Chapter 28 Chapter Thirteen Patrick's Shield

Thus ended the first attack.Hunter was injured and four people were killed, including his close friend and confidant Malona.This is a huge loss for the robber gang.In terms of defense, only a few people were slightly scratched by stray bullets.The loss is small. There is reason to believe that when the conditions are good, they will still talk about reasoning.Because Hunter has a strong sense of revenge and has an extremely strong desire to become the owner of the Golden Volcano.He certainly wouldn't concede defeat after the first fight. "Anyway, the bastards are in retreat," said the Scout. "They won't attack again today."

"Not during the day... maybe at night," Sammy Skinned answered. "We don't sleep," declared Ben Rado, "and besides, Hunter will have as much difficulty crossing the canal during the two or three hours of darkness as during the day. I'm sure he wouldn't dare, because he I know we are on guard." "Should the demolished barricades be repaired?" asked Jane Egerton. "That's exactly what we're going to do," said Bill Steer, who called in several people to help him with the job. "Before that," put in Sammy Skin, "let's see if they're back at camp."

Ben Rado, Sammy Skinn, Jane Egerton, and Neruto crossed the dike with spears in hand and advanced a few hundred meters onto the plain.There they had a good view down the hill to where the Texans had camped. It's 6 o'clock, and it's still bright. Despite the fear of being followed, Ben Rado and his companions walked slowly to within five or six ranges.Ben Rado and the scouts wondered for a moment whether they should sneak up on them.But, on second thought, they thought it best to drop the idea.Texans should not be made to know their numbers are small. The gang moved slowly because they were carrying the dead and the wounded.Several injured people were unable to walk, which affected the walking speed of the accomplices.

For nearly half an hour the Canadians watched their retreat.They saw Hunter skirt the base of Gold Volcano and disappear behind a ridge where he had encamped. Around 8 o'clock, the work of repairing the roadblock was completed.Leaving the two on sentry, the others returned to the grove for supper. Everyone talks about what happened during the day.Hunter's failure cannot be seen as the end of the matter.Only after Hunter and his group left the Golden Volcano could they be completely relieved.As long as they persist in the vicinity, it is necessary to prevent accidents.If the volcano erupts by itself, it will have to use force to compete for the ejected gold nuggets.

The night was safe and sound.No thought of supper, though, until all necessary measures had been taken.Ben Rado, Sammy Skin, Scout, and Neruto agreed to take turns guarding the levee.Their vigilance can be trusted. The hours of the night and the next day passed in absolute peace.Scouts crossed the canal several times, but found nothing.He found nothing suspicious.Has Hunter abandoned his plan? Another night passed without incident, and dawn broke out in the east, when shots were fired from the canal side.Two people were left to guard the tent, and the rest came to the edge of the woods, ready to resist.

At this time, Scout and Neruto are stationed on the dike.It can be trusted that the attackers will not cross the dike.Sure enough, the two of them hid behind the stone barricade and fired from the gun holes, and they could control the entire south bank area with a straight line. However, their shots don't seem to be very effective.The attackers, who had crawled over during the hours of the night, were now lying on their stomachs behind mounds of earth dug into the river, beyond the reach of bullets.In any case, their firepower has not diminished. Ben Rado didn't know where to aim, so in order to save ammunition, he ordered to stop shooting.His men stood motionless behind the first row of trees, guns at their feet, watching the situation unfold.

An hour passed.On the other side of the canal, the gunfire continued, fierce but harmless.The bullets hit the grass without causing any damage to those surrounded. Suddenly, it was broad daylight at this time, and shouts sounded from behind the line of defense.At the same time, the firing has also visibly slowed down. Scout used the break to leave the embankment with Neruto and run across the dangerous clearing to join his companions.He was immediately put in command because he had more experience in guerrilla warfare than anyone else. He quickly divided the personnel into two parts.The first part consisted of Canadian miners, spreading out along the edge of the woods, occupying the entire fringe and securing an effective defense of the southern front; The sound of the tent went.The distance between them is large, and they move forward under the cover of trees.Scouts join the mobile squad, with Ben Rado, Sammy Skin and Jane Egerton in defense of the canal.

The scout and his men hadn't gone 100 meters to the north when they saw a densely formed group of 7 cavalry running not far away. They ran as fast as the terrain conditions allowed them to run. .Their purpose was obvious: to outflank the Canadians from behind. Scout knows all too well what's going on.Apparently, the Texans managed to find a place on the Rube River where they could wade across in the 36-hour truce they left their opponents.At night they rode across the river and invaded the camp from the northeast, while some of their men made diversionary attacks at the front of the battle.

This strategy is correct in theory, but wrong in practice.Hunter had miscalculated the number of the enemy, and the number of men sent for this daring surprise attack was too small.What could his cavalry and himself do against a dozen relentless rifles? In addition, bad luck followed.Hunt had intended to enter an abandoned camp where he could easily destroy it and suddenly appear behind the terrified enemy, however, he was spotted by Canadian sentries at a distance, and he himself did not Know.On the other hand, the horses got tangled in bushes and brambles, which slowed him down;Therefore, instead of speeding things up, he was attacked by a gang of scouts who came to counterattack.

Now, Hunter must abandon his plan.The road to the south was blocked, and he turned his horse and galloped across the Rube. He is out of time.The Canadians' rifles spoke among the trees, and at such close range few shots missed.A few minutes later, six of the fatally shot riders fell from their horses, three of the horses were killed, and the others fled.For Hunter, it wasn't a failure, it was a disaster. By chance, only Hunter was safe and unhurt.He made up his mind quickly.He didn't run away from the bullet, which was much faster than him; but bravely ran towards his opponent.The opponent was forced to stop shooting for fear of hurting his own people.At the risk of smashing himself against the trunk of a tree, he ran like a gust of wind through the midst of his opponents.

In an instant, he had no trouble getting past the scouts and disappearing into the grass.The latter rose to catch up.He had to get past the line of shooters facing the canal before he escaped, and then he had to cross the open field that separated the woods from the canal. When Hunter thought of the first obstacle, he was only slightly disturbed.In his opinion: The shooters were so scattered that it was easy to slip through them.But that's not the case with the second obstacle.He could not fail to know that when he left the woods and walked out into the open, it was difficult for him to escape the bullets he did not expect. He racked his brains and could not think of a solution to the problem, when a sudden hope made him tremble. At this moment, he came to the edge of the grove.Beyond the last row of trees a strong light flickered between the trunks.A man from the Canadian side actively resisted hiding behind a tree.He knelt on the ground to reload, fire, reload, and fire without stopping for a minute.He was so engrossed in shooting that he didn't even hear that Hunter was within ten paces behind him. Hunt stifled triumphant cheers when he recognized the deranged shooter as a woman, and a young female passenger on the Soccer. Hunter tightened the reins of the horse, then kicked the horse's belly with spurs, causing the horse to gallop forward; at the same time, he slid to the right side of the saddle, so that his body was suspended in the air and his hands touched the ground, like a western American. That's what the shepherd boy did. He was very near to Jane Egerton, who had not yet discovered him.As the horse galloped by, his arms wrapped around the girl's waist, and the girl was picked up like a feather and thrown across the saddle.Then Hunter galloped wildly, and now, because he was carrying hostages, the others dared not shoot. A cry from Jane Egerton, feeling caught, brought both sides to an immediate halt.Anxious faces appear among the trees, curious faces appear above cover.At this moment Hunter rode out of the woods at three times his usual speed, and into the open space that he had so dreaded not so long ago. No one on either side of the camp understood what was happening.The Americans exposed their upper bodies above the mounds that protected them, watching their leaders rush towards them at full speed.Thinking of some unknown danger, they turned and ran across the plain, hiding behind the first ridge of the Golden Volcano.The Canadians all came out of the woods, and they were so surprised that they forgot to send off the enemy with gunshots. Hunter took advantage of everyone's dumbfounded opportunity.After fifteen or sixteen steps, the horse came to the edge of the canal.Is there any hope for the Canadians to catch up to the galloping horses that have left them this far? One of them did not leave the edge of the wood, and did not intend to make a futile pursuit.His legs seemed to have taken root in the ground, and he stood firmly; he raised his gun calmly and fired, and the bullets flew out like lightning. The daring shooter could only be Sammy Skin.Sammy is so confident about his shooting skills, isn't he afraid of accidentally hurting Jane Egerton when he intends to hit the kidnapper?To tell the truth, he himself didn't know.He didn't aim, and instinctively reckoned and fired a shot. However, we do know that Sammy Skinn's shot hits the mark.This time too, he proved his skill again, and more surprisingly than the previous few times.As soon as his gun fired, Hunter's mount staggered heavily, either because Hunter had to let go of Jane Egerton to keep his balance, or for some other reason, and Jane slid out of the saddle. Lying motionless on the ground.After the horse continued to run for three or four steps, it suddenly fell to the ground.At this time, Hunter also fell to the ground and rolled a few times and was motionless. Canadians were stunned by this swift tragedy, and there was no sound from their side.Sammy Skin, not knowing the result of his action, stared straight at the plain without moving.Hunter lay fifty meters away on the other side of the canal, not sure if he was dead or alive.His horse was in its death throes a little closer.The horse was gasping for breath, blood spurting from its lungs.Nearer, not twenty meters from the embankment lay Jane Edgerton, a mere speck in the wide; Sammy might have beaten Jane to death. The Canadians, however, also calmed down when Hunter's party, seeing their leader fell, ran in disorder from their hiding place below the hill.A hail of bullets forced the bandits back and told them that they would never set foot on the plain again. Unfortunately, the situation is the same for both parties.Ben Lado's shooters (who were just joined by Scout and his men) can keep the Texans out of Gold Volcano hideout, so the latter can also keep the Canadians out of reoccupation bunker on the bank of the canal.In fact, neither side could enter the plains. There seems to be nothing that can be done about the situation.The Canadians began to fret as their heads drew a barrage of bullets whenever they came out of cover; Ben Rado feared that something indiscreet might happen.Sammy Skin, who had been quite calm just now, was especially exciting now.He saw Jane Egerton lying there like a dead person, only less than thirty meters away from him, but unable to save her, he was really going crazy.He had to be stopped forcefully, even physically, to keep him from running to the barricade, tearing down the stones, and risking his life. "Are we just going to let her die? . . . We're cowards!" he yelled furiously. "We're not crazy, that's all," Ben Rado replied gravely. "Sammy, be quiet and give us a moment to think." However, as the engineer pondered, his otherwise ingenious mind failed to bring him a satisfactory solution to the problem, and the situation threatened to drag on. It was Patrick who figured it out. After nearly a quarter of an hour of this distracting waiting, Patrick was seen emerging from the woods.He took an unusual opportunity to return to the woods without attracting the attention of the Americans.He was not walking fast, firstly because he was walking backwards, and secondly because he was dragging a very heavy and stumbling object on the ground, which turned out to be the carcass of a horse that had just been killed by the scout's squad. What is Patrick's plan?What was he dragging this dead horse for?No one can answer this question. On the other side of the canal, the Americans hiding behind the ridge of the Golden Volcano also saw the giant come out of the woods. His presence drew savage shouts and a barrage of bullets.However, he doesn't seem to mind the shouts and bullets at all.With composure and perseverance he dragged the dead horse towards the dike, and it was his inexplicable luck that he reached the dike unscathed. At this time, he opened a hole in the roadblock, which only took a few minutes for him.Then, he grabbed the horse's two front legs, let it stand up on the buttocks, and with another effort, he carried the horse on his shoulders. Despite the seriousness of the situation, his fellow Irishmen were appalled by the display of miraculous power and couldn't help applauding.The horse was small but quite heavy, and Patrick displayed superhuman strength. No one except one knew what his purpose was. "Very well, Patrick," cried Sammy Skin, and, scrambling quickly out of the bodyguard's grasp, he stood up, heedless of the bullets whistling about, and ran over to the embankment the giant was about to cross. At this moment, people in both camps have the opportunity to see a unique good show. Patrick bent over, with the horse's carcass on his shoulders, its hind hooves dragging on the ground, and at a slow and steady pace, he crossed the embankment, and Sammy Skin passed behind him. No sooner had they entered the plain than the Texans, hiding behind ridges and daring to venture out, opened fire on them.But Patrick turned the horse's carcass on his back at the enemy, and Sammy followed, and the enemy's bullets were powerless against the thick armor.The two of them continued on together without panic. It took them only a few minutes to come to where Jane Egerton lay.Patrick stopped and Sammy Skin bent and picked the girl up. Now, it's time to go back.Going back is much more difficult than coming.If you come with your back to the enemy, and then you have to face the enemy when you go back, Patrick's shield may not be so effective.They had to zigzag, three or four times each way, and at last they each carried their own burdens and succeeded in crossing the canal, while the Texans uttered wild cries of helplessness. When they came to the embankment, they saw two companions crawling from behind the cover, and the two hurried to repair the hole in the barricade.The two rescuers continued to advance calmly and safely reached the edge of the woods. Patrick put down the special shield he had imagined.At this time, everyone can observe its effect.The dead horse was hit by more than twenty bullets all over his body.This layer of armor is of high quality, the only flaw is that not everyone can use it. As for Sammy Skin, he was busy with Jane Egerton.The latter didn't seem to have any wounds on her body, and her coma was probably caused by a sudden fall from the horse. A spray of cool water did the trick.The girl quickly opened her eyes and regained consciousness.Sammy quickly carried her into the tent.She'll probably be fine if she just rests for a while. During this period, the opposing sides held their ground.The Canadians had held the canal, and from there prevented the Texans from entering the plains.The Texans, still hiding behind the ridge, also continued to limit the movement of their opponents.This situation appears to be here to stay. Thus passed the whole day, and then the evening, and then the night. The night gave the opposing sides a little freedom of movement.Ben Rado and his companions leave the canal.Three men were left to guard the canal, and a sentry was posted on the north side of the wood to prevent the enemy from attacking again from the direction of the Rube.Others returned to camp and slept for a few hours after supper. Just after dawn, the Canadians got up, maybe a little tired, but there was no downsizing.When the light was bright enough, everyone's eyes turned to the south. Did the Texans use the night to rescue their leader?Has the situation changed in some way? No sound came from beyond the ridge of the Golden Volcano.A few made a wide circle down the Rube River, venturing a few hundred meters into the plain, from which the entire base of the volcano could be seen.They found that the enemy had abandoned their camp. There is no one on the plain that is completely silent, and there is no movement.Of the two bodies that had been there at dusk yesterday, only one remained at dawn.Only the dead horse not far from the canal formed a dark spot on the pale green grass, and the big carrion birds were already circling around it. As for Hunter, he was gone.