Coyle watched till they were going well, then
stood up. They satdown in the thin shade of the roadside and watched the dust
slowlysmoking towards them.
But his broad red face which they knew so well
was unimpeachable.
Coyle watched till they were going well, then
stood up. The fuss they madeirritated him: in his heart he damned himself for a
coward.
He knows the kind ofmen hes up against
now.
The less you tempt the devil in yourfather the
better, Berry said. Then he tried to tell himself that maybe it wasnt true
about thescabs.
But Larrys imagination leapt at an eleventh
hour hope. He grinned into the fire, shuddered, then wiped his hand
roughlyacross his face.
We aint here merrymaking, men, as youcan
guess.
There were twenty ofthese, all badly shaken
and scared.
Even a bloody counter-jumping
Saturday-afternoonmilitiaman couldnt miss me. About three miles away a cloud of
dust rose over the scrub.
The beat of his heart thunderedon the quiet
night.
They mightnt call it murder either on my slab,
Wagner said.
Well talk to them inthe morning, Berry said.
Out thedoor and straight for the trees behind the shed and the one whotries any
tricks gets a pill.
In Larrys beltwas a revolver which Coyle had
given him.
I reckon they aint got orders to shoot over
our heads neither. They were tramping about the verandamaking up beds. I was an
officer, like my father and mygrandfather before me.
Larry watched his fathers stiff back march up
the slope to thehomestead.
Next time you come you betterbring a few
shutters with you, he sang out over his shoulder. Then he tried to tell himself
that maybe it wasnt true about thescabs.
Now will youbelieve me a bullets the only
thing he understands? He pushed the nearest man towardsthe door and the others
like sheep herded after.
Robespierre and Marat didnt getrid of tyrants
by twiddling their thumbs. And seeing the frightened looks on their faces Larry
was frightenedagain, too.
Evolutions the best way to justice,
notrevolution.