The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-11-08

cibhC VI was SHNshiNN'
~ heard there were five black fellows
about" said Mr.. s., delaying to mount,
"but the ride is safe enough; I've got my
rifle with me-
They're too close" responded the shep-
herd after filling panikin of tea, and, con-
trary to his custom, standing his gun against
the table
We looked at him inquiringly He kept
his eyes wandering over and around the
hocks, while he explained: "Wall, you see
sir after stein the spear wound on the
crawler, l looked about me purity sharp, but
couldn't see nothin till was leavn' the belt
there, when | sighted one o. the varmints
wriggling through the grass like snake.
was goin' to give him a pill, but | saw
another wriggle in his wake, and then another;
and, continued the narrator, with something
like glow of expectation, "they amt far off
now l reckon.n
He had scarcely uttered the words when he
lifted both hands and struck Mr. S full on
the chest with enough force to drive him to
the extreme end of the hut. At the same
instant spear whizzed through the open
doorway aud quivered in the slabs behind.
SBy gum
More remarks were drowned by loud
quiverng snort from the poor horse a mo-
ment after and he rolled heavily across the
hut door, completely blocking up the en-
trance.
Mat muttered away "Frst-rate for us
coons? Ye'd better bar the door, Bill. Doc
tor doctor! doctor! psf psf Here lad"
The dog eaped on the shepherd "By gum,"
he said, ~ thought he was outside"
By this time Mr. s. was coolly recon
noitering through the loop-holes. He had let
down the window and was preparing for
action as uuconcernedly as the shepherd.
These quiet, brave men inspired me with
confidence and [ remember thinking as ]
threw water on the fire so as to extinguish all
light that the black fellows had met their
match. By this time the moon was up and
the light was gradually growing on the land
scape. At first we could discern the outlines
of the trees, and then, as the tight withered,
the white scared grass between the shadows.
There was a long time of silence. Mat, Mr..
s. and myself had our barrels through the
loop-holes and were closely watching for any
movement outside. The convulsive shud-
derlng of the horse had ceased, and there was
painful silence. The squatter and Mat were
like two statues, and Notwithstanding the
Qulcb DGcdGlllIlS VI ble uOS dDu Uu6 CIOdhlIS
of the frogs along the river, there seemed to
be frightful significance in the silence that
was brooding above these sounds. Every
instant was expecting rush from the out
side, and there was not sign nor a sound to
betray the presence of any enemy. The sheep
were camping quietly around the hurdles.
Silence-the bright moon-the white feeces
minglng with the color of the grass-the still
e Al.
the spectral tracery of the branches in the
moonlight. The silence was terrible. One of
the outside wethers rose and walked forward
a few yards, then commenced stamping
quickly on the ground.
'Darn my eyes," said Mat, for the first
time breaking the silence, ''if the Ole Parson
hain't sighted one of the niggers.'
The sole Parsonr was patriarch wether
that was afflicted with the foot-rot, and
usually fed on his knees.
$50 he has, and, by gum, there's crowd
the whole tribe hev come to visit. Not
enough in shade, boss" concluded Mat, after
another interval, and in hard whispering
tone.
The next moment the first report rang out
into myriad echoes A shrill death-shout fol-
lowed, as the dark figure of a man leaped with
a sudden force from the ambush and fell
prone, gurgling out blood and broken words.
''Now, boss" said Mat, looking out but
still charging: FIFTY yards to the right of the
hurdle.n
Boss (Mr. S--) changed the direction of the
gun and fired. The human figure seemed to
sink down so quickly, so calmly, so help
lessly, that felt strange thrill of pity.
''He's fixed safe as houses; let's physic an
other or two, and maybe they will make
tracks," again muttered the shepherd in a
tone of suppressed glee. ''Cook, why the
devil don't you shoot? Squint round that
block to the right of the waffle"
Looking in the direction indicated by Mat
whose eyes seemed everywhere, l saw the
figure of man partially visible against the
ground He was evidently shelterlng himself
from the other two guns, but, owing to my
silence heretofore he must have been Of the
opinion that the portion of the hut where
stood was unoccupied. For an instant
could see nothing through the smoke, but it
cleared almost Immediately. Just as the
shepherd said: "Don't shoot again-he's
fixed" / saw the poor wretch staggering
wildly toward the hut, and then falling with a
dull sound. The next thing | remember was
Mr.. s. asking me if had run any bullets.
''Not one"
"Have you any in the hut ?''
"Not onen