Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-14

not long left to this opinion, however
for no sooner had we led the animals ou
into the road and mounted than we were
startled out of our quiet by the sudden
clattering of hoofs behind as, close oil
hand, and heard shouts of Halt there
you villains (The police of Paris are
never partial to the use of com
plimentsry terms)." Surrender there
in His Msjesty's name 1 com
/, maud you "Halt or we fire
| BOUNDS how the dirt and gravel few
at that Instant There was heard the
clatter aud clang of iron-shod hoofs
mingled with not few pistol shots. We
we're in serious earnest then, and sc
rapidly we few along the narrow lane
that the black cloud Of midnight darkness
seemed to spin like a revolving whee
around us. I
As we shot past the corner of the
cemetery, we heard the lively rafting o.
old Barry Locke's wagon, as he was
striking off in the open woods to save hi.
own in the general stampede. The chase
continued, flight and pursuit bearing
relatively very nearly the same rate o
speed. 1t was an exciting struggle. And
the high fever Of anxiety and apprehen.
sion reused us to o perfect frenzy of de-
termined energy. We vigorously piled
whip and spur to our terrified animals
shouted to them, encouraged them, and
thus, thanks to their blood and rank in the
equine family, succeeded in drawing oul
of them rate of speed that was highly
resssuring Away we tore, helter-skelter,
reckless as band of wild Sioux Indians
on the war-patb, the enemy now anear
and then sfar. Occasionally they sent a
volley of pistol shots after us, though
whether to kill and main, or simply to
alarm US and cause us to round to" we
could not determine, as their leaden mis-.
sles were very seldom heard from, and
caused us very little uneasiness of mind.
| When these occasional volleys came,
accompanied by the invarisble iDjunc-
ton. "Halt you thieves; and surren-
der II in villsinous police patois, Ned
shouted, "DowH dengit down. Them
cursed devils will fetch you, if you don't
dodge them" he was quite as excitable
as he was courageous, and not less dis.
Greet; and we invariably downed at his
command, striving to shrink into as small
compass as possible. m H
Away, away, through dark and moi
some lanes, now turning a sharp corner,
again keeping straight on, past many
turning, but never once well out of range
of our determined enemy. If we had
been murderers, aye. even the assassins
of His Mejesty, the Emperor, they could
not, apparently, have put forth greater
effort to capture us. They were deter
mined to take US; we were as determined
to escape them. And thus the sanguin-
ary pursuit continued.
At length, having little acquaintance
with that quarter of the city which we
we're entering, We failed, frem too great
haste, to take that street which led direct
to the friendly and right familiar Rue
des Inpalides, the center from which we
could easily strike a secure hiding place,
but instead took down one of those ac-
cursed narrow lanes which, in good
truth, lead nowhere, as we very soon dis
covered to our deep sorrow and chsgriD.
A break-neck stumble over stray barrels
Of garbage and boxes of sshes,a founder
through slushing mud and sutfocating
filth, and the qusrtette OF us as one ran
plump against the ruined walls of row
of diIapidated old tenement houses which
extended ct sr across the way, and cut
eff our advGlce entirely
Oh what columns Of square oaths
suggested themselves then And oh
how readily many of them found utter
ance But never mind kicking 'gainst
the DEGREES of fate; the farce was now
played out, indeed, near as it came end
ing in tragedy. After very brief in
terval of confusion we found ourselves
surrounded by quite half q score of
mounted police.
/" Surrender surrender was the cry,
and they wound us, helpless aud unre-
sisting, in their tolls. A dead calm sue
oeeded the storm, lasting considerable
time, while our csptors hastily searched
us for weapons, aud arranged for our safe
conveyance to the police station. They
found, however, but two pistols, and no
ether weapons, all else having been
hastily disposed Of at the very last mo-
ment.
1t was certainly a very respectable
cavslcade that filed back through the |
silent lane, and out into broad, clean
street that penetrated the city. We
we're formed in single file. with two
policemen TO guard each of the party,
one on either side, and in this order pro-
ceeded to the headquarters Of the force.
Ergo it is shown that these were the
causes which elected us to limbo. Aud
his was the road by which we advanced;
snd this was the manner Of our ap-
proach to limbo