Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-08-25

and as an immunity from our shots, lie
bore in his arms, helpless, beautiful
white girl. Her hands were bound behind
her back, and masses of coal-b!ack hair
enCircled a face showing deadly terror and
horror in every feature, and dropped
nearly to the ground over the savage'S
! arm. Her dress, torn from one white
shoulder, showed how hard hat; been the
first Intellectual struggle against her cap
tors.
As the savage crossed the ditch, Dick
with a deep groan, recognized her.
'It is Rosita, Don Ramon's daughter!
he broke out. 81 love her, Alfred, and
will save her or die with her. Listen"
he continued, hurriedly, "This rascal has
come TO make some proprosal to us. Keep
your eye on him; the moment you get n
chance fire at him. If You Kill her it is
better fate. When hear the shot Will
throw open the window (Which can do
more easily than the door and try for Il
rescue.
For heavens sake, don: leave the roof.
Our only hope is in your being able TO
keep Off the others, who will rush from
| the ditch"
lie rushed down the ladder, leaving his
hat cunningly adjusted above the parapct.
The savage raised his voice and demanded
! in broken Spanish, 81 surrender. lie
threatened us with tortures, and babe us
look upon his captive, who, too, should
suffer for us. He grasped her hair bru-
! tally and raised her head. With sudden
spring of pain and fright she threw her
self from his arms and fell TO the ground.
! His tirle and mine had come. As he
| stopped, my bullet laid him dead by the
side of his intended victim. Dick made
| his rush from the window, and the In
| dians theirs from the ditch, rs he had pre-
| dctcd but rs Rosita WAS rather nearer
the house than the ditch, he managed to
! reach her first and was rctrcating with
| her in his arms. And now all depended
upon me. My first shot aimed at the fore
! most of the assailantS, missed him clean {;
and before | could seize another rifle he
| had made vicious thrust 1T Dick, who,
encumbered as he was, was quite helpless
The lance passed through Rosita's dress,
luckily without injury 10 the wcarer ana
as the savage drew back for cooler and
surcr thrust had the incXprcsSible pleas
| ure of lodging Il bullet in his body, which
closed his career. Then | heard heavy
! fail i'm the room below. Dick had thrown
| his bundle clean through the open win
| dow, at the risk of breaking a limb, and
| turning, found himself engaged hand TO
| hand with dozen Indians. He sat his
back against the wall, and drew his rcvol-
yer with his right hand, receiving ms he
! did 50 4 spear thrust through his lcfta arm ;
but his and my revolver dropped man
ut every shot; so they drew oil.
Dick managed with great effort to drag
himself through the window, and then
tainted away from the loss of blood and
exhaustion; and when ran down the
! ladder TO make fast the window again, /
found him comfortably reclining with his
! head in Rosita's lap, the latter having
been stunned by her Wnccremonioms en-
try. But could not stay TO help here {;
! nv post was on the roof
But the fight was over. They feared
| longer to encounter our deadly brCcch-
| leaders. They bore oil with them five Of
the slain; six other corpscs lay in front of
the window, and two more wcrc aftcrward
found who had crawlcd into the ditch,
like wild animals, TO die.
Rosita had been captured while walking
in the orange garden near her fathers
| house, short time before We were at
tackled.
"You noble cabclloros," she said, "havc
preserved me from death and what is far
worse. God will reward you, for | eau
never"
think Dick, however, was Of differ
cnt opinion; at all events he has always
seemed remarkably satisfied with the re-
ward he persuaded her to make him.
Years have passed since that evcntfu!
night. Dick and Rosita are living Mt Don
RamOI's cstancia; that old gentleman
having departed this life shortly after the
marriage. l, too, am with them as pard-
ncr in the land. llocks aud herds, Of which
We have a good quantity; and whenever
the increasing stock of little Dicks aud
Rositas ask me, as they invariably do Of
All evening, to tell them story, | know
that nothing less will content them than
the one | have narrated.