The rattle of rifles had become almost incessant. And a few moments
later a blaze of light shot up from the far side of the bluff. It
grew, licking up the great, sun-dried, resinous pine wood with
paralyzing rapidity. Another great sheet of flame soared upward
further away to the right. Then another to the south. A fire trap had
been set at the far side of the great bluff, and only the hither side
remained open to those seeking shelter within it.
Effie's gaze was fascinated beyond her control. The Vigilantes had
planned their coup deliberately and well. The air she was breathing
began to reek with the pungent smell of burning. A light smoke haze
began to flood the picture. Now she beheld moving figures in the lurid
glow which backed the scene. They were horsemen. But whether or not
they were the Vigilantes she could not be certain. They were racing
across the open, and the crack of their rifles mingled with the
spluttering crackle of the conflagration beyond.
Never for one moment did the woman withdraw her gaze.
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