Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-17

down so as to do rational thinking and
calculation; as / stood there with the
proofs of my errand, in memoranda
and plans upon my person, the cry Of
night bird or slight splash of fish
or snake gliding into the water would
chill my blood and check my heart
beats, and 1 had seen some pretty
tough times before that, too. No mat
ter how pressing the danger may be,
if man sees chance for safety, if he
has his foe before him to rouse the
fight in him, he can face the music and
"go in" with more or less vim; but let
him be surrounded by darkness, i'm
penetrable at three feet distance, o
concealed enemy close at hand, for all
he knows to the contrary, an ignomin-
ious, horrible death sure to quickly
follow his capture, and if he breathes
as freely and finds his spirits as joyous
as in ballroom, he is better fitted to
pose as hero than 1.
In the misery Of that moment, in the
sudden and utter helplessness I ex-
perienced in being unable to discover
my bearings, / was about to let myself
gently down into the stream and to
float with its current to life or death.
Our outposts must be reached; the
General must be informed of the pro-
jected movement against him. If
failed to get through alive my body
might float down the bayou to where
our pickets were stationed, and the
papers found upon it would tell the
story; there was chance of that and a
grim satisfaction in the thought. I'd
die struggling in the water and not
kicking in the air, and I'd beat them
dead as l had thus far alive. / actu-
ally chuckled over the idea as began
to unloosen the rough shoes upon my
feet.
I was stopping down when there
came sound I well knew, the low,
sullen bay of a bloodhound. The dan
ger, one I had not anticipated, was
coming near, and that knowledge
actually revived me; there would lie
something to fight anyhow. The dread
of uncertainty vanished before the sure
coming struggle. 1 plunged into the
water-in a moment I was standing
covered above the hips in the bayou,
just beyond the jutting banks. After
q pause of few seconds began to
creep, slowly and with cautious steps
down the stream, followed, as I knew
by the rustling of grass and breaking
of twigs, by the Unsuitable brute, al
though, by certain uneasy growls that
reached my ears, knew that the beast
was at fault.
Something struck against my breast.
I could not suppress the slight cry of
Joy that escaped from me as, stretch
ing out my hand, ] grasped the stern
Of bough-covered boat. Between
and the relief / felt half
choked. In an instant I had clam
bered into the craft. I knew at once
that it was mine, undiscovered and un-
disturbed during all these days.
began to move forward in it, so as to
find the rope by which she was fas-
tened to the projecting log under which
I had hidden her. Suddenly ray of
moonlight, the first that had broken
through the thick clouds in all those
hours, fell directly on the spot, light
ing up the skiff, the waters of the
bayou, and penetrating even some dis
tance into the gloom of the verging
woods; and on the log, as I hurriedly
cut the line that held my, boat to it, I
saw the great, supple form of crouch
ing bloodhound, his red eyes blazing
like Goals of living fire, his jaws dis
tended, his red tongue, froth-dripping,
hanging low, and the whole body
poised, panther-like, for q spring upon
his prey.
With one swift, hard push sent the
boat whirling out into the current, but
the savage brute was as quick. With a
splash he was in the water close at the
side Of the craft. 1 seized the rough,
heavy oar and made desperate effort
to brain him, but the network of
boughs about the boat which prevented
him from easily climbing in, broke the
force and directness of the blow and it
merely glanced on his ear. The hasty
4 Ul l