The Irish standard., 1890-11-29

had an object in carrying out this course,
of action and after learning few words
of the Mongrel- Spanish spoken BY the
hands around the place he grew init
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 ar1ong them. While 1t might
have taken him years to have learned
to ride horse with any thing approach
ing the ease that Gaucho did it, he
soon became very expert and In BRIEF
| moments, when his thoughts of anxious
friends left him, he would really some
what enjoy himself
1t 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 a degree that he
would take Percy with him very often
when ne drove to the head station,
about ten miles further north. 1t was
on one Of those occasions that Percy
found welcome opportunity to effect
an escape They were driving home at
dusk when, without a warning sign of
any kind, one of the wheels came off
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 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
binary circumstances seemed like an
unfortunate occurrence, but Percy
hailed it with delight He was not
pleased to see the praying old Dutch
man in trouble, but he at once saw
means Of escape. He was dressed IN
the garb OF native, but that made no
difference, and once on river steamer
he would be safe. He set the broken
arm of the Dutchman as best he could
with his limited knowledge Of surgery
and then presumably turned his atten~
ton 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-
scented, and in few minutes Percy was
riding as fast as his horse could carry
him to freedom.
How the Dutchman spent the night
Lowell never knew; for himself, he spent
most Of it in the saddle.
In the morning he reached 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 Bnenos
Ayres All this time Percy was full Of
hope that the villain who had caused
his abduction would still be there, and
be had made up his mind to make short
, work OF bringing him to justice.
It would be difficult to describe Per-
eys feelings whom he once 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-
| fore and introduced himself as the miss
ing Nh. 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 halfway he at once be-
came aware Of the reason which pre-
vented him from being recognized. He
| could not himself believe that the OBJ
| iect OF which he caught a momentary
glance was Percy Lovel. His face was
brown aud dirty-looking. his uncut hair
hung in disheyeled state over his
shoulders, and his untrimmed beard
helped to make him a most pitiable OBJ
iact such as none would recognize as the
genial Englishman whose body was sup
posed to have been taken from the river
weeks before. When ne 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 I'll
nothing but sheer and attempt to still