The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-02-26

There was no choice. The flood of
moonlight had swept SO far toward my
hiding place that only part of my body
was concealed by the barrel, and knew
that discovery was inevitable, for the
mans horse stood in such position that
in order TO recover the reins he must
have trodden upon me, and there was no
earthly thing, as far as the eye could
reach over the plain, behind which a
man could hide. All, but what if he
should readjust his freightl Can you
think how my heart pumped away at the
thought You wonder what my plan
could be9 / had none, other than the
hope of having only one man to deal
with, if he went on his way as he calcu-
lated. The three rnffians were mounted,
and all were about to start, when the
woman ran out with some sort of blan-
ket, and muttered something about COW
ering the coffin. The man yelled ont to
her to mind her own business and let the
thing alone.
She retreated with the cloth, but she
had accomplished her purpose. In it's
folds she had concealed bowie knife ;
under its cover she had raised the lid and
dropped the weapon inside, risking Civ
ing me cut as it fell upon me ; but in
the momentary noise and confusion L
had got the weapon in my hand and
with its point raised the heavy lid of the
rough box the fraction of an inch, SO
that breathing was easy if my position
was cramped.
The three horsemen spread out, re-
marking to each other: 4" Beat up the
game now speedily before, by any mira
Gle, he gets into the wooded belt by
Bufords Springs"
They continued to halloo at each other
for some time their liberal rotations
surrounding their discretion.
"Dick, they called back as they were
driving off, ga cool twelve hundred
apiece; throw out your old shell and join
the hunt.
The driver mumbled something, but
the whisky had thickened his speech so
that it was unintelligible to me.
Ii he did attempt to move the coffin, l
was lost.
They kept within hailing distance for
the length of some three or more miles,
Dick smashing the heavy wagon along at
stunning gait and / expected every
moment that my shell would be jsstled
out.
BY and by, there was a shout off to
the right of " tally no" as if the hunts
men had sighted the quarry. Nothing
but an unwarrantable amount of liquor
could have influenced them to conduct
themselves rs they did, for no sooner
had they called out from tho right, than
Dick came to sudden halt, leaped from
the seat, and ran off toward those who
were hallooing.
For one instant my heart stopped
beating at the thought of the hazard
which / was aboNt to run. The next
moment l sprang from the coffin to the
ground. A few lightning-like strokes,
and | had severed the traces and the hold
backs of the harness.
The whole scene is wildly pictured i'll
my mind. The moon-hghted prairie, the
little ravine toward which the renegades
were dashing, the wagon standing III the
trail-then the rafting of the falling
thills reached the ears of the party, and
with wild shout they turned toward me.
| was on the horses back, but boldly de-
fined by the moonlight. There was the
sharp report of two rifles. | felt sting
in my foot, another in my shoulder, put
the horse was unframed and the race for
life began.
There was disheartening disadvant-
age for me, for / had no saddle, but /
was riding for my life, and 1 held my
steed between my knees, and took the
broad trail with the fury of tornado.
But the issue would rest mostly with
the horse. L knew nothing of the one
which L rode; knew nothing of those
that were pursuing me, excepting my
own white-faced mare. She could run
like an antelope and out-wind hurri-
cane.
On and on my steed, desperately |
spurred with the point of my knife,
bore ahead, actually causing me to gasp |
for breath and not two hundred yards .
in the rear rode my would-be murderers.
On the rolling prairie now, and my
animal took the declivities with plunge,
and the elevations with sure, fierce
the brawling ford-but
crack came another rifle echo, and again
q stream of fire seemed to strike my
shoulder. They were closing in-closing
up. L could now make out only two
horsemen following me. One of these
had discharged his rife Mt me, the other
/ knew was held in rest for them to come
just a few yards nearer.
A momentary dizziness Topped me over
upon my horses neck. The rrlffans
yelled triumphantly behind, buta distant
echo brought me up, and giving my poor
beast a singing blow, l emitted the wild,
long, fierce yell of the border rangers,
and sped on again F.; but my horse had
that peculiar squirm now and then in his
gait that told me he was faltering.
Again that echo reached me, swelling
out on the rising wind-it was the shrill
squeal of the fife and the um-diddle-um,
did-e-um-dum-dum, dun of infantry re-
turning from some expedition to Fort
L. Again / sent out that long, wild,
border yell, and 1 knew by the quicker
of the fife, and the rapid pulls
ing of the drum, that the soldiers had
broken into the double-quick" in heed
Of my cry.
A parting shot fred at random, and the
two desperadoes turned; but one of
them, Mt least, was not done with. L
called my horse with peculiar whistle
| repeated and repeated it. and then l
haar1 him GRO sbino ooain m ,o,,,-,,,if