Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-06-17

"Say your prayers, Cap" continues
it'll be long tire before you see dayligl
again"
"Whut air ye a-drivin' at, kurnel!"
asked, seriously, casting his eyes about hin
My shot had missed, but kept firing.
"Well, you see, Hawkins, now that Nv
got you in my power, I'm going to put yo
out of the way for good. You come alon
with me to the cove. There's a warm mol
in the side of the mountain in which yo
can spend the winter, board and lodgin
free. Come, brace up, Cap; when you Sc
how comfortable it is there you'll want t.
lease the place for life"
The outlaw made no response to my ran
dom talk, nor did he laugh as before. Some
thing seemed to worry him, for he fidgete.
about and scratched his uncombed head an,
ran his bony fingers through his grizzled
tangled beard.
Look a-hyar, kurnel," said the moon
sinner, leaning close to me and boring int.
me with his black eyes, "air ye ever beel
thar"
There, Where, Cap!"
THAT thar hole We air a-goin' on about
why, of course, don't know every hole
and crag in the Cohuttas."
Then that settles it, kurnel. | lowed
ye war jokin. Waw, Patsy, waw Suck
wawp"
He reined in his horses and stopped the
wagon. Taxing up an ak he handed it tt
some person on the ground, and said a few
words which did not understand. l tried
to raise myself to look out but fell back
helpless, full of sharp, shooting pains My
| joints refused to bend, my neck creaked
when l tried to turn my head, and the
struggle of the night come back to me like
horrible repetition. At the first sound OF
the ak Cap Hawkins put his arm under my
back and forced me to sit upright
"Cobe air a-custin yer tombstone, kurneI,
an l lowed ye'd like to git last look"
TO the right of the wagon stood a giant
poplar lifting its shaggy top 100 feet above
the road. In its trunk were three gaping
wounds, and moonshiner in broad hat and
big boots was cutting fourth. Two other
Unlocking men stood near, their guns in
their hands.
"kurnel," continued my guard, "do We
want ter write yer epertaph.' The men
laughed at their chief. Them other three
revies didn't git nary chance ter write
thelrn. Boys, air any O. yet got pencil?"
Too well l knew the meaning of that
notch from which the sappy chips were fly
ing. My heart quivered as the ak ate its
way into the soft wood. My face must have
reflected my thought, for the outlaw, giving
me gentle push, sent me on my back.
Lay down, kurnel, and don't git so all
fired skeered, he said THAT air a mighty
comf'table hole up in the hills-board an
lodgin' free" And quoting my own words,
he fairly made the welkin ring with his
coarse laughter.
Surely you don't intend to murder me-
cap"
That air jes about it, reckon, kurnel
fe air cross the dead-l line, an yer epertaph
air done writ
Before l could SAY more his three COM
panions climbed into the wagon beside me.
Clucking to his horses he drove on at a trot
through the pass, and as the sun rose over
the mountain we entered the precincts of
Sleepy cove. 1t must have been after 10
O'Clock, yet into that lonesome spot the sun
was just beginning to pour his rays. By 2
p. m. he would disappear behind the jagged
cliff that formed the western boundary of
the retreat, and the lcng twilight would set
in, with its spectral shadows chasing each
other in the dark wood. Often had heard
the country folk talk with bated breath of
the horrors of Sleepy cove Goblins, they
said, dwelt in the mountain caves, coming
forth at dusk to frolic with the fearless
moonshiners, and dancing at midnight upon
the slippery crags Ghouls, armed with
the bones Of murdered men, kept nightly
vigil at the narrow pass, and if any human
being approached from the outside they
gathered around the giant poplar and beat
upon the bark till the frightened man dis
appeared in the direction whence he came.
No man but the moenshiners had ever been
known to come from Sleepy cove alive, con-
none ever voluntarily entered
that wild, uncanny place.
These thoughts were passing through my
mind when suddenly the wagon stopped,
and the four men threw themselves into at
titudes OF attention, grasping their guns and
casting furtive glances at each other.
faint yelp of a hound. Cap Hawkins
lashed his horses into gallop, and we sped
on through the woods for half mile, stop
ping again in the shadow of cliff At
their leaders, order two of the men lifted
me out of the wagon, and half dragged me
10 spot where the earth formed kind of
bench against the rock wall. Placing me
IN the ground they began prying at a
4
hand sticks, rolled over on its side, expos
ng hole in the cliff. Into this they drag
red me for some twenty feet and tossed me
IN a bed of leaves. Then one of the men
brought in some food, and another water
md another wood.
turned to the outlaw leader and asked |
low long he intended to keep me prisoner
lie laughed at the question, but made no re- ]
,lx Enin 10 &c H..
tealthily out, listened awhile, and came
Jack to me. There was an ominous glitter
n his eyes. 1t looked like murder. Ny
iod! Was he going to bury me alives 1
'egged him to shoot me, cut my throat
my thing but leave me there to starve. But
le paid no attention to my appeals.
"Ef ye air live when git back, kurnel
-ef git back, he said, why me an the
'oys mought put a leeule lead in yer carcass
le may hev comp'ny fore night, enyhows
he revies air arter US hotter'n demnition
lazes They air done 'cross the dead line.
Iyar the moosic, kurnell"
Il hope they'll give you all you deserve,
ou cold -blooded murderer" l said, wishing
hat l could throttle the villain.
"Now, kurnel, don't git out o. sorts. 1t
ir mighty comf'table in hyer-board an
odgin' free Boys, air ye readys Them
ounds air pickin' us up Light the fire,
,obe. Kurnel, hyer air knife ter cut yer
,ose arter we leave ye. Don't git skeered
the ghosts, and member ye air mighty
omf table-board an lodgin' free; an yer
pertaph air down on the big poplar Good
y, kurnel"
The outlaws were already placing the
owlder in position, and when Cap Hawkins
ad squeezed his way out the rock was
oiled into the opening. With crunching
,und it settled into place, and l was q
risoner in Smoky hole.
listened for the baying of the hounds,
oping that they had tracked me to the
ave, but not sound penetrated the door OF