The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1851-12-24

saddle and upon thsm. would not have
them escape Us for my life" |
The dragons, mbrmsd who the enemy
was, ehafAd im~pstiehtly TO begin the attack
=foF they had q hundred insults to ayenge
aq the bold p~sriiEAn before them.
Meanwhile our hero. for the orderly had
been rightin saying that Captain Preston
led Che urocp, approached on a trot, com
pleteiy unconscious OF his hidden enemys-
He Was engaged In a scouting expedition of
some exlsnL, sid had no lea An armed roy
alist was within twenty miles. Suddenly
however, he dew in his rein, for he thought
he heard = horse stamping in the forest; but
il was t%oolaie; Major Lindsay saw they were
discovered, and Immediately gave the long
wished or word.
isChsrgeN' he said, plunging his rowels
int0 the side Of the horse. and clearing at
one bound the space between him spd the
With > loud buszs the dragons, shouting
me quartet" followed his example, horse
and man suddenly filing the road like appa-
ration. Preston saw he was surrounded.-
Their cries told him, moreover, that it was
to be a death and life struggle. FIVE against
fifteen was fearful odds, yet he cried,
y"Marion f~ereverl'' and drawing his sabre,
he dashed at Lindsay, whom he recognized.
".Hal have We metz. he exclaimed.
."Yesl and | nave you" was the reply,
Kissed between his Adversaries teeth.
AS Major Lindsay thus SPOKE, he raised
himself in his stirrups, and throwing all his
stIsngth into one gigantic blow, he brought
fsS heavy sabre down, right on the almost
unprotected head of Preston. For a mo-
laept itsecmed asif the trenchant blade would
cut through cap and skull, even tothe Shout
,icr-and had it struck fair it would but
withra dexieroHs movement, our hero evHded
the stroke, and in return dealt q side cut that
ii Major Eindsay's horse had not fortunately
swered, wonld have ended his life at once
But though fooled in this first attempt, each
was. g to return 10 the charge, and vince
ling their horses, they rushed again upon
each other. II was P~rston's turn now to
deal the first blow. He rode with very short
stirrups. of which hetook advantage to throw
himself back and then, projecting him
self forward, and casting all his strength in
to the blow, he brought his sabre down on
the helmet of Major Lindsay with Il force that
vas irresistible. Cutting clean through the
c~resttas ifit had been a smoke wreath, the
well proved blade descended with full VIC
lence 5on the steel cap, through which it
crashed like an egg-shell but here it stopped
broken into fragments by the tremendous
stroke and the resistance Of the iron casque
combind. Nothing but that well-tempered
steel head piece could have saved Major
linlsay's line. As it was, TUNED and be-
wildered, he reeled in his saddle.
"Shoqt him Hew him down! Use the
cold lead Have at him there, any and all p
Such were the exclamations that met our
horo's ear, as he recovered himself from that
blow, and found only the hiIt and a fragment
Of his broken blade left in his hand, He
locke around hastily. His four followers
had already been put no 8 du co~bot, and the
dragons were now, like dogs around a wild
boar, waiting a chance to rush in on him en-
~ceursg!ag each other By shouts for such
was the terror of Preston's name, and so ter
rilic was the blow they had Just seen dealt
their leade, that each man held back an in
ssant, preferring that his neighbor should go
in first. Preston saw this advantage, and
hKsiened to svail himself oft, for, as pistols
were already drawn he knew his chance
would last scarcely a moment,
do, sThunderer,' he aaid, addressing
his steed--a powerful animal, jet black all
eser-and turning his head toward that part
nE lhe circle of his foes which seemed the
thinnest, he added, "Stand by me now, and
weresosEe them yet..'
AS he spoke, he dashed his spurs into the
animals sids til the blood spurted beneath
the sharp Steel, and with a pistol i'll his right
hsnd, sprang fiercely forward. Right and
left the dragons, panic-strnck, gave way, as
when a flock of sheep fly before the onset
Of an angry wolf-onIy one man attempting
to atop his progress. But, without SO much
as being wounded the trooper went down
hesdlong, overthrowh by Preston's powerful
charger: and our hero, yielding to an I'M
rontrollable. impulse, as he saw the way thus
cleared before him, rose in his stirrups, and
gave utrersnce to a shout that long after he
lad vanished, like aboIt shot from some huge
cataputl, echoed and and re-echoed in the
tasrtled woods.
Tile * oil, By 3d." said the orderly,
Saw you ever the hke"'
For = second the dragons stood stupidity
looking st each other then all at once a
dozen p~istoles were snapped at the fugitive,
and a-dozvn steeds put to the pursuit. More
over. Major Lindsay, though his head still
swan from that tremendous blow, had re-
covered sufficiently to understand what was
passing, and he now lent his voice to encour-
aye the rhase. and himself pressed forward
among the first
sAli Ihis had occupied less time than it has
taken 10 relate it. The attack, the fight, the
seape succeeded each other like flashes of
sumIaer lightning and when Preston, adroit-
II turuiag; his horse into the narrow and
Minding road where his foes had lain in am
bush, passed momentarily out of sight, I'M
harmed BY the shots that whistled past, it
EeersAd 70 him almost as if he were in dream
But Inc shouts of pursqers, and the rapid
tread Of hoofs, speedily convinced him of
thv reality, and plying voice and spur, now
then looking behind to see if the dragons
gained on him.
CoscluDRD IN CUR NEXT
Ev- Miss Susan Nipper thinks thatthose
youan ladies who dress up in Blomers are
mighty anxious to show their capabilities
FRA droll story is related ofan honest old
farmer, who. attemptIngtodriv home a bull,