The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-03-27
THE GOLD RoBBER.

Il was on = November evening that we
all sat round T. cheerful fire after dinner.
Uncle John, who had come home from
Australia q week before, was giving US,
various bits Of Information about the cli-
mate. people. etc, in that favored country.
He paused for awhile, so l asked him,
Couldn't You tell Us q story of your nd
ventures. or something that happened 70
You. uncle Pr
"wen, he answered, &" I've had SO many
adventures, small and great, that it's hard
to pick out one but suppose ! tell the first
that happened to me vii! that satisfy
your"
We all declared we should be delighted
10 hear it; so, giving the FIRE q poke, and
all Of us drawing near the blaze, he began
the following:
"You know when I first went to AustrH-
liza there was q great excitement about the
gold that was being found In several places
and, like 4 great number o. people, ! was
seized with gold mania and went to the
diggings You al know also, that | was
very fortunate there-but Of that nave
nothing to say now, rs l an going to tell
you what bololl me one night, about n fort
night after my arrival at the d~iggings.
You uuule Tom. who was with me, was
mp the country for q couple OF days with nm
old school fellow, whom he had found In
thai remot" region so ! found myself on
this particular night the sole occupant of
our hut. | had rstired TO my hammock
rather early that night but l could not so
TO sleep, but kept tossing about for u long
time At last l opened my eyes wide, with
the conviction that sleep was not within
my gasp for that night; aud | began look.
ing round the hut at such objects as the
remains Of the fire made clear enough to
be seen. As ! looked round, q dark object
in one conner arrested my attention it was
a corner not lighted by fire, so that | look
some moments to make out what it was
but at last 1 came to the pleasant conclu-
sion that there was some one else in the hut
besides myself.
Now this was q particularly ~inconyen-
lent thing. TO say the least Of it for l knew
nobody personally who lived about US but
l knew very well that, an q general rule,
they were u coarse low lot OF %rufTians, a
great many OF them conyicts. and men who
had to fly from their countries for various
reasons Best known to themselves, so you
may perhaps form IL slight Idea OF my feel
ings. ] knew It was not my broth, r, for
he wolld not he back Tor two days; be-
sides. why should he come in so silently,
and stand there SO my sterlo 81 But what
puzzled me most vas how any one cou'd
get there, TOR I had most caresully fastened
the door be'ore retiring to rest. ! thought
my eyes might be deceived, but on looking
more ,ntently at the dark object ! d%lstinc'-
ly tRw the outline OF a pair OF shoulders
and tine arm, but n was impossible TO see
the head or feet, 20 the shade was so heavy
in the corner.
Now, in thisy very corner we had a chest.
III which We Brought various clothes and
other necessarics, and in which we meant
to put anygold VIC might find u say meant,
because VIC had not got any up to tn pre-.
sent tme-so !, Of course, concluded TINT
my visitor was examining this chest withn
view of robbery, and l thought the best
thing ] could do would be to remain quiet
for the present; but / spoiled my plan by
turning on my side 90 as to witch the roll.
Der better, md IN doing so l made what
seemed 10 me a great deal of noise. ! now
thought There WAS no use in concealmept.
so diawing q revolver, which I always kcpt
under my head ut night, l called out,
Come forward ct once and show yourself,
or III blow your brains out
II made as much noise as | could in cock
ing the revolver, so az to give my threat
more weight but the gentleman in the
corner seemed to take notice, for he re.
manned perfectly quiet. / was undecided
what TODD thF the thought struck me that
the rob6er might at that moment he medi.
tating shooting me from WHERE lie was. md
this thought made my blood run cold. for |
thought OF the friends and relations l had
left at home, and oil the stRte they would
be in when they heard I had been shot in
Australia so / again called out, Whoever
you are, III give you but one chauce III
count three, andif at the third word Won
don't come forward, III fire.
~ told YOU | could not see the mans
head, so / aimed at where ! thought it ought
to be, and counted slowly, 'one, two,
three =
AT the word three / fred fonr shots
in quick succession. for / thought that in
the almost total darkness my aim might no.
be very good but they seemed to have
taken effect, for when the smoke cleared
away, l looked in vain for my midnight
visitor. / could not summon courage TO
get up and look for his body not that [
was exactly afraid, bus I had a horrible
feeling OF having shed a humun beings
blood, which ! had never done before. and
l firmly believe ! would almost rather have
been shot by the robber, than TO have the
fearful thought on my mind that l bad
killed him.
"Neverd did I spend such a dreadful night
i could not get rid Of the one thought of
having deprived n fellow creature Of life,
especially while he was in the act of rob
bling, and, perhaps, intending murder; but
more horrible than all was the idea that |
might possibly have been the means Of
SEEDING him to a fearful eternity. In vain
l tried TO persuade myself that 1t was to
save my own life l had doue it; this seem.
ed to me a poor excuse However, l Mt
last fell into q disturbed sleep. which lasted
al morning but the moment / awoke the
dreadful night required to my mind, al.
though ! felt rather more calm. / thought
i had had a horrible dream, but on exainin.
ing my revolver found four chambers dis.
charged Irose and looked about Tie room
but in vain i sought the body of tho IN.
truder. This, however. relieved me Greatly
as / thought he could not have been kiIIe3'
but only wounded, and had escuped ont ~
the hut while 1 was asleep but on roin",
to the door l was more perplexed than overS
for the door had evidently not been onen''
ed. as it was securely fastened on the in.
aide.
THAT day / could not bear to do any.
thing but st at my freand think over NV
adventure, and try to solve the mystery
for mystery ! concluded there ccrtaipiv
WIS but ! could come to no sa;isfactory
conclusion with regard to it. 80. =
1.-THE next day my brother c-me back.
but I fhouoht IL better not TO snv nnvtbj,1