Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-04-30

breeze that was Breathing softls Up channel
Thine 10 sup, lad, for the both O!sIs, he broke
| of, shortly.
Indeed, was faint with hunger by this
/ time, vet had no stomach TO eat thus close to
the dead. So, turning into gate on our left
hand. we crossed two or three fields, and sat
down to sup off BillY's biscuits, the mare
standing quietly beside US and cropping the
short grass.
The field where we now found ourselves
ran out along the top of a small promoLtory
and ended, without fence of any SORT, at the
cliffs edge. As 1 sat, looking soIthward,
could only observe the sloop II turning my
head, but Billy, who sqQs.Jed over against
me, hardly took his eye5 off her, and between
| this and his meal was too busy to speak a
word. For me, had enough to do thinking
over the late, fght; and, being near worn out,
had half -Zlind to spend the night there on
the hard turf; for, though the sun was now
down-and the landscape gray, yet the air was
exceeding warm; and albeit, as have said,
the-e breathed light breeze now and then,
twas hardly cool enough to dry the sweat Off
me. So 1 stretched myself out, and found it
very pleasant to. lie still; nor, when Billy
stood up and sauntered off towards the far
end Of the headland, did 1 stir more than to
turn my head and lazily watch him.
| He was gone half an hour at the least, and
the sky by this time was so dark that 1 had
lost sight of him, when, rising on my elbow
to look around, noted a curious red glow
at point where the turf broke off, not three
hundred yards behind me, and a thin smoke
curling up in it, as it seemed, from the very
face of the cliff below. In a minute or so
ba Ia oil hut h oh
against the sky continued steady, though not
very strong. BILLY has lit fire" 1 guessed,
and was preparing to go and look, when 1
spied black form crawling towards me, and
presently saw twas Billy himself
Coming close, he halted, put finger to his
lip and beckoned, then began to lead the
way back as he had come.
Thought l, ''these are queer doings," but
left Molly to browse and crept after him on
hands and knees. He turned his head once to
make sure was following, and then scram-
bled on quicker, but softly, towards the point
where the red glow was shining.
Once more he pulled up-as judged about
twelve PAGES distance from the edge-and,
after considering for a second, began to move
again, only now he worked a little to the
right. And soon 1 saw the intention of this;
for just here the cliffs lip was cleft by ifs
sure-very like that in Scawfell which we
were used to call the Lords Rake, only mar
rower-that ran back into the field and
shelved out gently at the top, so that man
might easily scramble some way down it,
though how far could not then tell And
twas from this fiSsure that the glow came.
Along the right lip of this Billy led me,
skirting it by a couple of yards and wriggling
on his belly like a blindwOrm. Crawling
closer now (for twas hard to see him against
the black TURF, 1 stopped beside him and
strove to quiet the violence of my breathing.
Then, after a minutes pause, together we
pulled ourselves to the edge and peered over.
The descent of the gully was broken, some
eight feet below US, by a small ledge, sloping
Outwards about six feet las l guess, and
screened by branches OF the wild tamarisk
At the back, in an angle of the solid rock,
was now set pan pierced With holes, and
full of burning charcoal; and over this man
in the rebels uniform was STOPPING.
He had q small paper parcel in his left
hand, and was blowing at the charcoal with
all his might Holding my breath, 1 heard
him clearly, but could see nothing of his face
for his back was towards Us, all sable against
the glow. The charcoal fumes as they rose
choked me so that was very near a fit of
coughing, when Billy laid one hand on my
shoulder, and with the other pointed out to
seward
Looking that way, saw a small light shin
ing on the sea, pretty close in. Twas a Ian
tern hung out from Ia aioop, as concluded
Oh the instant; and ~ 1 began to have an
ir!iling Of what Wa toward
But looking down again at the man with
the charcoal pan, s,w a black head of hair
hfte'l, and then a pair az rel pIlfed cheeks,
and a pinpicd nose with u scar across the
bridge # it-all shining in the glare of the
pan
Powers CT Eeaven!7 gasped; "'tis that
bloody villain Luke cit -
And, springinG u my feet, l took jump
over the edge and came sprawling on top of
him. The scoUndrel was STOPPING with his
nose close to the pan, AID had not time to
turn before l lit with thud on his shout
ders, fattening him on the ledge and nearly
sending his face on top of the live Goals.
Twas SO sudden that, before he could so
much as think, my fingers were about his
windpipe and the both # US struggling fiat
on the brink of the precipice. For he had
bulls strength and heaved and kicked, so
that 1 fully looked, next moment, to be fly
ing over the edge into the sea; nor could
held on and worked my fingers in, ard
thought how he had strangled the mastiff
that night on the bowling green, and vowed
to serve him the same if only strength held
out.
But now, just as he had almost twisted his
neck free, 1 heard a stone or two break away
above us, and down came Billy Pottery flying
atop of US, and pinned us to the ledge.
Twas short work now Within a minute,
Capt. Luke Settle was turned OH his back, his
eyes fairly starting with Billys clutch on his
throat, his mouth wide open and gasping; till
slipped the nozzle of my pistol between his
teeth; and with that he had no more chance,
but gave in, and like a lamb submitted to
have his arms trussed behind him with
Billy's leathern belt and his legs with his own.
Now said l, standing over him, and put
ting the pistol against his temple, "you and
l, Master Turncoat Settle, have some ac-
counts that 'twould be well to square. So
first tell me, what do you here, and where is
Mistress Della Killigrew!"
l think that till this moment the bully had
no idea his asSailants were more than a chance
couple of Cornish troopers. But now, seeing
the glow of the burning charcoal on my face,
he ripped out a horrid blasphemous- curse,
and straightway fell to speaking calmly.
GOOD sirs, the game is yours, with care.
S'lidl but you hold a pretty hand-if only
you know how to play it,"
"'Tis you shall help me, captain; but let
us be clear about the stakes. For you, It's
life or death; for me, It's to regain Mistress
Della, failing which l shoot you here through
the head and topple you into the sea. You
are the knave Of trumps, sir, and play that