The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-09-14

on the last half of the way. Before me now
| lay a long, level stretch of road. without an
| obstruction or turn for several miles, and
one dazzling white surface of show upon it.
| looked ont ahead, and just as far as l
could see 20 distinguish anything from tie
snow, probably, not less tl.an mile away,
| saw a black speck. 1t did not hold my
attention when L first saw it, but as Cheva-
lier sped on, rapidly devouIing the dis
tance, it took form and size, until when
within thirty rods of it, 1 could plainly see
that it was Il man. There he stood mp
right i'll the middle of the road, without
speech or motion, apparently waiting.
Was he waiting for me? Did lac know
that L was coming with eleven hundred dol
| lars in cash in portmauteau at my feet :?
And, if so what would he do? Forthe first
time since my absence from she settlement
| began to feel nervous, and thought it
would only be safe TO take out my pistols
! aud have them ready. | felt in my right
! hand oyercoat pocket, and found nothing !;
hl felt in the left one aud found nothing.
| They had been removed, and at Selkn K :.
| was certain had them when L returned
| there at night.
\ horrible suspicion of intended murder
aud robbery flashed upon me and here l
was stripped of my weapons aud defense
! less. The horse WAS now within four rods
! of The mutiOulesS figure in the road, ANA
bearing down rapidly upon him, and with
! the desperate idea Of running over him, /
! shouted to Chcvalier, and lashed him with
the reius. He bounded like bolt up 10
the rnan-stopped in his fright, swerved,
and WAS instantly seized 10y the bit, and his
head brought down by The powerful ruifian.
Before | had time 10 think, there was Il
shout, which | distinctly heard ~ our
money, quick - and then came two pis' ol
shots in such rapid succession that l could
not have counted two between them. One
/ ball passed through my hat as L afterwards
discovered, within an inch of my head, the
| other went between my right arm and my
body, cutting the ski i'll its passage. Al
most at the instant Mack gave a ferOcious
| growl, and dove under the seat upon which
| | was sitting. | beard him swapping and
! growing, and heard a human voice, half
suffOcated, trying to say: ''Oh, Gcd Oh,
God - aud then | fully realized the situa-
! ton. The man who had stopped me was
| desperately struggling with CheyalicT, s;riv-
! ing TO keep his head down, when a happy
| thought came To my delverance, and l
! quickly jeiked the lines, one after the other.
! Quick as thought the noble brute broke
| away from the rufiians' grasp and reared
{ straight up in the air above his head, com
ing down again INSTANTLY. | saw that the
! man was lying mot Onless beneath CEeva-
! lier's hools, and, at Il word fIOm me ;Ge an
/
/ greater speed. The growls of Mack under
meath Inc had ceased, as well as the cries Of
the miserable being who WIS suffering in
| his jaws and i'll a (, w moments the glorious
dog came out again aud put his bloody
/ paws upon rEy KIN, es, while lie whiued rs Ii
requesting some recognition of what he haG
! done. | was terribly eXcitcd-l could not
/ help it the awful tIial | had just passed
| through was enough to work upon stronger
h1t
| the noble fellows neck, and huggad him as
! if he had been woman. The last half of
/ the way WAS passed rather u ckcr than the
! first, aud the gallant ChevalIer was covered
/ with sweat when he stopped at The door of
/ my employers house.
| tunlbled in upon my wife and ber pa
rents sitting around the h.e, aud | Was just
! about specchless from cold and Tie reaction
of my excitement | found voice after Il
while to say that wasn't hurt at all, and
! to ask my father-in- law to look under the
! seat of Ihe sleigh. What he found there all
/ Of You know by this time. The man Has
! stone dead Mack's teeth having torn and
| mang led his neck frightfully. SelkIrk came
| to The settlement the next day, aud With
! his help the web of viilainy WAS completely
nuraveied. Both men had been ac Bis
! house the afternoon previous To my return,
! bat had left about au Iour before | came.
! Both might easily know that | had a large
! sum of money with me, for no secret had
! been made OF nay business, and IL had been
talked of in their bearing. After talking
! with Mr.. Selkirk, remembered FOR the FIRST
| time that | had left my overcoat in the
| sleigh after coming back that afternoon.
! Here, tlen, was the opportunity which 'he
| intended robbers and murdereIs embraced
to steal my pistols, and fOI one of them to
! secrete himself under The sleigh seat. In
! the woods near the scene Of the encounter.
/ Nh. Selkirk found one of their horses, sad
! died and bridled. ana hiiched TO ,rco
1 acd he had no doubt it had been ridden
there that night by The man whom Cheva-
! lier had killed.