Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-10-30

hands around the place he grew 1ntt- mate with them as far as his knowledge of the language would permit. He was thus better capable of entering into their work and sport with vim and earnestness which made him lots of friends among them. While 1t might have taken him years to have learned to ride horse with any thing approach ing tho ease that a Gaucho did 1t. he soon became very expert and in brief moments, when his thoughts ofanxious friends left him, he would really some what enjoy himself
 It was getting to be about time for the tall Spaniard to put in an appear ance again when Van Nepp also seemed to be growing friendly to him. In one brief week this friendship had improved and grown to such degree that he would take Percy with him very often when he drove to the head station, about ten miles further north. It was on one of those occasions that Percy found a welcome opportunity to effect an escape. They were driving home at dusk when, without warning sign of any kind, one of the wheels came of their vehicle and threw the riders to the ground. Percy turned a summer sault and fell on his shoulders, sustain ing no further injury than a rough shak- ing, but his companion was not so fortunate, for he fell on his side and, in falling, broke his arm.
 Here was what would have under or dinary circumstances seemed like an unfortunate occurrence, but Percy hailed 1t with delight He was not pleased to see the praying old Dutch man in trouble, but he at once saw a means of escape. He was dressed in the garb of a native, but that made no difference, and once on a river steamer he would be safe. He set the broken arm of tho Dutchman as best he could with his limited knowledge of surgery and then presumably turned his atten- tion to the repair of the wagon. Find ing that the wheel could not be fastened on without the assistance of black smith, as the little pin from the axle was lost, Percy proposed that he should ride back to the head station and bring the smith from there. To this, the Dutchman, anxious to get home, con sented, and in a few minutes Percy was riding as fast as his horse could carry | him to freedom.
 How the Dutchman spent the night Lovel never knew; for himself, he spent l most OI It III JnO
 In tho morning he reached a small town on the banks of the river, where he sold the horse for an insignificant sum, and with it he boarded a river steamer and took the cheapest passage he could purchase down to Buenos Ayres. All this time Percy was full of hope that the villain who had caused his abduction would still be there, and 1 !, do iyl fA ol~n cI work of bringing him to justice.
 ! It would be difficult to describe Per ey's feelings when he onco more came in sight of the blue and white porcelain domes of Buenos Ayres. He fondly inn agined that in few hours he would be able to exchange the rags which covered his body for clothing which would bet ter become his handsome form.
 He walked boldly up to the hotel where he had stayed few months be- 1 fore and introduced himself as the miss ing Mir. Huntly. In less time than 1t takes to record it he was being hustled into the street, and as he passed a mirror in the hallway he at once be- came aware of the reason which pre- vented him from being recognized. He could not himself believe that the ob- iect of which he caught a momentary glance was Percy Lovel. His face was brown and dirty-looking, his uncut hair
 hung in a disheveled state over his shoulders, and his untrimmed beard helped to make him most pitiable ob- feet such as none would recognize as the genial Englishman whose body was SUD- posed to have been taken from the river
 weeks before. When he reached the street he wandered aimlessly about and finally decided to go to the American consulate. There he introduced him. self, but met with an even worse recep-
 tion than he experienced at the hotel.
 The consul was not to be seen, and the
 young men in charge of the office di
 nothing but sheer and attempt to still