The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-06-02

lglOan for the relief guard. u was chance
that might never come again dropped my
bucket aud aulckly walked away.
Now, this was my position, ] was IN
wood in strange, thiaiy settled country
that did not know had couvict's stripes
on my back, aud not IA cent or n weapon In
my pocket. and knew that my absence was
sure 10 be discovered IN less than an honr,
when the roll would he called. They were
long chances but death, IL seemed 70 me,
would be preferable Ia recapture and pun
ishment The thing was 10 put as much
space as possible between myself and the
camp before the alarm, and plunged ahead,
taking "A southrgsterly direction from the
| stars chose the thick Of the wood rather
than the open, for from the time passed the
| guard the biuodhounds had never been out OF
my mind an instant, and knew
| that the trees would seriously embar
raSs the riders who follow the pack.
| IL is generally supposed that blood
! hounds track aud tree fugitives for hours be
| fore the pursuing party comes up, but as
| matter of fact, the riders always aim To be
rig on the TANKS Of the dogs. There was
| good deal Of undcrbruSh and IL was hard
| progress but excitement kept me up, and
| never paused until | reached a clearing
good six miles away, where | threw myself
! down and listened The wind was still yet,
! the night was full Of the interminable stir of
| the woods, the hutter of leaves, the swapping
of twigs, and the scamper Of some belated
squirrel and in every sound fancied could
hear the faint, far baying of tho hounds.
Stories had heard In camp OF the savage
beasts swarming over poor wretchcs and
Z bn, m
to me, and every revolving detail leaped into
horrid pcturlng in any mind until my scalp
began TO creep and sweat started out all over
me like water II had grown very dark, but
dived into the woods again, thrustlng my
hands in front of me 10 keep the branches
out Of my eyes,
| kept on pretty steadily all night, and
when morning dawned il found me on the
fringcs Of the wood belt, with n sparsey
grown, undulating country before me. There
was thickct near by; crept into it and
painted there for a while ! was dead tired,
and my feet were swollen so that my shoes
seemed bursting, but | could not sleep for
tho haunting thought of those dogs yelping
along my trail, and getting nearer and nearer
made a club from the limb Of tree, and
dragged myself on. 1t would be tedious TO
rchearso the experiences Of that day and tho
next in detail. | was weakened by punish
ment and bad food, and fatigue began 20 tell
terribly upon me | slept in uneasy snntches,
waking with a start and took extraordinary
pains to break my trail, swinging from
branches Of trees and jumping from stumps.
My brain was so distraught and prcyed upon
that often stopped stock still with the agon-
i2ng conviction that the hounds were right
behind me. and Mt Tunes | could make sure l
saw them crashing through the underbrush.
On the second day, when was half famished,
| managed by great good luck to knock over
a rabbit, and ate some of 1t raw, carrying the
rest with me. On the third day had as yet
seen no house, but struck into dislscd road,
which made me hopeful that there were some
habitation near had determined to throw
myself on the mercy Of the first man met
1t must have been about noon while was
passing through a well wooded strip, that |
heard mournful note that made my hear
stand still. IL was no hallucination this time,
but the unnlistakable wall of bloodhounds
that had heard often enough from their
kennel in the camp As stood there, terror
stricken and thrilling, the baying sounded
again, now right ut hand, and an instant
aud made straight at mo. There was no tree
near that was large enough to bear Inc, SO ]
gripped my bludgeon and prepared to fight.
But when the dogs came within dozen feet
they stopped and began to fawn and wag
their tails. They were hounds from the camp
they wore the Lone Star col!ar-but it was
plain they wanted to be friends even with
such poor wretch as Then noticed that
I,h N.
threw them half my rabbit. BY the time
they devoured it was patting their heads
and they were licking my hands.
My theory was then, and is now, that early
in the chase the rest of the hounds took the
wrong trail, and these three alone stuck to
the right one Their famished condition lent
itself to this conclusion, at any rate. | never
saw or heard Of the rest of the pack or any Of
tho guards. But | soon found that blood
hounds are not to be dospised ms travelling
companions for wandered aimlessly for
eight days longer, and. had it not been for
them, would most certainly havo starved.
They ran down rabbits for me, and one day,
10y great chance or dexterity, caught a wild
turkey, and thus we managed to keep alive.
AT night time we all slept In n heap, and the
dogs kept me warm Moreover, knew that
it would be impossible for any one to sur.
prise mo before they would give the alarm.
On the eleventh day out | and my three
boodhouuds walked into COW camp and
when the good natured COW punchors heard
my story and satisfied themselves that had
been one OF them once upon time they I'M
dertook To spirit me over tho state line ]
hated TO part with the dogs, for we had con-
ceived great esteem for each other; but tho
cowboys kept them as loot, and, | afterward
learned, sold one of them for SIS to an Eng
llsh tourist. After a couple OF months of
vicisSitudes made my way north, and, al
though the authorities of Texas have assured
me that there will be no effort made to prose-
cute or roarrest me, | have never had any
craving TO revisit the Lone Star state-New
York Sun.
Tho Sultan and His Musicians.
1t is told that one day the sultan, in an