The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1875-12-30

from the stool, and lucky indeed / did
50, for the next moment the point of q
spear grazed my cheek. Another inch
to the left, and I would have been !
dead man. We both then retired to the
further end of the cabin, so as to keen
out OF harms way. We knew that they
dared not to use firearms, for fear Of
attracting the attention of the ships in
the neighborhood; and no doubt this
was our salvation. Spear after spear
was thrust through, some almost reach.
ing rs as we crouched down on the floor
OF the cabin, when all at once we heard
q crash, and, on looking up, to our hor-
ror saw that one Of the panels Of the
door had been forced in sufficiently for
2 man to thrust his body through. We
both Immediately sprang upon our feet,
| grasping our revolvers more firmly, ex.
pecting that in desperation some of them
would be hardy enough to try and force
their way into the cabin. But they
were too cunning for that. Two Of
them now got upon chairs, but taking
care to keep out Of the line of the fire
OF our revolvers, and by side-thrusts-
by which they were adopts in the use of
the weapOn-compelled us to kneel and
crouch behind the chest of drawers one
moment, into the berths the next, and.
at last, under the bottom of them,
where we were for some time compare
lively safe. But, emboldened by their
success, they now faced the broken pam
cling; and we could plainly see that, in
another minute or two, the matter
would end by our both being speared
like wild boars. whispered to Spen-
Ger to fire at the first head that showed
itself at the paneling, and l would do
the same-he to take the right, and |
the left, so that we should not waste
ammunition through both of us firing
at the same person. / remember as Il
it happened only five minutes ago, two
heads suddenly appearing, and myself
and Spencer in the act of presenting
our revolvers at them, whom, as a flash
of lightning, two spears were suddenly
thrust through the aperture, and the
next instant | felt a twinge in the right
side.''
Here the narrator paused for few
moments, and after good stiff pull at
his punch, continued:
81 remember no more until six weeks
afterwards, when / was lying in bed in
. strange room, very weak and very
faint. There was my servant keeping
me nice and cool with large fan,
whilst on my forehead was q cloth
stepped in vinegar. By degrees some
slight recollection came back to my
mind OF the events that had happened
on that fearful night; but when / inter-
rogated my Chinese nurse, I could only
obtain from him such replies as, Me
no sabby; doctor berry angry me talkee
that pigeon By which he meant that
he knew nothing about the matter, and
that if he did, he was enjoined by the
doctor to silence, otherwise he would be
very angry with him. However, with q
good constitution and careful attention,
| was soon able to leave my room; and
then, and not before, ! gathered from
my old friend, Charles Lawrence, one
quiet afternoon, the following farther
rambling account Of the affair."
SIS have no occasion, said Charley,
TO ask you to remember the 9th of
March, for that you will do to the end
of your days; but have also reason to
remember it; for on that day, as I
learned by letter from home BY the
last mail, an only brother was killed on
the Great Western Railway, in the col
ision near Reading. Well, il you re-
member that evening, we were to have
a great spread at Douglass. Thomp-
son, Wilkinson, and some twenty others
were invited, including Captain Wilkes.
OF course, you know what q jovial fell
low Wilkes is, good for q story or a
song, and can take his part in an argu-
ment with the best of them. Every
thing went off well during dinner; and
after the cloth had been removed, and
one or two songs had been given, the
call was for Wilkes. He, however, who
is usually SO ready and willing to oblige,
made some excuse about hoarseness,
which, however, was so palpably ficti-
tious, that we all burst out laughing
and upon being pressed again by some
Of us, including old Douglas. he posi-
lively refused, and intimated his inten-
tion Of going on board At once. Wei
could SEQ that something had occurred
to irritate him, but for the life of Us |
none Of us could guess. Before leaving
the room, however, Douglas called him
to one side, and asked him the cause oil
his going away 50 early BE replied |
that he was uneasy in his mind; that :
depression Of spirits such a. he had
never felt before had come over him
within the last half-honr, bnt for which
he could not account; and asked |
Douglas kindly not to detain him, as he
wanted to 60 on board to see that every
thing was all right; and il he felt
better, they might expect to see him in
the course of an hour or so. And in anil
hours time he did return, not to Join