The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-11-08
JOB DEPARTMENT..
you good.day and countit extremely
fortNnata that You did ifnt lllaal1 - y z.

you good.day and countit extremely
fortanate that you did not bleed.
He nodded in the friendliest man.
ner. turned on his heel, and walked
quietly toward the bridge. As no
untethered his pony, mounted and
ambled quietly off in the direction of
the coast I lay stupidity Watching
him.
1must have lain above an hour
and in this absurd and painful posi-
tion wrestling with my bonds and
speculating on my chances of
passing the night by the bedside. My
ankles were tied with my own hand
kerchief, my wrists with the thong of
my own whip, and this especially cut
me. 1t was knotted immovably, but
by rolling over and rubbing my face
into the turf contrived ut length to
the gag down below my chin. This
!eS, l sat up and shouted Justify.
think l called q score of times be-
fore heard an answering "Whoo-
oopW far back on the road, and n
scarlet coat, then another, and final-
ly q dozen or more, appeared on the
crest of the hill. 1t was the hunt re-
turning.
They saw me at once and galloped
up, speechless from slleeraln;lz cement.
l believe my hands were loosened be-
fore Il word was spoken. The situa-
tion was painfully ridiculous. hut my
story was partly out before they had
time to laugh, and the rest of it was
gaspea to the accompaniment of
pounding hooss and cracking whips.
Never did the Netherkirk hunt ride
utter fox as it rode after the Rev.
William league that afternoon. We
streamed over the moor, a thin. rel
wave, like a rank ofchargingcavalrv,
the whip even forgetting his tired
hounds that struggled aimlesslv in
our wake. On the lliIl above Bca-
kirk we saw that the tide was out and
our company divided without draw
ing rein-some four horsemcn de-
scending the beach to ride along the
sands out under Woeful Ness and
across the Dead Boy, hoping to rain
the ridge before the mailman andcut
him of. The rest, whom led by u
few yards, breasted the height above
and thundcred past the gray church.
yard wall. Inside it caught IL fly
ingglimpsc of the yellow pony quietly
cropping among the tombs. We
had our prey, then, inclosed in that
peninsula as in q trap; but there was
one outlet.
Presently the turf ceased. Dis
mounting ! ran to the edge and
plunged down the rocky face. had
descended about twenty feet when
came to the spot where by craning
forward Icould catch sight of tho
spit of rock and the Quick Boy sand
to the right of it.
The sun-n blazing ball of rcd-was
just now resting tsnethcr rim on the
horizon and its level rays icll upon.
the man we were chasing. He stood
on the very edge OF the rocks. IL black
spot against the luminous yellow of
sea and sand. He seemed to le mcdi-
tating. Eis back was toward usand
he perceived neither his pursuers
above nor the heads that at this
moment appeared oyer the ridge he
hind him and not fifteen yards away.
The party OH the beach had dis
mounted and were clambcrinw up
stenltlily. Five seconds more and
they could spring upon him.
But they unlcrcstimatcd a mad
mans instinct As if for no reu-
son, he gi,vra quick start, turned,
and at the same instant was
aware of both attacking parties. a
last CLEAN of sunlight fell on the
snufi-box in his left hands his right
thumb and forcfin.rr hung arrested,
grasping the pinch. For fully hall II
minute nothing happcnc'l: hunters
and hunted eyed each other and
waited. Then, carrying the snuff to
his nose, and doiling his hat with IL
stirical sweep of the hand and II low
bow, he turned again and tipped oft
the ledge into the jaws of the Quick
Boy.
There was no help now. At his
third step the sand had him by the
ankles. For Il moment he fought it,
then. throwingnp his arms. sank for
ward slowly and as it bowing yet up
on his face. Second by second we
stood and watched him disappear.
Within five minutes tho hcripplcs of the
Quick Boy sand met once more
above him.
In the course of thcncXt afternoon
the vicar of Bleakirk called mt the
hall with n paper which he had found
pinned to the church door. IL was
evidently a scrap torn from an old
letter and bore, scribbled in pencil
by IL clrrky hand. these words:
"The young Squire Cartwright in
straits by the foot-bridgc, six miles
toward Nctllerkirk. Crate pro
amin Gulielmi league
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