The Forrest City times., 1893-09-15

knew 1 should be drowned or caught and knocked on the head in the water by the burglars as a hunter might knock muslSrat in the head, and the horror of it drove me back. Then l thought of my own boat, but before I started that way, remembered that my friends had moved it over to the mainland to return at daylight with the sailboat, leaving me only my rock cts to signal the shore in case of need, and what were signals now? Only a means whereby the murderers might discover me.
 One thinks rapidly at such moments. fancy, and all this took place in much less time than it requires to tell it. but there was time enough for the burglars to learn l was not in the room, and with their quick eyes see the window through which 1 had escaped, and l heard some of them coming along the course I had taken, and one going down towards my boat landing to cut me off there.
 Then aimlessly again and utterly | dazed, began to circle the little is- l land, running on the beach. They l could not see me and my bare feet made no noise in the sand and I rushed madly ahead. when all at once l went with a terrible crash over something on the beach. They were near enough to hear my fall, and one of the m l shouted:
 Here he is, Bill; we've got him; we'll l fix him now"
 I ,l,% ..1,n t1a lxtyy isly t d but as l tried to get up l found was l in boat drawn half way up on the sand.
 almost shouted with joy when l I made this discovery. It was their boat and once in it and on the water I was safe By this time l could hear their footsteps along the shore, which was quite rocky and rough here, except the little bit of beach where the boat lay, and they could not make such headway as did, as they dld not know the way through the rocks.
 But they were coming fast enough and cursing at every step, and with the energy of despair, l caught the boat in my arms, and with wild strain tried to shove it into the water. But it would scarcely budge. Again and again I tugged, the blood almost bursting through my ears by the exer- tion and the skin tearing from my hands and bare arms.
 So nt ar thought to safety, and still the danger increasing every second, then as l heard an oath, more wicked 1 than the others, as one of the bur glars fell over stone, felt the boat move. and little wave rolled in and 1 lifted it. so that with one more push 1t slid off into deep water. jumped in, caught the oars, and as the burglars dashed down through the darkness to where they heard the noise, the boat shot out into the water and l was safe
 They might have shot me from the shore, but they had either left their re- | volvers in the house or had none, the revolver being too noisy weapon for burglars as a rule.
 Whatever the cause they did not fire, and I did not wait for it, at least that close A hundred feet out l began to be myself once more and stopped rowing.
 ''Why don't you come on?' l shouted back. half historically.
 Hold on, they yelled, and l could hear them running up and down the shore in the darkness.
 '.Oh, you're all right I laughed shrilly. I'll come and take you off in the course of few hours" and then. fearful that they might get their guns, l rowed away as fast as could for the mainland.
 I think I made that three miles in half the record, and when l found the first policeman, he was for running me in as a lunatic or a sleep-walSer, but he knew me, and as soon as l told my story. force of ten men boarded tug and we returned to the island By this time the first gray streaks of dawn were showing in the summer sky, and as we cautiously ran up to my wharf, 1t was almost light enough to see the house
 We saw no burglars, however. nor any signs of them, though knew had them penned up on the island and es cape was impossible. We waited until daylight. and then, deployed as skir- mishers, the policemen began to move across the island, expecting any mo ment to flush burglar or get shot from ambush.
 As we came up to the house one oi the burglars appeared in the doorway and was covered on the instant by 2 dozen guns.
 Come in. gentlemen, come right in, he said. cheerily. We were expecting you and we've got a nice breakfast