Thomas County cat., 1889-08-15
[Nprighted, 1881
CHAPTER XIv.-CONTINUED.

CdAf len Alk.-IONTlNUEDs
Luke spurred his horse forward, and had
just come in sight Of garden fence, when
there came crash, and over and through
the rotten pickets plunged three horsemen
in gray uniforms. Colonel Mason was only
few rods from them, and fired a revolver
as they disappeared into thicket.
Fire! don't let them escape" he shouted,
spurring his horse In the thicket after the
fleeing men. Twenty muskets belched forth
their deadly contents into the wood. The
bullets shattered the trees, cut of the
leaves in showers. but the three Confed-
crates still thundered ahead, evidently un-
harmed.
In his eagerness to capture them, Colonel
Mason neve- stopped to consider that he
was only one man on horseback, the remain
der of his staff being in another place.
An occasional glimpse Of the fleeing gray
coats spurred him on, and he drove his
horse at the top of his speed through the
woods. Two or three times he fired his re-
volver, but owing to intervening trees and
the speed at which they were travelling he
missed.
They were fully three fourths Of mile
from the house when the sharp report of a
rife broke on the air, and the foremost
horse and rider went down. A white puff
of smoke from behind tree marked the
place from whence the shot had been fired
The horse pitched his rider over his head,
throwing him with such force against q tree
as to stun him.
Colonel Mason was astonished at the shot,
for he knew none of his men were near
enough to have fired it, but he never for y
moment slackened his speed. As his horse
flew through the woods, leaE:ng logs and
whizzing past trees. he saw the fallen rebel
trying to rise, the blood streaming from q
cut in his forehead, caused by his fall against
.he tree.
A large, powerful negro bounded from q
thicket with blood-curdling yell, and club
bing his rife ran upon the fallen man to
dash out his brains. Down came the gun as
curse of vengeance escaped the black, but
at the instant il fell horseman was along
side and sword was thurst forward ward
ing off the blow.
'What! would you kill a wounded man?"
cried Luke.
"God almighty, massa, don't stand in my
way!' cried the negro, painting with rage.
''Foh twenty-five vas is been prayin' to
de debil to give me a chance to kill dat man,
an I'll kill hate him II hate him.
In the momentary glances Colonel Mason
had been able to give the belligerents, he
discovered that the white man was Dick
Sneed and the negro Blackhawk. Never
had he seen such a picture Of rage and fury
In his life as the negro presented. He was
more like some ravenous beast than
human, his eyes almost started from their
sockets, he was foamlng at the mouth and
he had CRASHED his teeth until the froth
about his lips had grown crimson.
'.Blackhawk, you shall not kill helpless
man. cried the Colonel, fiinglng himself
from his horse before the furious negro.
81 will, by I'll kill um if hab to kill
you fust.''
Luke had lot considered what furious
madman he had to deal with until the negro
aimed blow at his head, which, if he had
not parried it with his sword, would have
killed him on the spot. With such force
was the blow given that it shivered his
trusty blade. Luke was almost as furious
as the negro, and hurting the broken hilt
into the blacks face, he closed in on him
and,whippng out his revolver, struck Black