Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-07-04
key, now, while I 90 and see If strangers

"But | didn't walt for him 10 come
out, but went round, and came along
towards the door Of the shanty, whistling
as Jolly as could be, that he might not
smell a rat. l knew all l wanted to
know and, as l was too tired to have
any chance of running, concluded that
my best way would be Just to kill them
both
/ looked down at the narrator with
involuntary admiration. The idea OF
this dainty little butterfly, whom a puff
Of wind might almost blow away, calmly
measuring himself against two powerful
cut throats in lonely mountain gully,
and "concludlng that his best way was
to kill them both, 'as coolly as one might
speak of crushing q couple Of cock
reaches, bad really heroic flavor about
1t.
"At supper" be continued, ~ was
quite Jolly with them, and chafied ana
told stories I'LL they were III 70. crack
their sides With laughing but l took
care 10 get very sleepy before long, and
the two, who we're watchhg me out Of
the corners OF their eyes exchanged
looks Ms they noticed II.
"Guess yew feel like hetin' d big sleep,
stranger said my oonslderate host $50
III jist show Yew yure clearln', and then
yew kin take out all the sleep yow hev
lost ut one pull" lie took me up a
ladder into small loft, showed me some
straw and big horse rug, aud marched
off
"Here, then, was the situation. The
ladder was fast to the door, 20 couldn't
cut of their communications and If l
showed fight openly, they would most
likely get the bbst Of II; esheclallt lf-.-as
| half suspected they had arearms. The
only way was to trap them, but how
just ut that moment (never tell me again
that novel-reailug's Of no use) recUl'
lected that bit, In The Cloistsr aud he
Hearth, where Gerard ani Denys held
their room 10 that Burgundlan inn
against the robbers, hiding behind the
door, and sticking them one by one as
they come IN. resolved to try the same
dodge and l set 10 work to dress up
dummy with the straw and the horse
rug-fttiDg my cap and boots on 1t 10
make II mo!e llfe-like---eo he to look as II
| were lying asleep in the farther corner.
(When they used to think me a dab at
rigging up lay figures for the college
theatTlcals, | little dreamed to what a
when all was ready, slipped behind the
door with my bowie knife, and waited.
'If | were Frenchman, now-aay
one Of Dumas Mousquetaires-l should
tell you that l pufied cigarette quite
comfortably, and hummed an opera air
between the whifls. As happen 10 be an
Euglishman, may as well own that l
wouldn't 20 over that half hour again
for /
come ut once II would have been nothing;
but the Baiiing, ugh One minute, I'D
think there was some one behind me, and
set, my back hard against The walli the
next minute hand seemed TO be coming
through the wall itself, with a knife in it,
right at me. Then it seemed as If all the
air were full of knives and hatchets,
ready to go into me If 1 stirred an inch;
and once, when straw pricked my bare
foot, | was within an ace of screaming
out. The wretches in the room below
We're as still as death, lieteniHg for any
sound from above and in the dead
silence, the ticking Of the old clock
pricked my ears like pin. At last-just
As | was thinking Of rushing down upon
them aud having II over anyhow heard
the ladder creak, creak again, louder
creak again, louder still-ahd then the
Yankee's long, lean, wOlisb face rose
above the dooc-sill, peeriig about with n
light. Seeing me Gas he thoughtl fast
asleep on the floor, he crawled up and
stepl cd forward to strike, offering his
back fair toward me. Like flash my
l,uifc was down on the back Of bis m elk,
with such lick that the blade came clear
out under his chin, and he died wlthouta
sonnd. had barely time 10 drop him
on the straw, when the Niger (whO,
from first TO last, didn't seem very game,
and had contrived TO hang back llttle)
came tumbling up-thinking | suppose,
that his master had done the trick, and
meant to nail all tue plumber himself. l
struck hin hurriedly, like fool as | vas
and of course hurt instead of killiHg
him. The next moment he had me fast.
Down dropped the knife, and over we
went upon the floor, fighting like Wild
cats. And then began as fine tussle as
ever was fought out In a lonely place al
midnight, with life for the stake, a corpse
for umpire, and the moon for looker-On.
Over and over we rolled, he gnashing his
teeth and snarling like wild beast, while
the cold moonlight came streaming In
through the little window upon the
blacks savage face, and the trampled
straw, aud the dead mans distorted fca-
lures and grinning teeth, wide with the
gasp of of his last agony. If Blacky
hadn't been weakened by the flowing of
blood from his wound, he'd have finished
me in no time; Ms il was, he was tough
customer. began to think that | was
in for il at last, when suddenly l felt the
knife ou the floor beside me. gave him
one tremendous squeeze, just to numb
him for mOAent, and then seized II.
The next moment, plug j went clear
up to the very handle. He gave one
choking growl and lay dead.
"llaying thus accounted for the popu-
laiiOn,' began TO debate whether | was
justified In making prize OF their belong
ings, in virtue Of their recent nelarlous
attempt and my own forlorn condition.
In this difficulty, my studies in light lit
erature came to my aid once more. re-
collected how Gailcr Ilexam shut up
Rogue Riytrhood by telling hilA that
you can't rob dead man : fortified by
which great authority, ! went Gown
stair, and proceeded to help myself to
my late hosts effects. / took what little
money could lind, II gun, and some anu
mmition, filled my hayelsack with cold
pork and 'hard tack and theH lay down
before the Are and fell asleep"
"What with the two bodies Just over
head I" asked I, confoundcd at this fresh
proof nf bis extraordinary coOlness.
"why no." asked the Stole simply.
"Well, next morning at sunrise, under
these i'm ,roved conditlons,l started again.
Aiter Il bit, fell in with a digger
going West, aud We kept together as far
MS Sacramento. | didn't say any thing
about my adventure, however, and a few
day days later, was rather tlckled al
hearing a man astonishing one of the
drmking-bars with story OF how he had
found white man aud niggsr rubbed
out in cue of the shanties on the Digger
Trail, and he guessed the lniuns as don'
il he'd bin stampeded In the middle o
their work, for they hadn't scalped narl
one on 'em, though the nigger had as fn'
crop o. wool as ever growtd."
$50 know, my boy, thats how ! pai'
INV hotel hill light d one AS | eve
canrsacross. Two strokes recelpted 1t
only Of knife instead Of pen. Now
then, what to do you say to some collie
before turning 10 I"
The same Omlnous name IL given TO IN
railway by the Russian peasants.
The Indian name Of this sp'endid ial
(the 'Wierd SpiTitJis much inner snd truel