Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1893-01-21


back again. To your watch, David!
This was but dram before meat"
settled back to my place, recharged
the three pistols had fired and keeping
watch with both eye and ear.
Our enemies were disputing not far
off upon the deck, and that so loudly
that could hear word or two above
the washing of the seas.
"It was Shuan bauchled [bungledl it,"
heard one say.
And another answered him with q
'Wheesht, mani He's paid the piper" :"
After that the voice fell again into
the same muttering as before. Only
now one person spoke most of the time,
as though laying down a plan, and first
one and then another answered him
briefly, like men taking orders. By this
made sure they were coming on again,
and told Alan.
Then there came single call on the
sea pipe, and that was the signal. A
knot of them made one rush of it, cut
lass in hand, against the door, and at the
same moment the glass of the skylight
was dashed in thousand pieces and a
man leaped through and landed ON the
floor. Before he got his feet / had
clapped pistol to his back, and might
have shot him, too, only at the touch of
him land him alive) my whole flesh mis-
gave me, and could no more pull the
trigger than could have flown.
He had dropped his cutlass as he
jumped, and when he felt the pistol
whipped straight around and laid hold
of me, roaring ont an oath, and at that
either my courage came again or grew
so much afraid, as came to the same
thing, for gave shrek and shot him
in the midst of the body. He gave the
most horrible, ugly groan and fell to the
floor. The foot Of second fellow, whose
legs were dangling through the sky
light, struck me at the same time upon
the head, and at that l snatched another
pistol and shot this one through the
thigh, so that he slipped through and
tumbled in lump on his companions
body. There was no talk Of missing any
more than there was time to aim. !
clapped the inuzzle to the very place and
fired.
| might have stood and stared at them
for long, but heard Alan shout as if
for help, and that brought me to my
senses.
He had kept the door so long; but one
of the seamen, while he was engaged
with others, had run in under his guard
and caught him about the body Alan
was dirking him with his left hand, but
the fellow clung like leech. Another
had broken in and had his cutlass
raised. The door was thronged with
their faces. | thought we were lost,
and catching up my cutlass fell on them
in flank.
But had no time to be of help The
wrestler dropped at last, and Alan,
ieaping back to get his distance, ran
upon the others like bull, roaring as
he went. They broke before him like
water, turning and running, and falling
one against another in their haste. The
sword in his hands flashed like quick
silver into the huddle of our fleeing ene-
mics, and at every fash there came the
scream of a man hurt. l was still
we were lost, when 10, they
were all gone, and Alan was driving
them along the deck as a sheep dog
chases sheep.
Yet he was no sooner out than he was
back again, being as cautious as he was
brave, and meanwhile the seamen con-
tinued running and crying out as if he
was still behind them, and we heard
them tumble one upon another in the
forecastle and clap to the hatch upon
the top.
The roundhouse was like a shambles;
three were dead inside, another lay in
his death agony across the threshold.
and there were Alan and / victorious
and unhurt.
He came up to me with open arms.
Come to my arms" he cried, and en-
braced and kissed me hard upon both
cheeks. DAVID" said he, 81 love you
like brother. And, oh, man." he cried
in kind of ecstasy, "am nae bonny
lighter"
Thereupon he turned to the four ene-
mics, passed his sword clean through
each of them and tumbled them out of
doors one after the other. AS he did so
be kept humming and singing and whis-
Ting to himself, like a man trying to
recall an air, only what he was trying
was to make one. All the while the
lush was in his face and his eyes were
rs bright as five-year-old child's with
a new toy. And presently he sat down
upon the table, sword in hand; the air
that he was making all the time began
10 run little clearer and then clearer
still, and then out he burst with great
voice into Gaelic song.
In the meanwhile, what with the long
.