The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-09-07

would find it pleasant TO turn to the south
I ward, and 60 below the Big Brake refer
ring to caue brake not far distant which
covered several hundred acres of the rich
bottom land. This was a route but little
travelled but l minded not that so long
there was plain path SO l logged along
upon this new way, which l found TO be
dreary and lonesome enough. l had no
fear Of robbers, but still the character of
/ the road was calculated to excite ones eau
tion, and l instinctively drew out my re-
volver and examined the charges, and the
caps and when | had done this | slipped
1T into The side-pocket Of my sack, where !
could reach it most handily, After this !
whistled, and then | sang few verses of
an old song for the purpose, l suppose, of
/ convincing the binds That was very cheer
! ful and easy.
! BY and by reached point where the
path crossed il little stream, aud here | was
joiued by a horseman who bad come out
/ from the timber to the eastward. AS his
/ beast had been drinking, l did not notice
him until was close upon him. He was
| a mldditd aged nau; of medium size,
( dressed i'll common hunting garb, and
( calryir Z rifle before him upon his saddle
/ bow. If this man was really hunter, |
! thought he was entirely different from other
/ hunters ! had met in that country. His
clothes were vas ly better and he lacked
! the free and easy off-hand way Of your
/ genuine forester. He hailed me though
! he surprised 70 Inc there, aud |
could not divest myself of the impression
that he regarded me as an interlnper. He
| looked a. me sharply, and as he drew up
near my side he nsled
! do ynu belong i'll these paris?'
! 1t struck me theu that lie might be an
| officer looking after the river pilat2S. |
| told him that ! was a stranger III that sec
tion. travelling partly for my health, and
! partly on business aud furthermore told
him that | was on my way to Caha wba.
! He looked at me again, taking careful
| survey of my whole figure, and t.en
remarked, as we started away fiom the
/ brake {:
y s'pose the creek is full ?''
eyes," said |.
s'And so you have TO come this waye''
said yes" again.
''That;s partly the case with me- he
| said, ''though I aint going exactly your
way for any great distance. Rather u
| lonesome road. iSII't it ?'
1T is, certainly"
''NoL very pleasant place 10 meet rob-
bers,'' he suggested,
| admitted that he was correct.
"Have you heard anything about those
chaps ?''
You mean the robbers ?"
| "1es."
! I now felt sure that my companion was
a detective, and / toll him what ! had
seen and heard at the inn where ! bad last
stopped. He was deeply interested-very
deeply interested and | ventured to sug
gest that he might be searching after those
/ very Williams.
.Do you really think so ." he asked
| I told him thought so from the first.
| POUNDS - b NUT e cd, with a smile, 81
must De more careful, or i shall expose
myself too much"
! Then he acknowledged that he was an
officer, aud as we rode on | told him all
had head concerning the outlaws.
! In the course of h;rif an hour left the
! timber, and soon afterward we came in
! sight of the cane brake. 1t was curious
! sight, tina: maze OF cane stretching away
| almost as far as the eye could reach and
/ as | came nearer | wondered not that even
experienced hunters sometimes lost tAeir
! way AID staryed to death i'll the ,rac!lieSs
I depths Of such IA labyrinth. For the dis
! tauce of some two miles we rode along
| close by the edge of the brake, and then
we were forced bear TO the ilg4rt an ac
/ count of the suftuess of the soil, and pre- ty
! soon we cane to where a body of water lay
between us and the canes. This ,waLer
seemed to be sort Of bayou, fea by some
| stream beyond ny sight, and it certainly
! had g .,w&aapy, dismal look, suggestive of
| snakes and alligators. We had passed
| point OF wood that made close down to the
water e[,eu / fancied that / heard Jiie
| sound of horses feet behind me. and upon
turning beleld four horsemen inst emerg
ing from tue wood. My companion GER
! taiuly endeavored to make some sign To
them, but they did not see him. They
kept straight on to the edge OF the bayou /;
went into the water as though it we're
| continuation If tie road. the horses NOV
lug with perfect assurance, aud finally
| disappeared within the depths of the cane
brake.
| | looked at my companion, and lie lolrkcs
at me.
THAT'S rather curions, isn't ii ?'' he said.
And he looked a4to my lace very Sharply.
"CuIious enough,"a s replied.
| "What dye s'pose it means p he que
ried
1t had naturally occurred to me that
| within the cane brake night be the hidden
| retreat of the robbers, and that the place
I of passage across the bayou was known only
TO themselves but | did not speak my
I mind to my companion. | intimated to
! him that had no idea of it's meaning.
| 1T isn't IL, passible,'' he pursued, with
his eyes still fixed sharply upon me, ";hat
the rascals we've been speaking o. have a
| haunt in there somewhere.
toid lir1 thought it quite likely.
| We rode on a short distance further and
close by spur of the timber he told me
that he must leave me. 80,
II should like to keep on with you," he
said, but must take the rest OF my way
| alone Here is my path.
He bade me good bye hoped we shonld
meet again gave me some directions
touching my route: aud then turned toward
rhe timber. Dear reader, did you eyef.
| either while standing in the street, or in
some crowded assembly, grow nervous and
uneasy under the suppression that some one
was gszis,g Upon you?-and have you not
,nder Saeh circumstances, looked around
and found pair of bright electric eyes
fixed upon you? Something SO felt ! as
rode away from that stranger.
At iepgth the feeling became oppiessi2e
slant I should have been a dead man! Tho