Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-03-23
M1LLERsBURG HOLMES COUNTY, O., THURSDAY MARCH 23
A TALE OF TERROR.

A TALE OF TERROR.
Twas once travelling in Calabrina,
, land Of wicked people, who, believe
hate every one, and particularly tn
+ French; the reason why, would TAX
long to tell You, suffice it to say tha
they mortally hate us, and that one get
on very badly when one falls into thei
hands. had for companion, youn.
man with a faee-my faith, like the gen.
tleman that we saw at Kinney; you re
member? and better still, perhaps
don't say so to interest you, but because
it is fact.
In these mountains the roads arr
precipices; our horses got on witt
much difficulty; my companion went
first; a path which appeared to hin
shorter and more practicable led IL;
astray, 1t was my fault. Ought 1 tc
have trusted to a head only twenty
years old? Whilst daylight lasted We
tried to find our way through the wood
but the more We tried, the more bewild-
cred we became, and it was pitch dark
when We arrived at very black-look-
ing house. We entered not without fear,
but what could we do2 We found q
whole family of colliers at table; they
Immediately invited us to join them; my
young man did not wait to be pressed
there We were eating and drinking; he
at least, for I was examining the place,
and the appearance of our hosts had
quite the look of soldiers, but the house
you would have taken for an arsenal /;
there was nothing but guns, pistols,
swords, knives and cutlasses. Every
thing displeased me, and saw very well
that l displeased them. My companion,
on the contrary, was quite one of the
family; he laughed and talked with
them, and with an imprudence that 1
ought to have forseen-but to what pur-
pose, if it was decreed ?--he told at once
where We came from, where we were 60
ing, and that we were Frenchmen.-
Just imagine! amongst our most mortal
enemies alone, out of the road, so far from
all human succor! and then to omit moth
ing that might ruin us, he played the
rich man, promised to give the next
morning as a remuneration to these
people and to our guides, whatever they
wished. Then he spoke of his portman-
teau, begging them to take care of it,
and to put it at the head of his bed; he
did not wish, he said, for any other pill
low. Oh, youth, youth, you are to be
pitied! Cousin, one would have thought
we carried the crown diamonds. What
caused him so much solicitude about
this portmanteau was his mistress's let
tiers.
Supper over, they left us. Our hosts
slept below, we in the upper room,
where we had supped. A loft raised
some seven or eight feet, which was
reached by ladder, was the resting
place that awaited us; sort of nest in
to which we were to introduce ourselves
by creeping under joists loaded with
provisions for the year. My compan-
ion climbed up alone, and already near
ly asleep laid himself down with his
head upon the precious portmanteau.
Having determined to sit up, I made a
good fire, and seated myself by the side
of it. The night, which had been un-
was nearly over, and l began
to reassure myself; when, about the
time 1 thought the break of day could
not be far off, heard the host and his |
wife disputing below; and putting my
ear to the chimney which communica-
ted with the one in the lower room, l
perfectly distinguished these words
spoken by the husband:
swell, let lis see; must they both be
killedQ"
To which the wife replied, aYes," and
Heiru HO HlOfe.
How should go on?I stood scarcely
my body cold as marble; to
have seen me, you could hardly have
known if l were alive or dead. Good
when l think of it now. We
,wO almost without weapons, against
,welve or fifteen who had so many. and
ny companion dead with sleep and IA
.igue! To call him or make noise, l
Jared not; to escape alone was impossi-
Die; the window was not high, but be-
ow were two large dogs bowling like
wolves. In what an agony was, i'm
sgine if you can.
At the end of long quarter OF an
lour, 1 heard some one on the stairs, and
through the crack of the door, saw the
his lamp in one hand, and in
he other, one of his large knives. He
anne up, his wife after him. l was be-
lind the door; he opened it, but before
he came in he put down the lamp which
lis wife took. He then entered barefoot,
nd from outside the woman said to him
n low voice, shading the light of the
amp with her hand, "Softly, go soft
"
When he got to the ladder, he mount
d it, his knife between his teeth, and
.etting up as high as the bed-the poor
'oung man lying with his throat bare
With one hand he took his knife, and
nth the other-Oh! cousin-he seized a
am, which hung from the ceiling, cut a
lice from it, and retired as he had come.
'he door was closed again, the lamp dis |
ppeared, and was LETT alone with my {
elections. .... ]
As soon as day appeared, all the fami-
y making great noise, came to awak-
II us as we had requested. They brought s
IS something to eat, and gave us a very
lean and very good breakfast, l as 6
ure you. Two capons formed part of ,
!, of which We must, said our hosts, take I
way one, and eat the other. t
in consequence ofthe eXtraordina- t
y number of feet in the length of the
anaconda, an enterprising Yank is
aiming Anaconda skins for boots.
Three dollars pound for zoologi- ,
al steaks in Paris. How's that for