第53章

THE SUPREME SACRIFICE

THROUGH the balance of the day and all during the long night Billy Byrne swung along his lonely way, retracing the familiar steps of the journey that had brought Barbara Harding and himself to the little island in the turbulent river.

Just before dawn he came to the edge of the clearing behind the dwelling of the late Oda Yorimoto.Somewhere within the silent village he was sure that the two prisoners lay.

During the long march he had thrashed over again and again all that the success of his rash venture would mean to him.Of all those who might conceivably stand between him and the woman he loved--the woman who had just acknowledged that she loved him--these two men were the most to be feared.

Billy Byrne did not for a moment believe that Anthony Harding would look with favor upon the Grand Avenue mucker as a prospective son-in-law.And then there was Mallory! He was sure that Barbara had loved this man, and now should he be restored to her as from the grave there seemed little doubt but that the old love would be aroused in the girl's breast.The truth of the matter was that Billy Byrne could not conceive the truth of the testimony of his own ears--even now he scarce dared believe that the wonderful Miss Harding loved him--him, the despised mucker!

But the depth of the man's love for the girl, and the genuineness of his new-found character were proven beyond question by the relentless severity with which he put away every thought of himself and the consequences to him in the matter he had undertaken.

FOR HER SAKE! had become his slogan.What though the results sent him to a savage death, or to a life of lonely misery, or to the arms of his beloved! In the face of duty the result was all the same to Billy Byrne.

For a moment he stood looking at the moon-bathed village, listening for any sign of wakefulness or life, then with all the stealth of an Indian, and with the trained wariness of the thief that he had been, the mucker slunk noiselessly across the clearing to the shadows of the nearest hut.

He listened beneath the window through which he and Barbara and Theriere had made their escape a few weeks before.There was no sound from within.Cautiously he raised himself to the sill, and a moment later dropped into the inky darkness of the interior.

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.

The front room revealed no clue to the missing men.Within the smaller, rear room Byrne heard the subdued hum of whispered conversation just as he was about to open the door.Like a graven image he stood in silence, his ear glued to the frail door.For a moment he listened thus and then his heart gave a throb of exultation, and he could have shouted aloud in thanksgiving--the men were conversing in English!

Quietly Byrne pushed open the door far enough to admit his body.Those within ceased speaking immediately.Byrne closed the door behind him, advancing until he felt one of the occupants of the room.The man shrank from his touch.

"I guess we're done for, Mallory," said the man in a low tone; "they've come for us.""Sh-sh," warned the mucker."Are you and Mallory alone?""Yes--for God's sake who are you and where did you come from?" asked the surprised Mr.Harding.

"Be still," admonished Byrne, feeling for the cords that he knew must bind the captive.

He found them presently and with his jackknife cut them asunder.Then he released Mallory.

"Follow me," he said, "but go quietly.Take off your shoes if you have 'em on, and hang 'em around your neck--tie the ends of the laces together."The men did as he bid and a moment later he was leading them across the room, filled with sleeping men, women, children, and domestic animals.At the far side stood a rack filled with long swords.Byrne removed two without the faintest suspicion of a noise.He handed one to each of his companions, cautioning them to silence with a gesture.

But neither Anthony Harding nor Billy Mallory had had second-story experience, and the former struck his weapon accidentally against the door frame with a resounding clatter that brought half the inmates of the room, wide-eyed, to sitting postures.The sight that met the natives' eyes had them on their feet, yelling like madmen, and dashing toward their escaping prisoners, in an instant.

"Quick!" shouted Billy Byrne."Follow me!"Down the village street the three men ran, but the shouts of the natives had brought armed samurai to every door with a celerity that was uncanny, and in another moment the fugitives found themselves surrounded by a pack of howling warriors who cut at them with long swords from every side, blocking their retreat and hemming them in in every direction.