The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-01-09

the camp of bushrangers some of
whom had carried me to prison but q
few hours before.
Picture my position. Had I possess
ed q good horse, I should have made o
rush for it, while they were petri6ed
with amazement but my treacherotis
old beast now refused to move forward
or back. just then couldn't have
shouted with Richards "My kingdom
for horse!" Well, they had me, more's
the pity, seeing that nearly all of them
were drunk, and the rest unsteady in
their Joints. Maybe they made me the
butt of few thick practical jokes, as
they pulled me from the old mules
back, and bound my hands, making the
rope fast to stump, and setting q
thick, rough fellow to guard me. was
half palsied by my mistake, I had made
no resistance. No doubt that much
was in favor.
Time passed. Ere long my guard be-
gan to snore. I then cautiously worked
my hands, and found to my Joy, that 1
could strain upon the knots, and slip
my hands through. This 1 did. Next
l made some slight movements to try
my chance, and 1 found they did not
arouse the sentinel
The fire was dying down to flicker
ing shade, and | knew that it must be
within an hour or two of daylight.
crawled past my guard; he did not stir,
and keeping well in the shadow, made
for the horses of the party. When close
up to them, L cautiously rose upright,
and snatched picket-pin, seized the
halter, and vaulted upon the back of a
powerful horse. He seemed docilo
enough, but the moving him out from
amid the others made them uneasy.
They stamped, and paved, and neighed,
and when, with rap of my heel, as a
spur, we dashed for the cover of the
woods, the disturbance made by these
treacherous animals alarmed the camp.
was in for it now. Life or death
depended upon the events of the next
fifteen minutes. l dashed into the
thick, tangled woods. Utter darkness
reigned. In five minutes was unhorse-
ed, but holding to the halter, leaped
on again, and madly dashed forward to
life or to death.
What ride that was Without bri-
die or saddle, dashing full tilt against
the wild grape vines everywhere strung
across the way, went /. Once they
caught me under the chin, and swept
me off over the horses back into the
brush with the perspiration oozing from
every pore.
l scrambled out and mounted again.
1t was a good horse, but dangerous
way. Now dead branch would catch
the corner of my mouth, and now some
thing would come i'll contact with my
eyes, making them sparkle again.
But I escaped The very danger
which beset my path saved me.
got through that seventeen miles
ride somehow coming out scratched and
bleeding, but alive. Out on the plains,
some five miles from IT,, [ ran upon
the remains of mule train that had
been bringing us provisions. The
drivers lay around murdered, the carts
plundered and broken, and one boy of
fourteen, with his scalp clean gone, lay
on the ground, yet alive. | got him up
before me---for how could leave him
there ?---and carried him into ST..
"But did the boy live, captain ?"
"Bob? Oh, yes, and afterwards be-
came soldier, too, and fought against
the Indians" ,
Without his scalp?"
eyes, and thereby escaped much
trouble, you understand. Pass the ci-
gars."