The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-05-06

aginw -
His laughter echoed through tb,
! woods and sounded flemish as Il came
! Dack trom tho mountain side. / knew
| Cap Hawkins well. Lawless as he
was, there was in his composition {
certain wild chivalry peculiar to these
men OF the mountains. Brave as 3
lion, he had an unbounded admiration
for courage in others; cunning as 8
fox, he respected q man who could
| QUITO hlm III craftiness. Knowing
| THIS, determined to assume bold all
ana alect a supreme indifference to
my fate, whatever that was to be.
W, Cap, dry up" l began, winking
slyly at him. "Don't frighten the
revenue men; they'll be after you
| again"
Again he roared as if he would
split his sides over tho joke. He was
immensely ticklcd. "
Say your prayers, Cap" 1 con-
tinued. "IHll be a long time before
you see daylight again."
"Whut air yc a-drivin' at, Kurnel?
he asked, seriously, casting his eyes
about him. My shot had missed, but /
kept firing.
"Well, you see, Hawkins, now that
I've got you in my power Pm going to
put you out ofthc way for good. You
come along with me to the Cove.
Ihere's warm hole in the side Of the
mountain in which you can spend the
winter, board and lodging free. Come,
brace up. Cap; when you see how
comfortable 1T is in there you'll want
to lease the place tor life"
10 10
random talk, nor did he laugh as be-
lore. Something seemed to worry
him, for he fidgcted about, scratched
ms uncombed head and ran his bony
hngers through his grizzled, tangled
bcard.
"Look a-hyar Kurnel,n said tho
mooonshincr, leaning close to me and
boring into mo with his black ewes.
"air yc ever been thar?"
"Therc? Where, Cap"
about"
"Why, of course, don't know every
hole and crag in the Cohuttas2,,
"Thcn that settles il, Kurnel 7
flowed We war jokin'. Waw, Patsy.
waw, Suck, wawp."
lie rcined in his horses and stopped
the wagon. Taking up an ak he handed
IL - some person on the ground, and
said d few words which did not un-
derstaLd. | tried to raise myself to
look out, out fell back helpless, full of
sharp. shooting pains. My Joints re-
fused TO bend, my 1eok crcakcd When
| tried to turn my lead and the struo-
gle of the night came back to me like a
horrible repetition. AT the first sound
q 10
under my back and forced me to sit
upright.
"Cobe air a-cuttin' yer tombstone.
hurnel, an | lowed yc'd like ter git a
last look"
To the right of the wagon stood
giant poplar lifting its shaggy top 800
1cet above the road. In its trunk were
three gaping wounds, and moon
sinner IN broad hat and big boots was
cutting 4 .urth, Two other ill-look-
ln@ men stock near, their guns in their
hands.
"knrncl,' continued my guard, edo
&c want ter write yer cpertaDh?" The
men laughed at their chief. "Them
| other three Rcvics didn't git nary
cnancc ter write ihcirn. Boys, air any
o yc got IL pcncil"'
'N'i MY" tlC llcalllllS OF tnat
notch from which the sappr chips were
flying. My heart quivcrcd as the ak
ate Its way into the soft wood. NV
face must have reflected my thought.
tor the outlaw, giving me gentle
push, sent me on my back.
"Lay down, Kurnel, am don't CIT So
alllircd skeered," he said. "That mir n
mighty comf'tablc hole up in the hills
board an lodgin' free" And ouol-
ing my own words, he fairly made thc
. wclkin ring with his coarse laughter
4 "Sprelv you don't intend to murder
me, Capr"' ' WI
THAT air ics about il, I reckon
hurnei. Yc air cross the dead linn
} an yer epertaph air done been writ .
| Before | could say moro his thron
companions climbed into the WAGON
!, beside me. Clucking to his horses hn
drove on at a trot through the mass
and as the sun rose over the monntoin
we entered the precincts of Slcenv
Cove. 1t must have been 10 o'clort
yet into that lonesome SPOT the snn
was just beginning to pour his rave
/ By p. IN. he would disappear beh;nd
, the jagged cliff that formed tbe woet
? ern boundary of the retreat, and thn
long twilight would set in with its
= spectral shadows chasing each Other in
f the dark wood. Often had | heard
the country folk talk with batcd brcath
OF the horrors of Sleepy Cove. Cob.
Inns, they said, dwclt in the mountain
caves, coming forth at dusk to frolic
; with the fearless moonshiners. and
dancing al midlight upon the slippery
, crags. Ghouls, armed" with the boncs
OF murdered men, kept nightly vigil At
/ the narrow pass, and if any hnmon
Deing approached from the outside
they gathered around the giant poplar
and beat upon th@ bark till the FRIGHT
t ened man disappeared in the dircct;on
) whence he came. No man but thn
moonshincrs had ever been known 'i,o to
come froM Sleepy Cove alive, consc.
) 4uenlly none ever voluntarily entered
that wild nncanpy place.
! These thoughts were passing through
NJ" mind when suddenly the wagon
stopped, aid tho four meh threw them.
selves into attitudes ~ "f attention, grasp
ing thciI guns and casting ttnrtiYe
| CJlonpno of oonh pfbor St,,