Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-01-21

appealingly and then savagely on his shoulder.
 'Come! Enough of this! I am here, and will stand by you whatever comes. These dogs are no more to be feared than the other. Rouse yourself, man, and at least help me make fight for it."
 "NoI No!" screamed the terrified man. "Lemme gol Lemme go back to de massasl Tell 'em I'll come! Tell 'cm to call de houn's off me, and I'll go quictl Lemme gor' He struggled violently in his companions grasp.
 With all Courtland's self control, hab- its of coolncss and discipline, it is to be feared there was still something of the old Bersakcr temper. His face was white, his eyes blazed in the darkness; only his voice kept that level distinct ness which made it for n moment more terrible than ever the baying of the tracking hounds to the negro's ear. "Cato," he said, attempt to run now, and by God! I'll save the dogs the trouble of grappling your living car cass! Come here! Up that tree with you!"-pointing to swamp magnolia Don't move as long as can stand here,
 
 save yoursclf-the best you can."
 He half helped, half dragged the now passive African to the solitary tree; as the bay of a single hound came nearer, the negro convulsivcly scrambled from Courtland's knee and shoulder to the fork of branches a dozen feet from the ground Courtland drew his revolver and stepping back few yards into the open waited the attack.
 It came unexpectedly from behind. A sudden yclp of panting cruelty and frCnziCd. anticipation at COurtland's back caused him to change front quick ly as the dripping fangs and snally boa like neck of a wicrd gray shadow passed him. With an awful supcrnaturalncss of instinct it kept on in an uncrrlng line to tho Hateful tree! But that dread dire 'tncSs of scent was COurtland's op- portunity. His revolver flashed out in an aim as unorrirT. The brute, pierced through neck and brain, dashed on against tho tree In his impetus, and then rolled over against it in a Quiver- ing bulk. Again another bay came from tho same direction. Courtland know that his pursucrs had out1lanllcd him and the blN0lhoundS were crossing the swamp. But he was prepared; again the same weird shadow, as spec tral and mOu>truuS as q dream, dashed out into the brief light of the open, but this tim" it was stopped and rolled over ronvulAivcly before it had crossed. Flushed with tho fire of fight in his veins, Cuurtland turned furinus'y from tho fallrn hrutCs to meet the onset of the moro coW@r,lly hunters whom he knew were at his heels. At that mo mrnt it would have farrd ill with the foremost. No longer the calculating steward and diplomatic manager, no longer the cool-headcd arbiter of con- nicting interests, he was ready to meet them not only with the intrepid in- stincts of soldier but with an aroused partisan fury equal to their own. To his surprise no one followed; tho baying of third hound seemed to be silCncCd and chCcllCd; the silence was broken only by the sound of distant disputing voices and the uneasy tramp ling of hOufS. This was followed by two or three rifle shots, but not either in tho direction of the quarters nor the DOws' dwelling house. There cvi- dcntly was some interruption in the pursuit-a diversion of sor-c kind had taken placc-but arhUt,' he knew not. IIc could think of no one who might have intcrfcrCd on his behalf. and tho shouting and wranEling seemed to be carried on in tho accents of the ono sectional party. He called cautiously to Cato. The negro did not reply. He crossed to the tree and shook it impa- ticntly. It's houghs were empty; Cato vas gone! The miserable negro must have taken advantage of the first di- version in his favor to escape. But where and how there was nothing left to indicate.
 As Courtlard had taken little note of tho trail, he had no idea of his own whereabouts. He knew he must re- turn to the fringe of cypress to be able to cross the open field and gain the negro quarters, where it was still pos siblc that Cato had fled. Taking a gem cral direction from the few stars vis- iblc above the opening he began to re- trace his steps. But he had no longer the ncCro's woodcraft to guide him. At times his feet were caught in trailing vines which seemed to coil around his ankles with ominous suggcstivcness, at times the yielding soil beneath his tread showed his perilous proximity to the swamp, as well as the fact that he were beginning to in cline towards that dread circle, which is the hopeless instinct of all lost and staying humanity. Luck fly the edge of the swamp was more open, and he would be enabled to cor rect his changed course again by the position of the stars. But he was be- coming chilled and exhausted by these fruitlcss efforts, and at length, after a moro devious and prolonged dctour, which brought him back to the swamp again, he resolved to skirt its edge in search of some other mode of issuance. Beyond him, the light seemed stronger as of more extended opening or clear ing, and there was even superficial glcam from the end of the swamp itself as if from some i|nis f0tuus, or the glancing of pool of unbrolicn water. A few yards farther brought him to it, and a full view of the unencumbercd expanse. Beyond him far across the swamp rose a hillside bathed in the