The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-19
BY OWEN HALL.

mink what was 10 be done. Unless he
aas actually tried II, no one can tell how
lard "a task il is TO think under such
conditions of emergency. The danger
evidently lay in 'front.' where, some two
Dr. three hundred yards off, the eX-
wagons were travelling along uncon-
Iciously. but the party against whom
It must be aimed were still behind. /
hesitated for moment, and then feel
Ing the necessity of doing something,
turned half round in my saddle and,
waving my arm frantically over my
head, shouted the words: Halt:
Danger! Back!" i hadn't tried 10 stop.
and it was probably fortunate that [
hadn't, for the echo of my last word was
still ringing in my ear, and my eyes
we're still fixed on the party behind me
10 see what effect my warning had pro-
duced. when something whistled closely
POST me, and at the same moment the
sharp report of n gun startled all the
echoes of the spot.
Had / thought for an hour i could
have hit on no better plan for giving
the alarm, and even as l inyountarily
bent my head, as if to escape the shot,
il was sensation of no little relief that
heard il. At the same moment, and
while / was in the act of looking back
again to see what effect q had had, my
hand went instinctiyely to the belt un-
der my loose coat where had religious
y carried my revolver in its case since
my arrival in the country. had made
up my mind now. 1t was useless To go
en- In the hope OF warning the wagon
drivers, for if the shot hadn't done so,
nothing would. Ny place was clearly
with my party, and in the meantime my
desire, which somehow was very keen
one, was to get shot at my appariticn
I'm return for his own. / had almost
instinctively swerved towards the wall
of rock when l heard the report, and
now / exerted myself to check my speed.
Fortunately was not yet going so fast
as TO make this difficult, and i'm very
few seconds / found myself able 30
throw myself hastily from the
bicycle under shelter of the cliff. ID
was only matter of moments, and as
turned the machine and remounted
heard a shout and the sound of half m
dozen shots from the direction where
could see that the wagons had stopped
and were now huddled together.
'Sicily over again, | guess" NUT
tered to myself, savagely, as bent over
my wheel and, skirting the rock as close
ly as / could, put all my strength into
the effort TO get back to the spot where
] had seen my unprovoked assailant. 1t
was different matter from the descent,
indeed, but yet il was far from steep,
and my chief effort was 10 keep myself
concealed, partly TO avoid a second shot
and partly TO give myself better
chance of taking my savage-looking
friend unawares SO as to return his
compliment. The plan had the advan-
tage that il made it impossible for rae to
catch sight of our party. Straight as
the road had looked to me riding in the
middle, or perhaps n little nearer the
trees, there was evidently band, and
now as / crept up close 10 the cliff it
shut me Off from a view of the upper
stretch.
After all, IL was only for n minute
or SO, and then noting the spot where
the rock rose bare and rugged and grip
ping my revolver-a large and service
able one-in my hand, swerved into
the middle of the road with quick and
noiseless rush. My idea had been
good one. AS / came in sight of the top
OF the rock once more my friend was in
the very act of turning away, and the
momentary glance which got like n
flash of light at his face, seemed TO me
10 show savage, well satisfied smile on
his dark features. In n moment had
fired, and at the same instant he had
seen nr. There was short, fierce ex-
clamation, as with a threatening mo-
tion of his arm he plunged into the tam
gled mass OF bushes behind him.
couldn't be certain that 1 mad hit him,
but the rest of our party evidently
thought so, for they shouted: "Wcll
donel Good shot!" by way of greeting
my return.
They had halted near where the path
10 the fort joined our road. and in an
other minute had joined them. About
half of the men had ridden back TO
where the wagon was that was TO have
followed us with the paraphernalia OF
our lunch was still standing, and IL
was Col. Maitland who rode few PAGES
forward to meet me and greeted me
with the words: THAT was a good
idea of yours; glad you got the scoun-
drel."
81 hope / did, colonel" I replied, vim
dictively. "Do you suppose there are
many of them?" / added.
"a good many, i should say, other
wise they would never have attempted
an attack" l glanced round, and even
my unmilitary eyes could see that our
present position was quite untenable.
The colonel noticed my look.
''}ates tells me that we can easily
hold the old fort" he added, "till we
can somehow send in word 10 the can
tonmcnt. We have guns enough with