The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-01


on the rest withdrew.
As soon as Mafferty got up stairs among
the defenders of the outpost the first man
his eyes fell upon was none other than the
volunteer Giraud.
Apparently the Frenchman was assist
ing In the defense, while upon the floor
Captain CORVALLIS lay dead, splinters Of
recently burst she'll showing what had
happened.
"Perhaps you'll be tellin me, sor, where
Miss Margot isY" said Mafferty as he
glanced round the room and failed TO dis
cover her. "And, like ms not, you'll tell
me why me mothers son was left to whip
or be whipped by a ocore av Pandies with
out your lave or help"
"The message from the captain came
too late, " said Giraud. "When l got up
stairs found to my surprise that Margot
had disappeared, and gap In the wall
explained clearly enough that she had been
carried off by some of the rebels as a good
many white women have been lately.
was coming back to you, when some loot
ers entered the house and i had to get off
as well as could. have only been here
few minutes, and, as 1t was, l had a
narrow escape"
"You didn't seem to be particularly
hurried by the mutineers who were In
your company. / must say, Giraud," "
said the officer who was then in charge,
"for my part thought they were so
friendly disposed to you that you were
bringing them TO our help"
Giraud bit his lip, but made no reply to
this. He went to one of the loopholes and
assisted in the independent firing which
was going on at the outpost.
4. r..
in India and who could both speak In and
initiate the tones of the native lingo, took
up his post again and seemed to be pre-.
ternaturally occupied in the defense, al
though in reality he was watching the
purposely bad firing of Giraud and con
vincing himself thereby that the French
man meant no good to the brave defenders.
"By the howly mither, that's the third
I've bowled over, manin eight misses and
three bullseyes, which might be improved
upon" Mafferty was saying when the
officer in command, Lieutenant Walton,
went toward him and said:
"Mafferty, want to speak to you.
Come over by the table"
Obedient to orders, Mafferty went and
sat down so that his face was toward Wal
ton and his back to Giraud, who, try as
he did, failed to overhear any part of the
conversation.
They're giving us little respite Just
now" began Walton. II thought saw
| CORVALLIS give you note to tako to his
daughter. What became of it?''
81 guy it TO that spalpeen yonder TO de-
liver, worse lSck ~ said Mafferty, nodding
his head at the man behind.
"Did you read itS'
at couldn't resist that same" Private
Mafferty confessed.
Walton frightened up at this. "What
were the exact words9 Do you remember
themP" he asked.
1.-The worst has come. Trust yourself
entirely to bearer, answered Mafferty. 81
thought that Mossoo Giraud was for us
and not agin us, or I'd "a burnt the paper
or swallowed it afore his fingers should
have closed on 1t, ;" added the disconnected
| trooper.
"Well, tell me--dont hesitate-what do
you make out of the affair." You know
we are all in love with Miss Margot down
to the very drummer boy. If there is any
! foul work going on, we must try to thwart
| it, though how l m to help in that Is more
than can conjecture, seeing that duty
coops me up here.
cts thrue we are all in love with Miss
Margot, " assented Mafferty, "and think
I know the perticler one av us she's selected
to love back which amt meself, worse
luck, as you may know, lieutenant"
"You'd run any risk If you thought by
| doing so you could save Miss MargotS''
pursued Walton.
"Id turn Pandy or anything else, sor,
to save her for you"
Walton caught the prlvate's hand;
"Td never ask you what I'm going to
ask If duty did not hold me here, " he said.
"There's one thing to be said. BY follow
ing out my plan, you may save your own
life, II you have luck, which is more than
one of us here will do, fancy"
"That's to be seen. But there, spake,
and I'll obey, sor I've nivir bin disrepec'.
ful to me superior officer yit, and it's too
quare tonne for me to be so now. Send
me to bring Miss Margot back, and I'll dc
1t this tonne, or I'll drop from Pandy
bullet"
"Listen to me, then, said Walton. The
two men sat whispering together for some
minutes. Then Mafferty disappeared down
the stairway. Five minutes afterward q
sepoy went by the outpost carrying an
undoubted British musket, but that was
nothing unusual for Pandy to have al
| undU ulin6' Ono tnlnB was clear. AS ne
went along the Cawnpur road the firing
from the loopholes ceased for minute.
Private Mafferty was by no means dis
pleased with his own skill in converting
himself into an unsuspected sepoy, while
the risk he ran each minute of detection
under his disguise only added fresh zest tc
the dangerous nature of the task he had
undertaken.
Through the streets and alleys of Luck
now the disguised trooper went, into ba
zaars, opium dens, into houses that wer,
being looted, and all with one purpose In
view--to discover what had become OF
Margot Corvallis He chatted gayly will
fat Chetties and fair complexioned Moo
deliars be mixed with shopkeepers, whose
bodies, naked above the waist, sorely
tempted him to try mis- bayonet upon them
while well clad Mohammedans in gay tur
bans and silk attire stopped to praise hin
for his theft of Ferringhee musket ant
to wish him luck in Allah's name wheI
he turned the weapon against the English
Try his utmost, as Mafferty did, the da,
had grown late before he got any news o
the one he was seeking.
Two women were gossiping under tn,