CHAPTER II
VENGEANCE IS MINE
The Glengarry men had fought their fight, and it only remained for theirfoes to wreak their vengeance upon them and wipe out old scores. Oneminute more would have done for them, but in that minute the door camecrashing in. There was a mighty roar, "Glengarry! Glengarry!" and thegreat Macdonald himself, with the boy Ranald and some half-dozen ofhis men behind him, stood among them. On all hands the fight stopped. Amoment he stood, his great head and shoulders towering above the crowd,his tawny hair and beard falling around his face like a great mane, hisblue eyes gleaming from under his shaggy eyebrows like livid lightning.A single glance around the room, and again raising his battle-cry,"Glengarry!" he seized the nearest shrinking Frenchman, lifted him high,and hurled him smashing into the bottles behind the counter. His men,following him, bounded like tigers on their prey. A few minutes offierce, eager fighting, and the Glengarry men were all freed and ontheir feet, all except Black Hugh, who lay groaning in his corner."Hold, lads!" Macdonald Bhain cried, in his mighty voice. "Stop, I'mtelling you." The fighting ceased.
"Dan Murphy!" he cried, casting his eye round the room, "where are you,ye son of Belial?"
Murphy, crouching at the back of the crowd near the door, sought toescape.
"Ah! there you are!" cried Macdonald, and reaching through the crowdwith his great, long arm, he caught Murphy by the hair of the head anddragged him forward.
"R-r-r-a-a-t! R-r-r-a-a-t! R-r-r-a-a-t!" he snarled, shaking him tillhis teeth rattled. "It is yourself that is the cause of this wickedness.Now, may the Lord have mercy on your soul." With one hand he grippedMurphy by the throat, holding him at arm's length, and raised his hugefist to strike. But before the blow fell he paused.
"No!" he muttered, in a disappointed tone, "it is not good enough. Iwill not be demeaning myself. Hence, you r-r-a-a-t!" As he spoke helifted the shaking wretch as if he had been a bundle of clothes, swunghim half round and hurled him crashing through the window.
"Is there no goot man here at all who will stand before me?" he ragedin a wild, joyous fury. "Will not two of you come forth, then?" No onemoved. "Come to me!" he suddenly cried, and snatching two of the enemy,he dashed their heads together, and threw them insensible on the floor.
Then he caught sight of his brother for the first time lying in thecorner with Big Mack supporting his head, and LeNoir standing near.
"What is this? What is this?" he cried, striding toward LeNoir. "And isit you that has done this work?" he asked, in a voice of subdued rage.
"Oui!" cried LeNoir, stepping back and putting up his hands, "das me;Louis LeNoir! by Gar!" He struck himself on the breast as he spoke.
"Out of my way!" cried Macdonald, swinging his open hand on theFrenchman's ear. With a swift sweep he brushed LeNoir aside from hisplace, and ignoring him stooped over his brother. But LeNoir was nocoward, and besides his boasted reputation was at stake. He thoughthe saw his chance, and rushing at Macdonald as he was bending over hisbrother, delivered his terrible 'lash'. But Macdonald had not lived withand fought with Frenchmen all these years without knowing their tricksand ways. He saw LeNoir's 'lash' coming, and quickly turning his head,avoided the blow.
"Ah! would ye? Take that, then, and be quate!" and so saying, he caughtLeNoir on the side of the head and sent him to the floor.
"Keep him off a while, Yankee!" said Macdonald, for LeNoir was up again,and coming at him.
Then kneeling beside his brother he wiped the bloody froth that wasoozing from his lips, and said in a low, anxious tone:
"Hugh, bhodaich (old man), are ye hurted? Can ye not speak to me, Hugh?"
"Oich-oh," Black Hugh groaned. "It was a necessity--Donald man--and--hetook me--unawares--with his--keeck."
"Indeed, and I'll warrant you!" agreed his brother, "but I will beattending to him, never you fear."
Macdonald was about to rise, when his brother caught his arm.
"You will--not be--killing him," he urged, between his painful gasps,"because I will be doing that myself some day, by God's help."
His words and the eager hate in his face seemed to quiet Macdonald.
"Alas! alas!" he said, sadly, "it is not allowed me to smite him ashe deserves--'Vengeance is mine saith the Lord,' and I have solemnlypromised the minister not to smite for glory or for revenge! Alas!alas!"
Then turning to LeNoir, he said, gravely: "It is not given me to punishyou for your coward's blow. Go from me!" But LeNoir misjudged him.
"Bah!" he cried, contemptuously, "you tink me one baby, you strike me onde head side like one little boy. Bon! Louis LeNware, de bes bully on deHottawa, he's not 'fraid for hany man, by Gar!" He pranced up and downbefore Macdonald, working himself into a great rage, as Macdonald grewmore and more controlled.
Macdonald turned to his men with a kind of appeal--"I hev given mypromise, and Macdonald will not break his word."
"Bah!" cried LeNoir, spitting at him.
"Now may the Lord give me grace to withstand the enemy," said Macdonald,gravely, "for I am greatly moved to take vengeance upon you."
"Bah!" cried LeNoir again, mistaking Macdonald's quietness andself-control for fear. "You no good! Your brother is no good! Beegsheep! Beeg sheep! Bah!"
"God help me," said Macdonald as if to himself. "I am a man of grace!But must this dog go unpunished?"
LeNoir continued striding up and down, now and then springing high inthe air and knocking his heels together with blood-curdling yells.He seemed to feel that Macdonald would not fight, and his courage anddesire for blood grew accordingly.
"Will you not be quate?" said Macdonald, rising after a few moments fromhis brother's side, where he had been wiping his lips and giving himwater to drink. "You will be better outside."
"Oui! you strike me on the head side. Bon! I strike you de same way! ByGar!" so saying he approached Macdonald lightly, and struck him a slightblow on the cheek.
"Ay," said Macdonald, growing white and rigid. "I struck you twice,LeNoir. Here!" he offered the other side of his face. LeNoir danced upcarefully, made a slight pass, and struck the offered cheek.
"Now, that is done, will it please you to do it again?" said Macdonald,with earnest entreaty in his voice. LeNoir must have been mad with hisrage and vanity, else he had caught the glitter in the blue eyes lookingthrough the shaggy hair. Again LeNoir approached, this time with greaterconfidence, and dealt Macdonald a stinging blow on the side of the head.
"Now the Lord be praised," he cried, joy breaking out in his face. "Hehas delivered my enemy into my hand. For it is the third time he hassmitten me, and that is beyond the limit appointed by Himself." Withthis he advanced upon LeNoir with a glad heart. His conscience was clearat last.
LeNoir stood up against his antagonist. He well knew he was about tomake the fight of his life. He had beaten men as big as Macdonald, buthe knew that his hope lay in keeping out of the enemy's reach. So hedanced around warily. Macdonald followed him slowly. LeNoir opened witha swift and savage reach for Macdonald's neck, but failed to break theguard and danced out again, Macdonald still pressing on him. Againand again LeNoir rushed, but the guard was impregnable, and steadilyMacdonald advanced. That steady, relentless advance began to tell on theFrenchman's nerves. The sweat gathered in big drops on his forehead andran down his face. He prepared for a supreme effort. Swiftly retreating,he lured Macdonald to a more rapid advance, then with a yell he doubledhimself into a ball and delivered himself head, hands, and feet intoMacdonald's stomach. It is a trick that sometimes avails to break anunsteady guard and to secure a clinch with an unwary opponent. ButMacdonald had been waiting for that trick. Stopping short, he leanedover to one side, and stooping slightly, caught LeNoir low and tossedhim clear over his head. LeNoir fell with a terrible thud on his back,but was on his feet again like a cat and ready for the ever-advancingMacdonald. But though he had not been struck a single blow he knew thathe had met his master. That unbreakable guard, the smiling face with thegleaming, unsmiling eyes, that awful unwaveri
ng advance, were too muchfor him. He was pale, his breath came in quick gasps, and his eyesshowed the fear of a hunted beast. He prepared for a final effort.Feigning a greater distress than he felt, he yielded weakly toMacdonald's advance, then suddenly gathering his full strength he spranginto the air and lashed out backward at that hated, smiling face. Hisboot found its mark, not on Macdonald's face, but fair on his neck. Theeffect was terrific. Macdonald staggered back two or three paces, butbefore LeNoir could be at him, he had recovered sufficiently to maintainhis guard, and shake off his foe. At the yell that went up from Murphy'smen, the big Highlander's face lost its smile and became keen and cruel,his eyes glittered with the flash of steel and he came forward once morewith a quick, light tread. His great body seemed to lose both size andweight, so lightly did he step on tiptoe. There was no more pause, butlightly, swiftly, and eagerly he glided upon LeNoir. There was somethingterrifying in that swift, cat-like movement. In vain the Frenchmanbacked and dodged and tried to guard. Once, twice, Macdonald's fistsfell. LeNoir's right arm hung limp by his side and he staggered back tothe wall helpless. Without an instant's delay, Macdonald had him by thethroat, and gripping him fiercely, began to slowly bend him backwardover his knee. Then for the first time Macdonald spoke:
"LeNoir," he said, solemnly, "the days of your boasting are over. Youwill no longer glory in your strength, for now I will break your back toyou."
LeNoir tried to speak, but his voice came in horrible gurgles. His facewas a ghastly greenish hue, lined with purple and swollen veins, hiseyes were standing out of his head, and his breath sobbing in raucousgasps. Slowly the head went back. The crowd stood in horror-strickensilence waiting for the sickening snap. Yankee, unable to stand it anylonger, stepped up to his chief, and in a most matter of fact voicedrawled out, "About an inch more that way I guess 'll do the trick, ifhe ain't double-jointed."
"Aye," said Macdonald, holding grimly on.
"Tonald,"--Black Hugh's voice sounded faint but clear in the awfulsilence--"Tonald--you will not--be killing--him. Remember that now. Iwill--never--forgive you--if you will--take that--from my hands."
The cry for vengeance smote Macdonald to the heart, and recalled him tohimself. He paused, threw back his locks from his eyes, then relaxinghis grip, stood up.
"God preserve me!" he groaned, "what am I about?"
For some time he remained standing silent, with head down as if notquite sure of himself. He was recalled by a grip of his arm. He turnedand saw his nephew, Ranald, at his side. The boy's dark face was palewith passion.
"And is that all you are going to do to him?" he demanded. Macdonaldgazed at him.
"Do you not see what he has done?" he continued, pointing to his father,who was still lying propped up on some coats. "Why did you not break hisback? You said you would! The brute, beast!"
He hurled out the words in hot hate. His voice pierced the noise of theroom. Macdonald stood still, gazing at the fierce, dark face in solemnsilence. Then he sadly shook his head.
"My lad, 'Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.' It would have pleased mewell, but the hand of the Lord was laid upon me and I could not killhim."
"Then it is myself will kill him," he shrieked, springing like a wildcatat LeNoir. But his uncle wound his arms around him and held him fast.For a minute and more he struggled fiercely, crying to be set free,till recognizing the uselessness of his efforts he grew calm, and saidquietly, "Let me loose, uncle; I will be quiet." And his uncle set himfree. The boy shook himself, and then standing up before LeNoir said, ina high, clear voice:
"Will you hear me, LeNoir? The day will come when I will do to you whatyou have done to my father, and if my father will die, then by the lifeof God [a common oath among the shanty-men] I will have your life forit." His voice had an unearthly shrillness in it, and LeNoir shrankback.
"Whist, whist, lad! be quate!" said his uncle; "these are not gootwords." The lad heeded him not, but sank down beside his father on thefloor. Black Hugh raised himself on his elbow with a grim smile on hisface.
"It is a goot lad whatever, but please God he will not need to keep hisword." He laid his hand in a momentary caress upon his boy's shoulder,and sank back again, saying, "Take me out of this."
Then Macdonald Bhain turned to Dan Murphy and gravely addressed him:
"Dan Murphy, it is an ungodly and cowardly work you have done this day,and the curse of God will be on you if you will not repent." Then heturned away, and with Big Mack's help bore his brother to the pointer,followed by his men, bloody, bruised, but unconquered. But before heleft the room LeNoir stepped forward, and offering his hand, said, "Youmak friends wit' me. You de boss bully on de reever Hottawa."
Macdonald neither answered nor looked his way, but passed out in gravesilence.
Then Yankee Jim remarked to Dan Murphy, "I guess you'd better git themlogs out purty mighty quick. We'll want the river in about two days."Dan Murphy said not a word, but when the Glengarry men wanted the riverthey found it open.
But for Macdonald the fight was not yet over, for as he sat beside hisbrother, listening to his groans, his men could see him wreathing hishands and chanting in an undertone the words, "Vengeance is mine saiththe Lord." And as he sat by the camp-fire that night listening toYankee's account of the beginning of the trouble, and heard how hisbrother had kept himself in hand, and how at last he had been foullysmitten, Macdonald's conflict deepened, and he rose up and cried aloud:
"God help me! Is this to go unpunished? I will seek him to-morrow." Andhe passed out into the dark woods.
After a few moments the boy Ranald slipped away after him to beg that hemight be allowed to go with him to-morrow. Stealing silently through thebushes he came to where he could see the kneeling figure of his uncleswaying up and down, and caught the sounds of words broken with groans:
"Let me go, O Lord! Let me go!" He pled now in Gaelic and again inEnglish. "Let not the man be escaping his just punishment. Grant methis, O, Lord! Let me smite but once!" Then after a pause came thewords, "'Vengeance is mine saith the Lord!' Vengeance is mine! Ay, itis the true word! But, Lord, let not this man of Belial, this Papish,escape!" Then again, like a refrain would come the words, "Vengeance ismine. Vengeance is mine," in ever-deeper agony, till throwing himself onhis face, he lay silent a long time.
Suddenly he rose to his knees and so remained, looking steadfastlybefore him into the woods. The wind came sighing through the pines witha wail and a sob. Macdonald shuddered and then fell on his face again.The Vision was upon him. "Ah, Lord, it is the bloody hands and feetI see. It is enough." At this Ranald slipped back awe-stricken to thecamp. When, after an hour, Macdonald came back into the firelight, hisface was pale and wet, but calm, and there was an exalted look in hiseyes. His men gazed at him with wonder and awe in their faces.
"Mercy on us! He will be seeing something," said Big Mack to Yankee Jim.
"Seein' somethin'? What? A bar?" inquired Yankee.
"Whist now!" said Big Mack, in a low voice. "He has the sight. Be quatenow, will you? He will be speaking."
For a short time Macdonald sat gazing into the fire in silence, thenturning his face toward the men who were waiting, he said: "There willbe no more of this. 'Vengeance is mine saith the Lord!' It is not forme. The Lord will do His own work. It is the will of the Lord." Andthe men knew that the last word had been said on that subject, and thatLeNoir was safe.