The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-12-19

See how be b1eedsV' remarked the
other.
The younger brigand covered his face
with his hands
''Will you speak now?' asked the
chief again.
The soldier watched the dropping
blood, and then looked up, fixed his eyes
in the face Of the brigand, and with the
same expression as before shook his
head
The three murderers turned to one an
other, astonished and enraged.
'You want to die, don't you, you
fool?'' exclaimed the chief, putting his
face close to the soldiers and shaking
an open hand near his cheek ''Do you
not see that you are in our hands, alone,
and that we can cut you open like
dog? What do you hope? Do you expect
your friends to come and deliver you?
Speak! Let Us hear your voice! Speak
one word!'
The soldier was silent. Maddened at
his obst1nacy, one Of the brigands raised
his knife, but the chief held his arm,
saying, tNo, not the knife % He grasped
musket ST must Try this. And Lift
ing his arm he brought the weapon
down on the prisoners foot with such
force that the bones cracked.
The unhappy man gave deep cry Of
pain and shook as though attacked by
epilepsy. But at the same moment,
gathering renewed energy from his
agony, he stamped his wounded foot
upon the ground, lifted his head and
cried with a roar, 'tNoP'
ALI three of the brigands then seized
him by the neck and were just about to
strangle him when the young man who
was on watch, rendered daring through
the horror that was overcoming him,
cried frantically:
"Kill him at once! Kill him with
musket shot! Why make him suffer SOP
The three brigands, astonished at his
audacity, turned to look at him. But
tie astonishment did not last
The chief threw himself against the
daring young man, and with q blow IN
the face sent his head against the stone.
Stunned, he assumed his former posi-.
ton without adding word, but as he
looked down the side Of the mountain
he gave slight start, bent farther for
ward and remained thus, silent and look
ing fxedly down the mountain slope.
The chief Of the brigands did not notice
this, however, but turned to his victim.
He was white, and he ground his teeth
and trembled with rage. Even his COM
panions looked at him with fear. He
laid one of his large hands ON the head
Of the soldier, raised the other with his
finger turned up, as though to menace
him, and looking at him sideways, with
bloodshot eyes, he murmured in a hoarse
voice:
Listen! It is bad idea of yours to
be obstinate with me- You do not know
me. + have made the hair Of others,
who had more pluck than you. fairly
stand up on their heads. You have no
idea of what can make vou suffer. /
can keep digging stiletto into you un-
til morning without killing you. can
torture you until you will have no more
any human shape might pull the eyes
cut of your head. You know what has
happened to others. Do not dare me-
Eav what you must before the blood
goes to my head. y
With these last ;, IS he withdrew
his hands from the prisoners head He
looked at it. There we're hairs Oh it.
Enraged, he threw them in the soldiers
face, and hair stuck TO his mouth. To
free himself Of this he spat. The brig
ands, taking this act to be one of con-
tempt, were unable to restrain them
selves any longer. All three together,
with a cry of rage, fell on him like wild
beasts and began quickly and silently
to torture him with the points OF their
daggers, with their nails, their teeth,
their knees and their feet.
Now and then one or the other stop
ped a moment to take breath, saying,
stSlowly,'' in order to keep one another
from killing him. There was no sound
except the heavy breathing Of the three
murderers, the clashing of the daggers
and the dry sobs Of the victim. They
were blind, drunken animals. They did
not look any more like three men, but
like monster with three bodies in
twined around helpless victim. They
represented the worst conceivable COM
bination of fendish cowardice and fe-
rocity.
s'Do not kill him yet," began again
the young man on guard, turning quick
ly first toward the brigands and then TO-
ward the valley below and crying loud
er and louder, as though he wished to
cover an approaching noise: 'Do not
kill him yet! Wait! He will speak! he
will tell all, but if you kill him you will
not know anything! Try again! He has
motioned that he wants to speak! But
YOU will kill him! I shall stab him
with my dagger if you don't! Down
with your daggers! Hit him with your
fist! Don't you see that he is dying?"
Without ceasing to scream out SEN
tences like these he threw look out
toward the foot Of the plateau, and then
10000 =, tho ,,,idd1o of tho cavo