The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-04-14

briddles and waiting for someone to
come along. They had gone but a
short distance when there was clat.
ter of hoofs around the bend of the
mountain, flashing of pistols leveled
straight at their heads, and CON-
mand to get down and give over, and
there was nothing else but to do so.
The FIVE Circassions stood over them
with knives and made them empty
their pockets, give up their weapons,
took their horses and left them to
make the best of their way home,
some 40 or 80 miles across the noun
tains on foot. And now we we're en-
tering that same pass-and it was
night. The moon had gone down
and left us in darkness. We had not
gone far, grouping our way up the
narrow trail, in single file, over rough
stones, no man speaking loud word,
and wishing that our horses feet were
shod with velvet, when Mr.. Lee turn
ed about and said, "Have you got
your shooting-irons ready? We must
be pretty near the place now where
Montgomery was robbed"
Oh, dear! l felt awful. 1t wasn't
what / came for to be shot down on
that cold mountain in the dark, so far
away from home, by shirtless Cir
cassion. l wanted to 60 back. l
wanted to see my mother. But next
moment my bosom began to swell
with mighty feeling Of valor. I
could hardly restrain myself from
turning about and charging back on
the road, pistol in hand, as fast as l
could 60 to see if there were any
Circassions behind us. And then,
Oh horrors there was big tree right
ahead of US, and we could hear dis
tinstly the voices of two or three men
in conversation. Then l thought l
heard something in the bushes beside
me, then was sure of it, then l saw
them move and man stepped out in
70 the road close to me. / drew my
pistol out and held it down where he
could look into the barrel of it. He
stood still and l passed him--turning
square around in my saddle to keep
my eye on him. We all had our
pistols out and stood ready with pale
cheeks and hearts that thumped like
drum-sticks, at any rate mine did.
But we passed by unmolsted Wheth-
err they were there for the purpose of
robbery we could not certainly tell,
probably they were fellow travellers
like ourselves, and more scared than
we we're. But for one got great COM
fort and satisfaction out of remark
Of Mr.. Lees, because l wanted badly
to feel that | had been hero. He
said that very probably if We had not
looked so terrible, i was glad lock-
ed SOY, we might have been robbed,
either there or somewhere else on our
journey.
The only other incident of any i'm
portanee before we reached Marash,
was the downfall of the Turkish gov
eminent. He was riding ahead in
grand style, full of the proud con-
sciousness of having brought US safely
through the mountains, pricking his
horse with the sharp corner of the
stirrup, which they use for spur, and
then playfully refining him up until he
almost slid off his launches, when
suddenly, but with the utmost grace
fulness horse and rider with pistols
and knives and gun, with red and
brown rags futtering in the wind,
head down and feet uppermost went
tumbling over into the bushes.
when he came out again, not hurt at
all but dropping at both ends like
dog, when the boys have just got the
tin pan securely fastened and are
urging him to run SO that they can
throw stones at him, it was sight
which did us all good. We hadn't
laughed before in three days, and we
could see that from that moment Mr..
Lee began steadily to improve. AT
last we came out into the open plain
and ascending a rise of ground we
saw in the far distance hanging on the
side of mountain like an avalanche
that had run half down and stopped
| in a gorge, the white houses of the