The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-02-27


not stop to search them, but locked them in
door outside left in haste to look after
other prey.
This guard would step in every two
hours to see how they were getting along.
Towards night he fed the prisoners and
told them to go to sleep, as bis party would
probably not return till towards morning.
They took his advice and reposing on beds
OF hides, used by the robbers, they sought
rest, if they could not sleep. One of the
numbers acted as sentinel if the rest should
sleep. The guard had given them lamp,
SO they were not in darkness. After they
had retired about three hours, George, who
was keeping watch, accidently put his
ear near the side of the cave, when he
thought he heard voices and the tramp of
feet. He quickly awoke Antoine and
asked him if there was any waterfall near
that might account for it, and he said
there was not. The rest of the party were
now aroused, and told to keep quiet but
to be prepared for anything that might
follow. When the brigands left the cave
they told the guard to unite the prisoners,
but by some strange fatality they had for
gotten to disarm our heroes. The prison
ers now looked to their arms, each one of
them holding his revolver in one hand and
his bowie knife in the other. Directly af-
ter short silence, the stiffness was broken
by the report of "a pistol, followed by
gro IN and fall near the door of the cave.
They now heard the bars of their prison
door slipping back and the door opened
and manly face peered in and said, "Who
is theIeT ~ "All of u.s." said Charles
swell then, come out" said the question.
err. "How many are there of you," said
Charles land are you robbers ?" ",There are
six of us" said he "and we are not robbers
but rescuers"
Our party then went joyfully out of their
prison and met with six young Americans
and mountaineers, armed for any emergen-
cy. The late guard of the prison lay near
the door dead, these men having shot him
as they approached, before he could fire
the pistol that he held in his hand.
But now IL new danger appeared, for in
few minutes, they saw the robber band
approaching at double quick. They hast-
ly put the ladies back in the cave and pre-
pared for action. 1t was now literally
fight for life. There were six of the rescu-
ers, and the four liberated prisoners made
ten, to fight eighteen brigands, all of them
veterans Injured to fight. The odds were
strongly against our party. Old Mr.. Hard
ing fired the first shot, and the leader, the
blacksmith, fell dead. The rest fired, and
being close and taking good aim, nine
more of the villains fell. The eight rob-
bers that were left now fired, but shot too
quickly and did no damage but cut lock
of hair from Harry's head.
Our party fired again, and thinned them
down to three. These villains surrender
Ell and We're soon disarmed and securely
tied. More bri gands now arrived, and ten
more villains now attacked our party, who
having emptied their revolvers, had no
weapons but their bowies to contend with
the Italian stilletto. The numbers were
equal, and each one singled out his man
and u terrible hand-to-hand conflict now
took place. 1t was fierce struggle, but
the stilletto was no match for the terrible
bowie, welded by expert hands. All of
the attacked party had disposed of their
antagonists except Harry and one of the
young Americans. Harry's man was much
larger than he, and he had thrown him
and was holding his knife arm down while
he had raised his stiletto, and it seemed
Harry but as the glittering steel descend
ed, Harry took his left hand, which was
still free, and gripped the brigand's arm
above the elbow, which paralyzed the arm
and he let his steel blade fall to the ground.
With shrek of rage he released Harry's
right hand to regain his weapon, but too
late; for before he could reach his weapon
Harry's bowie had found his heart and he
rolled over dead.
The young q! merican's antagonist was
also on top of him and had him by the
throat, as he had dropped his Italian wea-
pom and was now trying to choke our
countryman to death. Our friend had al
so dropped his knife, but his right hand
was free and in this peril he remembered
small pistol that was in his vcs. pocket,
the barrel OF which was about two inches
long. He reached the weapon and aiming
for the murderel's eye he fired, the ball
entered his eye and lodged in his brain
and he fell over u dead man.
They took the ladies from the cave, and
taking their three bound prisoners, they
prepared to leave the bloody scene. Gut
dcd by Antoine they made their way back
to the village from whence they started.
When it became known that our party
had either killed or captured the banditti
that had been the terror of the Alps for
months, the people were wild with joy, and
our heroes became the lions of the day. The
Project Of the province arrived and paid
the party one thousand dollars, it being
the reward the authorities had offered for
the capture Of the outlaws. The three
captured robbers were sent to prison and
aftcrward hanged. 1t now appeared that
the three young Americans had arrived at
the hotel shortly after our friends had left,
and learning that party had preceded
them ard had gone up the mountain, and
hearing the villagers express their fears for
the safety of the party, determined at once
to go and see to their safety. They accor-
dinghy engaged three stulwart mountain
GERS, and armiug themselves to the teeth,
they went i'll search of the party, and the
sequel of scare h is already known. The
Americans NAMES were John Harrison,
Andrew Jordcn and JAMES Madison, all
of them W. althy and handsome. So thought
the young ladies whom they had rescued |;
and those young gentlemen thought the
young ladiea very pretty and highly ac-
pomp!ished, aud so they were. Before
they left France John and Bertha, and
james and Anna were married. 1t was
love at first sight, under trying and excit
ing circumstances. Andrew Jorden fell
in love with beautiful Southron who was
travelling with her father and they were
married.
After spending the summer in France,
in September the whole party embarked
at Paris for England. They had pleasant
voyage and were safely landed on the
shores Of old England.
Subsequently our young Americans with
their wives left Liverpool and arrived safe
ly in New York where they prospered and
lived happily after their perilous adven-