Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-21

hearing the Brigadier moving off he
calculated that scarcely a few hours
separated him from the frontier, and
already he saw himself saved.
He was about to raise his head when
the gendarme's heavy boots, changing
their direction, suddenly rang in his
ears. ~
The Brigadier halted two PAGES from
the table he occupied, and the murderer
felt his glance weigh upon him.
"Aha!' exclaimed the Brigadier,
..here is a p%arishioncr who is sleeping
like q rock!' And tapping him on the
shoulder: "Ho, there! friend, show
yourself a little! lam not curious, but
would like to have a look at your facet"
Pierre Picard hastily raised his face.
Its expression was terrifying. The livid
features were frightfully contracted, the
bloodshot eyes sent forth lightning, and
q nervous trembling agitated the thin,
compressed lips.
"lt is he!" shouted ten voices. sim.
u~ltaneously.
The Brigadier put out his hand to
seize him by the collar, but before he
had touched it the murderer struck him
two blows with his fist between the ewes.
which blinded him; then, leaping
through the window, he vanished across
the garden.
On recovering from their surprise,
which at first had paralyzed them,
twenty young men bounded away in
pursuit Of the fugitive. But he was
half a minute in advance of them, and
for . vigorous man, whose e was
centupled by the instinct of preserve
ton, this was an immense advantage.
Restored by the meal he had Just
eaten, Picard had calves of steel. He
leaped the garden hedge at a bound,
gained the fields, and in less than ten
minutes was a mile from the village.
After having assured himself that the
CONFORMATION Of the country had put
him out of the range of his enemies
vision, he paused an instant to breathe.
for he was out Of breath and would have
fallen senseless if the furious race had
lasted twenty seconds longer.
But hardly had he seated himself
when confused cries struck upon his
ear. He rose and listened. WI
His pursuers were coming.
What was he to dop Broken, pant
ing, he could run no more, and they
were there, on his track.
He cast despairing glance around
him. Everywhere the level plain, with
out a rock, without a ravine, without
a clump of trees which could afford him
concealment.
Suddenly his look, falling upon a
pond bordered bya few reeds, bright
ened, and he mur1pured, IL will try It"
He dragged himself to the pond,
plunged into the water up to his neck,
drew some reeds and aquatic plants
over his head; then he remained there
as motionless as If he had taken root in
the mud.
The water had again grown calm and
smooth as a mirror when the twenty
peasants arrived at the edge of the
pond, preceded by the Brigadier, who,
inn, had promptly recovered from the
effects of the murderer's stunning blows.
"Ah!" cried Pere Faucheux, who,
from the back of his horse, took in at q
glance all the points of the horizon,
''where the deuce has the villain gomez"
cts very strange" said a young
peasant; II saw him five minutes ago,
and now he has vanished! Nevert6e-
less the country is open for three
leagues around, with not a clod of
earth, not a molehill where he could
hide even the tip of his nose"
''He can not be far away" said the
Brigadier; ''let us divide and scour the
PLAN, searching everywhere down to
the smallest furrow; afterward we will
all return, here"
Pierre Picard heard the whole band
disperse, uttering threats against him.
Still motionless in the pond, he trem-
bled in every limb, and dared not
change his position for fear of betray-
ing his presence by agitating the water
around him, or by d%isplacing the reeds
and damp plants he had drawn over
his head.
He passed an hour in this position,
studying the sound of footsteps which
crossed each other on the plain, the
almost imperceptible echoes of which
were seized by his eagerly strained ear.
At the expiration of that time, the en-
tire troop again assembled around the
pond.
..Thunder and tempest!" cried the
Brigadier, %furiously, 1.-THE murderer has
given us the slip; but howP Where the
deuce can he have gomez"
"He must be a sorcerer," said a peas
ant.
"Sorcerer or not, I shall stick to the
pursuit." resumed Pierre Faucheux;
'.when Sapajou has slaked his thirst a
little at this pond we will both be off to-
ward the frontier, whittier the beggar
must have turned his course"
And, directing his horse toward the
pond, he stopped him just at the tuft Of
reeds which hid the fugitive.
The animal stretched out his neck,
breathed the air, snuffed vigorously,
then quickly threw back his head and
refused to advance.
Pierre Picard had felt the heat of his
upon his cheek.
The Brigadier lightly dashed Sapajou's
ears to force him to enter the pond, but
the animal backed two PAGES, and all
his masters efforts proved useless
neither blows o caresses had power to
bring him to obedience.
"Oh! oh! we have capices, have we9"
cried the gendarme, furious at a resist
ance, to which he was unaccustOmed;