolute

  “I’ve got the stones, and I’ve got you,

  silence. The three men were standing too, Emmy!”

  watching. Luke felt his heart thumping. In a

  By the light of the flickering candle in

  moment...

  the little room behind, Sergeant Luke could

  With a snarl, Van Reenen dropped his

  see old Jan Duplessis struggling with his

  fifth card, a deuce. He had been playing with

  bonds as he tried to free himself from the iron

  two pairs.

  cot to which he was bound.

  Hart, with a shout of triumph,

  The sergeant stepped inside the house,

  disclosed another queen, giving him a full

  his revolver leveled at Van Reenen.

  house, queens and tens.

  “Throw up your hands!”

  “It’s mine! My game, and my stones!”

  At the sight of the man whom he had

  he yelled, and reached for the kitty.

  supposed to be lying in the death-pit, Van

  As if the others had been awaiting that

  Reenen released Emmy and started back with

  precise movement on Hart’s part, Van a cry. His hands went up instinctively.

  Reenen’s and Brouwer’s guns roared out their

  Brouwer was more quick-witted. Luke

  death-message simultaneously. It was at Baldy

  saw him, crouching over the overturned table,

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  16

  draw rapidly. Both men fired together.

  body of the man immediately above him, who

  Luke had made an instinctive was pinning him down, clutching him by the movement sidewise. He felt the other’s bullet

  throat.

  sear his cheek, like a red-hot iron. Brouwer

  The grip relaxed. Luke struggled to his

  pitched forward, regained his feet, and came

  feet and fired again. The hammer fell upon a

  stumbling forward, yelling like a maniac. But

  spent cartridge. He brought the muzzle

  the words that poured from his lips were smashing down upon the head of another of meaningless babble.

  his assailants, heard the gurgle that came from

  He stopped, twitched, and began to

  the man’s throat, and found himself free.

  spin like a teetotum, his arms extended, his

  As he turned to face the last man and

  fingers twitching. Then he collapsed over the

  Van Reenen, a stunning blow fell on his head.

  body of Hart. Cries and movements had all

  He staggered backward, groping for

  been purely reflex, for he had been shot consciousness. He heard a rifle roar, had a through the brain.

  glimpse of old Jan Duplessis faintly outlined

  The only light that now afforded was

  against the growing light, felt the wall against

  that of the single candle in the small inner

  him, and, grasping for a hold, subsided into

  room. It went out, upset by old Jan’s frantic

  unconsciousness.

  struggles to free himself. Outside the day was

  breaking, it was still night inside. Luke ran to

  where he thought Emmy was standing. He

  CHAPTER VII

  heard the girl’s frightened gasps, but it was

  FINALE!

  Van Reenen into whom he stumbled.

  Like a flash the Dutchman wheeled

  upon him and fired. The bullet passed through

  THE taste of raw spirit in his mouth, the

  Luke’s sleeve, grazing the flesh. Luke fired

  sound of an insistent voice in his ears brought

  and missed. Before he could fire again, Van

  Luke back to reality. He opened his eyes,

  Reenen had flung his arms around him, staring at the bright sunlight that lay in a bearing him to the ground, howling to the

  mottled pattern on the floor and walls of the

  three drunken men to come and finish the job.

  cabin.

  Luke succeeded in gripping the other

  For a moment or two his mind went

  by the wrist and pointing the gun toward the

  groping backward for a clue to his situation;

  floor. More he was unable to do. Van Reenen

  then he saw the dead men huddled upon the

  was at least as strong as he, and fighting

  floor and remembered.

  desperately as he saw himself deprived of the

  He was lying half-propped against the

  diamonds for which he had staked everything.

  wall. Old Jan Duplessis was bending over

  In a moment the three confederates

  him, pouring the last drops of brandy down his

  had precipitated themselves upon the sergeant.

  throat.

  “Schiet hem! [“shoot!”-ed] Schiet,

  The old man was still in the ropes that

  schiet!�
� yelled Van Reenen, as he disengaged had fastened him. Only his right arm was free.

  himself from the melee.

  Hampering him was a part of the iron cot from

  The four were struggling on the floor,

  which he had broken away in his struggle. He

  rolling over and over. Luke’s hand came in

  was covered with blood from a wound in the

  contact with his gun, which had been knocked

  upper part of the right arm, which hung

  out of it by the impact of Van Reenen’s body.

  helpless at his side.

  His fingers closed upon it. He fired into the

  Luke started up.

  Sand and Diamonds

  17

  “Emmy!” he cried.

  “I’ll get her and bring her back safe,”

  “He’s got her, the verdommte swart-

  Luke promised him.

  sel! He has taken her away, with the

  The brandy had revived his strength,

  diamonds!”

  though his head was still swimming, and

  “How long ago?”

  ached abominably. He staggered out of the

  “One hour. I have been trying to cabin. Three or four horses were standing a restore you. How is your head; Can you little distance away, grazing on a few blades stand?”

  of grass that grew around a small, sandy pool

  Sergeant Luke forced himself to his

  of water in a dry nullah. Luke, to his delight,

  feet with a groan. Although his wounded recognized his own mount among them.

  cheek had bled a good deal it was the blow on

  It came at his whistle. He led it back to

  the head that had put him out of action. The

  a small shed in which were saddles, stores and