Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-01-30

horses stamping on him. M'Kandlas knows
| yer bringin in that party of Yankee cavalry
and he svears he'll cut yer heart out. Run.
Bill, run But it's too late; they're comm up
| the lane.
| While she was talkin l remembered l
had but one revolver. and load gone out of
that. On the table there was horn Of pow
der into the empty chamber and rammed the
lead after it by hsmmering the barrel on the
table, and had just capped the pistol when l
heard M'Kandlas shout
"'There's that id Yank Wild Bills
horse he's here; and we'll skin him alive =
If had thought on runnin before, it war
too late now, and the house was my best holt
sort of fortress ike. l never thought
should leave that room alive "
The scout stopped in his story, rose from
his seat, and strobe back and forward in a state
of great excitement.
g. tell you what it is Kernel he resumed.
after awhile, " don't mind scrimmage with
these fellers round here. Shoot one or two of
them and the rest run away. But all of
Nj 'Kanda lass gang were reckless, blood thirsty
devils. who would fight long as they had
strength to pull trigger. have been in
tight places, but that s one of the few times |
said my prayers.
Surround the house and give him no quar-
ter yelled NJ Kandlas. When heard that
felt as quiet and cool as il | was a-goine to
church looked round the room and saw Haw-
kins rife hangin' over the bed.
Is that loaded p said l to Mrs. Walttnan.
Yes, The poor thing " whispered She was
so frightened she couldn't speak out loud.
Are you sure1' ssid | IS jumped to the
bed and caught it from its hooks. Although
my eye did not leave the door, yet l could see
she nodded Yes again. l pat the revolver
on the bed. and Just then NJ MKandlas poked
do ba h,,t boo
when he with the rifle in my hand.
Come in here, you cowardly dog! shout
ed. Come in here and light me
"M kandlas vas no coward, if he was q
bully. He jumped inside the room with his
gun levelled to shoot; but he was not quick
enough. My rife-baI went through his heart.
He fell back outside the house, wnere he was
found afterward holding tight to his rife,
which had fallen over his head.
His disappearance was followed by yell
from his gang. and then there was a dead ST.
lence. | put down the rifle and took the revol-
yer, and said to myself; Only six shots and
nine men to kill. Save your powder, Bill, for
the death-hug's a-comin ! don't know how it
was, Kernel continued Bill, looking at me in
quiringly, but at that moment thiogs seemed
clear and sharp. l could think strong
There was few seconds of that awful
stiffness. and then the ruftians came rushing in
at both doors. How wild they looked with
their red, drunken faces and inflaned eyes,
shouting and cusslng But | never aimed more
deliberately in ny life.
Observation-Disclosures; and four men
fell dead.
"Tnat did mt stop the rest. Two Of them
fred their bird-guns st me. And then | felt
| a sting run all over me. The loom was full of
smoke. Two got in close to me, their eyes
glaring out Of the clouds. One l knocked
down with my fst You are ont Of the way
for while,' thought. The second | shot
dead. The other three clutched me and crowd
ed me onto the bed. | fought hard. | broke
with my hand one mans arm. lie had his
fingers round my throat. Before | could get
TO my feet | was struck across the breast with
the stock of rife, and felt the blood rush
| ing out ot my and mouth. Then | got
| ugly, and L remember that | got hold of a
knife and then it cloudy like, and | was
wild, and | struck savage blows, following the
devils up from one side to the other of the
room and into the corners, striking and slash
until knew that every one Was dead.
All of sudden il seemed as if my heart
was on fire. | was bleeding everywhere. |
rushed out to the well and drank from the
| bucket, and then tumbed dow 4 in faint"
| Breathless with the intense interest with
which | had followed this strange story, all the
| N thrilling and weird when its hero, SEEM
| ing to live over again the bloody events of that
| day, gave way to its terrible spirit with wild
savage gestures, saw then-what my scrutiny
| Of the morning had failed to discover-the IL
ger which lay concealed beneath the gentle ex-
terror.
You must have been hurt almost to death, +"
| said.
There were eleven buckshot in me. l car
~ some of them now. | was cut in thirteen
places. All of them bad enough 10 have let out
the life of a man. But that blessed old DIR.
NJ ills pulled me through it, after bed siege OF
many a long week
.. That prayer of yours, Bill, may have been
more potent for your safety than you think.
You should thank God for your deliveranc e."
% To tell you the truth, Kernel, responded
| the scout with certain solemnty in his grave
face, 81 don't talk about sch things ter the
people round here, but alters feel sort of thank
tul when get out of a bad scrape."
"In all your wild, perlous adventures"
| asked him, g have you ever been afraid DC
you know what the sensation is? | sure
you will not misunderstood the question, for
take it we soldiers comprehend justly that there
Is no higher courage than that which shows It.
self when the consciousness of danger is keen
but where moral strength oveTcomes the weak
ness of The body"
"' think know what you mean, Sir, and
I'm not ashamed to say that i have been sc
frightened that it 'peared as II all the strength
and blood had gone out OF my body, and my
| face white as chalk 1t at the
Whine Creek fight. | had fred more thar
fifty cartridges, and 1 think fetched my man
every time. | was on the skirmish line, anC
was working up closer TO the rebs, when all o
a sudden battery opened fire right in front o
me, and it sounded as if forty thousand gun
were firing, and every shot and shell screached
within six inches OF my head. Ii was the frs
time was ever under artillery fire and | was 81
frig b ened that | couldn'; move for minute o
SO, and when did go back the boys asked m
if had seen ghost They may shoot bul
lets at me by tn dozen, and its rather excit
, ing if l can shoe, back, out am always sor
OF nervous when the biz guns go off"
"a L would like to see you shoot"
. w ould Yer? ?" replied the scout, drawing
his revolver ana approaching the window, b
pointed to a letter . liz sign-board which wa
fixed 10 the stone-wal OF a building on tn
other side of the way.
t That sign is more than fifty yards away
t will put these six balls into the Inside of tn
t circle, which isn't bigger than mans heart.
Ia f-hand way, and without sighting tn
pistol with his eye. he discharged the six sho,
of his revolver. l stterward saw that all th
bullets had enterer the circle.
e AS Bih proceeded to reload his pistol, h
= said to me with a nalyete of manner which wa
ment TO be assuring:
r "Whsneves you get into a row do nc
< shoot too qnick. Take lime. I've know
1 many feiler slip up for shootin' in hurry
!, 1t would De easy to fill volume with th
= adventures of that remark able man. My OF
: ject here has been TO make slight record
e one who is of the hest-perhaps the yer
Des,-example OF class who more than an
: other encoun cred psris and privations in d.
J., fense OF our nationality.