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

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He felt himself caught from behind.
man jumped down upon him from the
hedge. Behind this man, Like shadow,
came third one. He did not have time
to shoot, nor to dismount, nor to defend
himself.
He was thrown to the ground. There
he tried to resist. he shook himself, he
bit and struck out, but he was unable
to rise Utterly exhausted he surren-
dered at last and allowed himself to be
disarmed. In the fury Of the fight, sur
rounded by cloud of dust, he had sue
ceeded, by a rapid movement, in put
ting the message into his mouth with
out attracting the attention Of his as
sailants. They tied his hands behind
his back and lifted him to his feet. They
hurriedly hung his sword to his neck
and attached his cloak and valise there
also. They pulled the horse behind the
hedge, and then they marched him
across the fields, pushing him, hitting
linn, swearing at and threatening him
After half an hour, when distant
enough from the main road to have no
fear of discovery, they slackened thei-
pace. They had reached the mountains
side, spot among the trees where
neither house nor cottage could beseen.
The soldier, bent under the weight
which he was carrying, showed no signs
of terror nor anger, though his face,
pale, but unmoved, indicated that he
knew the end reserved for him, and in
his heart he was prepared for it. He did
not forget that to fall into the hands OF
the brigands in those terrible days
meant death. Therefore there was in
his features already a little Of the So
lemnity Of death, and he who might not
have known it needed only to look him
in the eyes to say, ''That man is going
to die!'
The brigand who preceded him turned
now and then to gaze at him, half
through curiosity and half through sus-
picion. The one who walked at his side
and seemed to be the chief Of the band
looked now at the prisoner, now at his
companion, and exchanged with the
latter an occasional triumphant smile.
ssThere!'' he said, suddenly hanging
his musket on the neck Of the soldier.
Garry that for me. !"
'.Cary mine, too," added the one
who marched in front, initiating his
companion. sAnd you?" asked the
chief, turning to the third brigand who
walked behind, and who seemed the
youngest.
..I:'' he answered SCI prefer to keep
mine. You never can tell. %
absurd, remarked the other, look
ing at him with contempt. Then, lean
ing toward the soldier and slapping him
on the back, ''My friend, % he contin-
ued, now you will tell us where you
were going. .
The soldier did not utter sound.
ooh, oh!'' exclaimed the brigand,
stopping to pick up stick. "Did you
hear me?" and he hit him on the hands.
The carabiniere walked on without a
word. "You shall speak, my friend, %
repeated the brigand, throwing the
stick away ''They all begin like you,
and you will finish like the rest You,
too, are made of flesh, and when you
feel the cold steel you will cry. you can
rest assured of that So saying he
pushed him in path that followed the
bed of a stream. They went straight
ahead for short while; then they passed
small bridge, walked around a small
plateau and then began to climb mar
row path among the rocks. The soldier,
his neck bound by the straps Of the mus
kets, his hands tied, almost sufocated
by his uniform, climbed unsteadily. Al
most blinded by the perspiration drip
ping from his brow, he stumbled against
the stones and fell on his hees. He got
up with difficulty, only to fall again,
and the brigands hit him and abused
him. They pushed him up, with kicks,
laughing at him and crying: "Up, you
lazy beast! When you catch US, you tie
US to your horses! Every one has his
day, my friendp'
When about half way up the noun
tain, they halted. They had reached
place where the rocks were cut like a
wall surrounding habitable inclosure,
with bunches Of grass and trees here
and there. Under caved rock, rounded
like tunnel, there was a small space OF
even ground surrounded by heavy stones
half falling from above, the smaller ones
placed among the large ones as if some
one had begun to build a wall The
rocks served as roof and walls to q wood
en- shed which occupied aquarter of the
cave. The small caves followed from
the rocks served as storage rooms. There
was stairway from the top of which
the surrounding country was visible.
The entrance was through an opening
nos much larger than the body Of man.
From the outside no one would have
thought the place inhabited. The inside
looked like an armory. In the small