The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-03-19
OUR DOUBLE RIDE.

above. took no trouble to dismount.
| ICheYeignac climbed like cat, and so
kept his back as best could during the
descent.
81 say, Ralf, you'll 60 over his head il
you keep on in that fashion," said Her.
rles from the bluff.
| "Not l."
A slip, slide, rush of yielding sand,
and Cheyeignac taking things easy in a
sitting posture.
"Never you mind, my boy; my horse
and are one, Ce1taur fashion, and we
are certain to come out right side up.'
A whisk, a scamper, a bound down
the last slope, supplemented my remark,
and my black trotted, head up, lor the
Ibreakers.
| Now ii there was any one thing for
which Cheveignac had mania, it was
saltwater bathing; and stood at that
nome Mt a lair chance for being we'll
ducked. Herries laughed and hallooed
from the bluff, and used all my authori-
ty in vain. Cheveignac had not achieved
perfect training; he had his freaks OF
willtulness quite like the human beings
Of his acquaintance.
was directly made manifest that l
must dismOunt or be carried into the
breakers. l got my feet out of the STIR
!
landed waist-deep in frOth and foam.
heard Herries' scream of laughter as
| he paused half way down the path, hold
| ing his horses bride. Fatal exultationl |
The next moment Brown Meg's feet
slipped from under her. A great rush
of sand overwhelmed biped and quadru-
ped; struggling, kicking, and half
| smothered tney rolled together to the
| foot of the BLUFFS.
Herries got up with sand in his boots,
down his back, up his sleeves, in his
hair, eyes, nose and mouth. L splashed
my way out on the beach and laughed in
my turn at Brown Meg and her master,
who emitted in concert sundry indie.
scribaDle noises between a cough and a
sneeze.
"Well, my fine fellow, when you have
recovered gravity we will resume our
journey. Precious nonsenseV added
Herries, 'tO come down iere at ALL We
might have skirted the bluffs al re-
spectacle distance and not cut all these
antics"
"And gone three miles round Gotham
Gully-slnce we couldn't fly across |
Pshaw, man; you're not hurt, and Pve
the worst OF the bargain, after all. Now
to get round Helmet Rock before the
tide turns"
WulSIleu w CueNelRudCs VINO came
shoreward rolling and plunging like
some black sea monster. He was drip
| ping wet, but the lower half of my body
quite agreed with him, SO l sprang to
me saddle and cared naught. We rode
seaward down the long, narrow promon-
tory round the base of Helmet Rock,
which was only passable at low water.
| The rock itself rose sheer eighty feet
| from the sand, and intersected the
smooth stretch ofbeach that lay between
us and the cabin Of a frontiersman
named Nixon, where we hoped to find
| accommodation for the night. Neither
of us knew the way, save as directed by
an old miner at Calsaba.
| CheVeignac, taking superb strides
around the corner Of the rock, and
breathing additional exhilaration in
every breath of the wild seawind, very
nearly ran over a tall man standing on
the narrow way and scanning the hori-
Zon with face OF painful anxiety,
reined up, apoIogized and inquired il
the strangers name was Nixon, for
saw not Two hundred yards away long
low cabin in the shelter of huge rock,
| He said it was, and in one sharp, COM
prehensiye glance OF scrutiny took us
and our animals from head TO heel.
"Can you accommodate US with food
and shelter to-nIghLW Nixon paused,
| You're from New EnglandW he OBJ
served, more in the fashion OF remark
than question, and he thrust his
hands in his pockets and appeared to
consider.
"Yes, old Massachusetts," ssid a bit
puzzled at him.
$50? Same State as myself. Rain't
seen it since l was knee-high to grass
hopper. Wish l was there now; but
do knows you can tie up with me-"
"Why?" said Herries and l together.
Hospitality was the prevailing virtue of
his class.
Changer" answered Nixon, signif-
cantly.
"Pho, man! Do we look as if we
feared danger? Give US some bacon and
potatoes, and We'll face any reasonable
danger that any man may and live.
supper, at least, if not SHELTER"
'Jest as you say," said Nixon, indif-
ferently. "Only remember l warned
you" And he led the way at a dog-troL
along the beach.
The bacon and potatoes were forth
coming, and disappeared in marvellous
fashion before our savage onset. While
our host attended TO The horses, we
found leisure to look, about us. The cab
in was an unusually roomy one, at least
eighteen by twenty. The usual ac-
coutrements OF a hunter and fisher
man were placed about. There was evil
dence OF a W0man's presence and taste,
but we had seen no woman. A kind OF
uncomfortable stiffness reigned, broken
only by the ceaseless roll ol the surf. A
single ray OF light broadened and light
ened through the one Wiudow-it was
the moon rising.
We conversed In whispers, wonder
ing what danger menaced, ana undecid-
ed whether 10 stay or resume our jour
ney.
"Lets CO." said Herries, uneasily at
last; 81 don'tlike the danger that strikes
one in the dark. LET'S go on to Hovey's;
it's only five miles further down the
coast, and the Calsaba fellow sAid it
was all plain travelling"
OF a sudden, with no sound in the soft
sand, black bridled head and a brown
and white nose appeared before the half
open door. With hand on each, Nixon
stood be ween them. We stared.
"Men," said our host with gravity,