Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-03-02

"Thrre's Il wood on aheai: lets
make for it. and hide till dark
"Wcll. as that's about the lir~t lace
they'll search" said. Il don't think
We'll go there. No, mate; down on
your hands and knees now, and we'll
crawl to the most open place We can
find. and lie down among the furzo,
Just where its high enough to cover
rs. They're not SO likely 10 search
there.
was right. as it happened, for we
hadn't been lying down above an
hour an a bit of knoll that was
very open and bare, before we made
out no less than four parties scour-
ing the place after us. and there
We're 50 many abont that began to
feel that more than us must have
escaped.
found ont afterwards that it WAS
50. but just then We thought of moth
ing else, but the warders. and then
of the soldiers, for we could make
ont half "a dozen red coats and the
glimmer of rifle barrels in the sun
shine.
just as / thought. some made
straight for the wood, but one party
of three came so straight for where
We lay. that it was all | could do to
keep my mate from jumping up and
making run for it.
They SAW lis hide" he whispered.
excitcdlv.
Il don't believe they did" | says;
land if they did. it don't matter now,
for We couldn't get away if wo ran
Lie still and chance it"
was right. for they hadn't seen
u-, and i'll half an hour they had
gone out of sight, and still we lay
there, afraid to move till dark. when
we got mp hungry and faint, and
tried to mako for the coast.
needn't tell You how we triod for
tho next two days. but only to be
headed back always on to that dread
ful wilderness among the heath and
stones. We could only travel by
night, and then we kept losing our
selves, and heading back; and as to
| til0 IlN'liSCS at tIN'
skirts Of the moor. that was out of the
question. for our clothes would have
told who we We're We should have
starved if wO hadn't come upon a
countryman with his dinner tied up
in his handkerchief, and taken it
from him for he wouldn't give us a
scrap; and then he went straight off.
and gave such information, after
watching us from Il distance, that
the next day, as we We're lying hear
4 stream, sleeping. [ woke up all at
once by instinct like. to see a warder
about hundred yards of. his back
to me, moving away. waving his
hands
He's seen U.S." ] muttercd: and
laying my hand on poor SO9s mouth,
l whispered. Up with you lad; we
must run for it."
He jumped to his feet. and we
started running at steady double;
but there were shouts in various di-
rections, and we had to take fresh
course, but only to find that We should
be headed off there, for couple of
wardcrs sprang up right in our way.
What's it to beg" | says. as we
turned down the bed of one of the
streams. pretty well dry. then with
the hot season. Shall we give mp,
or run?"
I'll never give up now" he painted; |;
and we ran on.
1t was a hard run. and we should
have got clear. for liberty was more
than life, then: but Just liz we were
leaving the warders well behind. and
getting towards where we could hide,
three more suddenly sprang up from
behind stone, and levelled their
pieces.
Surrender, or l fire. one OF them
shouted.
"Fire. and be hanged" / roared,
in my excitement, and there were
three sharp reports.
For a moment | thought I'd
knocked against stone, for felt q
sharp pain in my leg then. az ]
bounded on. trying to leap over a
a bit of gully, one leg seemed to
fail all at once, and | fell heavily. to
lie watching the wardcrs as they re-
loaded and fired ono after the other.
careful, steady shots at S09. who had
not seen me fall, but was running
with all hi, might.
just then the wind blew the smoke
i'll my face, and when it passed there
WAS no mate running for his life
while | longed to SEQ him get free,
and heard one OF the warders say:
Look out; no may be .hamming."
But he wasn't though l didn't
know it then, Tor / turned sick and
faint, and everything seemed strange
and different, Just as if l was in a
dream. till | found | was being car
ried on stretcher. the bone of my
right leg having been broken by a
bullet.
| No; poor 500 was not shamming
and | heard all about it afterwards
how he was shot right through the
lungs, and only breathed till they
had carried him to the prison gates
when he got free, for they only tool
his body in and to the dead house
not to his coll.
OF course there was an inquest
but it was called justitiable homicide
though l could never see how it was
If the wardcr had shot him in &
fight for life, l shouldn't say word
The warlers have brutal savages tC
, deal with sometimes, and they must
be armed; but in a case where pool
. wretch is only running for his
, freedom, it seems too severe a rom
| edy, and ought never to he done
England is not so big but what they
might catch the poor wretches some
time; and to shoot at them in colo
blood-oh! it's too horrible to thiul
of. What say you?
AS for me, | had to serve my time
right out. and leave the prison a
last a cripple, and lame. | deserved
all | got. l own; but | believe, an;
shall believe to the day of my death
that 500 was as innocent as babe.