The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-09-27

The blow told; be fell like log, be-
ing apparently paralyzed for the mo-
mcnt; but in falling he dragged me With
him, and his grasp on my throat never
relaxed.
Il am dying" thought, striving with
all my remaining strength TO loosen his
hold of me; aud then / remember no
more 1 had either tainted or been suffo-
Gated into insenslbiliiy,
How. long l remained thus I cannot
tell, When recovered consciousness
the murderous pressure had fallen off,
but my assailant still lay beneath me,
breathing heavily, ....
simultaneously we seemed to recover
consciousness. aud in unison we rose to
our feet. For an instant we stood apart,
glAring at each other through the dark
ness; then, as though at given signal,
we closed with each other again. Again
we wrestled and strove, white face close
to white face in the gloom, and again
tho contest was so equal that no spectator
would have known on which side to
promise victory. For many minutes
we wrestled silently, and then we fell
again, and was undermost. Aud then
ensued struggle sucn as had no idea
men were capable of. We rolled over
each other, we strained every nerve, each
to kill the other. We dealt each
other desperate blows at random, and
then when exhaustion forbade another
movement, Mechanically we desisted, and
as mechanically rose and drew few la
bored, gasping breaths, and rushed to
the contest agDin.
Our action was wonderfully concerted
as though governed by dosble mech
anism we struggled, fell, rose, and re-
sumed the fight, and that after each had
grown 10 weak that child co I'D have
vanquished either.
And through all my terrible craving
for his life there crept, by and by,a slow
CouSCluuSueSS Vi iehpeCI lOt Eim' Lac
was tough as leather, and he fought we'll,
taking his punishment with an endur-
ance that hitherto l deemed exclusively
British.
When 1 look back on that incident
now l have no knowledge of time, nc
memory of anything but pain and effort
and binding blows. 1 cannot tell how
long the struggle lasted or how it term
mated. l only know that at last the end
came somehow, and that, after a period
of oblivion, l returned to consciousness
and found myself alone.
How 1 reached home I cannot tell.
walked the distance doubtless as som
nambulists do, for next day when g
neighbor came to look me up, l was toss
ing on my bed in raging fever, ant
lhe money that had so nearly
been the price OF life was safely button
ed my pocket.
OF course the Great Britain SAILED
without me. and of course the friend
awaiting me at home grew sick of th,
silence which no explanation came Il
break, for what message could any on
send who expected hourly to See me die
But the turn in my long illness cam
at last, and then turned slowly aud re
luctently toward improvement. hat
fought hard battle for lie beneath th
shadow of the eucalyptus; that whicI
disease waged against my youth was n
deadly and more prolonged. But you'll
triumphed ut last, ana rose a shadoy
OF my old self, likely to be debarred iron
existence in the old, glad, free, triumph
ent terms for many II day.
1t Was Years before the last mement
of my encounter with that desperate rui
fan had passed out If my system. bu
now, after half life time, l can loo
oack from my fair, happy English hon
ou that incident of my career as content
tdly as on any other OF my colonial ex
periences. ...
AS to my enemy, his body had bee
found IN the creek while / lay at til
point of death, but whether falling ther
by accident OF fuug in through despair
nsver knew.