Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-11-09

iStlISL luc HILL ulSul VI OppoSluS
steel. Cluny, limp mass, rolled into I,
whin bush, whose thorns added to his
death agony.
The sky grew clouded, Il thin smiIT
of rain shed its almost impalpable haze
on the scene, and still the fight went
on. Inert clanSmen, slowly Stiffening,
were scattered on the torn grass be-
tween the gap and Mackelar's house,
on which the old man and the glenS-
men were being slowly but surely driy-
en- back. The retreat, logged and pain
full, was an unconscious physical cav
ing in on the part Of the defenders,
and Calum'S back was against his own
walls before he knew it, for the slaugh-
ter of Ciuny blinded him, and he had
been laying about him in Il mist of
feryor
The curse Of Conan" he Yelled
they're beating us, boys, baS, bas,
Diarmidn' The scream tore through
the Gap and the Mackellars tried t.
echo it, and TO clutch new hope and
strength from its inspiration, but their
split voices only gave husky, arid
whispers. Yet they gathered their
Stacking muscles together on a new
appeal and for the last time, all that
was left-a pitiful handful-Calum, Art,
and Neilla, the Mann lads, the Drim-
lee lads and two from Ceann-na-COin,
rushed in on the sons of Diarmid. 1t
was the mad unreckoning of despair
There were Il dozen kinks to one. In Il
moment there were left only the throb-
bing Calum and his two sons, the latter
crimson from their own gaSheS and
the wounds of others. They stood
YEARLY, side by side, making heavy,
futile, almost paralytic essays with
their swords at the nearest foes. At
last an impetuous rush of the Diarmids
bore the three men down the path, and
sent them crashing through the hut
door in Il crazy huddle among the
peats.
Surrender, and Wen spare your dirty
lives" shouted Gilesbeg, as the three
men sprung to bay and waited the on
set. Calum glanced Wistfully at the
foe before him. ITO die in 4 house like
Il rat" he said simply, were no great
things" He tossed his sword on the
floor, and Art and NeiIla did -.AeWise.
In Il moment the men were bound, and
then they were led outside, where the
scent of birch and heather and the
pungent gall with new freshness Dor
r0Wed from the passing shower, for
4 moment blotted out the agoniZed i'm
preston of the cruel scene around.
Calum paused a second on the TIRES
hold, and glanced on the dusky interior
He saw for the last time the bed where
his wife had died, and the spinning
tneel us she had left it, with the thread
still on the teeth OF the heck" A
spasm of pain went over his face at
the sight of the keel marks ON the door
that in the happy days far off had
made the record of the growth of The
Little One.
Give us all you know about the ale"
peremptOrily demanded Gilesbeg, WHIP
ing the blood from his knife on trft
of grass.
Calum laughed in his face, and the
sons said contemptuouS things Of the
enemy that reused them.
Aye! Ye may laugh" sneered the
Grim-faced, clenching his fist against
the jaw of Calum, but it's a strange
laugh yell have when we're done with
you. It's not on your feet with the
biodag you'll die like gentlemen, but
you'll make crows meat at the foot
of the ScaurnOch.'
Art grew pallid at the horror of the
doom, but it did not shake the others.
It's die we must, anyway" replied
Calum, coolly. Neilla Whistled "Blar-
na-leine" and ground his heel in the
moss. 1t was enough; the three men
We're thrust into Il shed with a few
men to guard them, while some of the
rest sought the brewing cave and
others finished with fire the fearful
work in the glen, or dealt with their
dead. And i'll the afternoon there had
been no secret yet learned, and the
men marched for the ScaurOch with
the prisoners before them. They were
Jeered at, they were prodded at with
knives, they had the essence Of obloquy
poured on them as they YEARLY drag
ged to the mouth of the glen, and up
through the SrOngara to the boSky
shoulder of Dun-i-Coryal, and the Dun
beyond. The woods were full of ami
mai life that seemed happy enough,
but the cracking leaves lay thick on
the ground and the wind had the chill
menace of coming winter Calum,
thick-set, light of foot, trod the hunt
ing path lightly; Neilla strobe with long
steps, carelessly; Art slouched along,
downcast, sickly-looking. Now and
then his father glanced at him with
lowering eyes, or nudged his arm with
significance.
The wood opened, the hunting-path
bent at right angle, to give level
pause that the eye might catch the
vision spread below. Loche Finne
stretched far from Cairndhu to French
Foreland in the pensive evening, a
CLASSY plain, with the little waves level
led by the distance into the general
tiatness. One brown lub-sail lay off
the Sheep rocks.
! Calum Dhu tossed his head to send
the tangled hair from his eyes and
glanced at what was below. The
Schaurnoch fell sheer two hundred feet
from where he stood He spat con-
temptuously over the edge Of the cliff
which the jostle of an inch, from the
Diarmid beside him, would send him
SpraWling over, Il helpless doomed
spread of limbs, to Startle the ravens
that swung on gloomy pinions below
The sun, lost behind the Dun, lent
floating glory to the COwal Hills;
5.Ip do ,x>lo. IL