St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-10-10

oVscsS NAsSO s"sSs0 O0sAS0S0 OuA ASS0 NuO SA0
muttered malediction bestowed upon it. by
my companion. ...%, .,....,...t...s ... .
At length We came into close proximity
tQhe house. Everything seemed to te
buried in deep stiffness. Not sound
could We bear. Not the warning gvwl of
4 dog gave notice of our approach. No
light was but the one which had hitherto
been our guide, and this still shone from
the half closed easement of an apartment
on the ground :door. The window-sill was
about 8 high from the ground as the Of
dinary height ofa man, and under this We
crept and crouched to listen for any sounds
that might escape from the interior. Di-
rectly over this room H., told me our
intended prize was concealed. He w.s
thoroughly informed a to tho relative po-
sitions iofthe difficult passages necessary to
pass through in order to gain tho desired
treasure The darkness of the night was
70 dense that it was with difficulty we
could discern,. .<he presence Of each other
Is We lay aud listened. .-.... -. ".
Suddenly there was hustle within aud
the sound Of several voices. The warning
produced BY the low, kissing ..hush" Of
my comrade, prevented half uttered cx.
clamation of surprise from fully escaping
my lips. Thus noise of men and voices
was evidently caused by large party COL
lected in the room in which the light was,
burning. They must have entered the
house from the. ether side, and the clang
Of arms As We distinctly heard the men
earclessly lay aside their weapons, assured
US they were no neutrals in the struggles
going On between our divided country
men.
From fatigne, eristng from the constrain-
ed position in which lay. made sud-
den movement which caused me 70 fall
against my companion, At the same time
making the gravel beneath my feet send
forth the grating sound peculiar to it when
suddenly and violently disturbed. In an
instant the sounds within ceased, (silenced
by the suspicious caused by my most IN
fortunate stumbling,) the easement was
dashed open, and half a.dozen heads we're
thrust out into the gloom. A movement
now, if no louder than that the lizard
makes amongst the grass, or a single sigh
forced from our beating hearts and CON-
pressed breath, would have been the fore.
runner Of certain death. Nothing could
have saved US from the fate of the SPY.
For several minutes we remained motion
less, and heard various conjecturcs among
the men as to the cause Of their sudden
alarm. Little did they imagine that at
that moment, within few feet of their
knives, which more than one grasred in
his hand unsheathed, lay concealed in the
darkness two Of the hated invaders. Rat
We would have been found no easy sacri-
flee. Each Of US covered with the muzzle
Of his revolver the breast of a foe, and the
first intimation given Of our discovery
would have cost them at least two lives
chat night.
At length they withdrew thoir heads
into the apartment, halfclosed the case
ment as before and We were again alone.
Whether they retired perfectly satisfied
Is 10 the result Of their blind inspection or
not, We could not tell. It was II this mo.
ment that II -, grasping me by the
arm, whispered me to follow him closely.
In crouching attitudes We crept round the
building !; each step taken with peculiar
care, lest any unlucky sound on our part
should again arouse suspicion, which In
all probability were still unallayed.
After many cautious p.ases and anxious
straiuing Of eye and ear, We reached the
other side Of the house, where after pro-
ceeding q few slept, my leader halted aud
began exploring with his hand, until it
lighted upon the latch Of door in tue
wall. Placing bis mouth close to my car,
he again whispered me that it was Of vi
tai importance We should cast of our
shoes and carry them in our hands, as b.
leaving them behind they might be found
by ths enemy and thus become the means
of betraying US. Accordingly, in a lev
second. We stood in our stockings, ready
to pursd1 to the last limit the windings Of
the adventure. Noiselesely lifting the
door.latch, H led the vay into 9ss-
sage, if possibly darker than the outside
gloom from which 20 entered. ......a...
4 i droplng uor way we carefully advanced,
ard reached the foot Of fight Of stairs,
which At . sign from my companion, we
ascended as swiftly - the imperative ne.
cessity for > perfect silence permitted
| We reached the landing, whose extent
Was hidden in the same impsuetrablt
darkness, trave.,ed it for the di,tance o.
several feet, and It length arrived at {.
door, which H attempted to open
but found locked This he assured m.
was the room which contained the car
] kidgs-bags, and not to g4in an entrauc,
into it would reades Ill the risk We hat
hitherto run uaelss, - al fartheruat
tenpss emp ve might make would prove una
lyaifng:
!, !! this crisis Of our proceeding. y,
i idiloov ovsfed,wfthin ! kw feet Of us ! small
I N3hdey Which on gently openiag; -,
! found led out upon The rQQf Of The fa.ss.