Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-01-09
A TASTE OF BLOOD.

ton, ana hdu 10 rue lhlOuSu IO"H
try occupied by the enemy. We knew
from experience that the Beers had
parties out on all the roads to inter-
cept messengers, but as | was pretty
well acquainted with those parts and
had good horse | hoped to slip
through, without being noticed, by a
cross country route. l had got over
more than half my Journey when, Just
about dusk, I saw a solitary Boer rid
ing in the distance He disappeared
almost immediately in fold in the
ground, and so, hoping that he had
not in that brief moment discovered
me, stood where I was, behind d
clump Of rocks
My horse and | were both IN need
of rest, so as darkness came on | moved
down into a grass-grown donga below
the rocks, where the horse could Craze
and whence l could see anyone ap-
preaching by his being defined against
the sky line. had had the misfortune
during the day to lose one Of my sad
dlebags, thanks to a rotten strap, and
| found myself in consequence without
food and without any more ammum-
tion than the cartridge in my carbine
and two spare ones in my pocket, and
so, for more reasons than one, | looked
forward to getting soon to my Jour
ney end.
AS the moon rose behind the rocks |
began to think of starting on my way
again, when suddenly my nerves were
put on the qui vive by my horse chuck
ing up his head and staring forward for
few moments with pricked ears.
Then, without having stopped chew
ing, he dropped his muzzle back into
the dewy grass and went on grazing as
though dewy grass bred no such thing
as "horse sickness. Following the
direction of his stare I fancied | saw
something moving in the shadow ot
the rocks, and few seconds later the
figure Of man loomed up clear and
black against the moonlit sky, moving
along the top of the "koPje' in q
stealthy, STOPPING position. Hat, beard
and rife proclaimed him to be a Boer
Time, locality and posture told thai
he was searching for me. Mechanical
Iv brought my carbine to the ready.
As did so he stopped and slowly
sank behind stone. Either a gin
of my weapon or a sound from my
horse had caught his attention. | wa
in the deep shadow of an overhangin:
rock, and my horse was behind me
ehectually concealed by projecting
corner of the bank. never took m!
eye off the spot where the enemy hac
disanneared The minutes dragged b,
like hours as I watched without seeir:
a sign.
Could he have slipped away iron
there altogether and perhaps be creep
ing down behind me somewhere?
dared not take my gaze off the plac
for single moment, and the tension
of waiting gradually became almos
unbearable. My heart was thumpin
away all the while with suppressed ez
citement, almost drowning the onl
other sound audible in the surround
ing dead stiffness, the sound Of m
horse contentedly cropping the hert
age. At last a movement by tn
stone | was watching, and l saw b
head rise slowly and quietly pee
about. 1t seemed almost like ba
dream to watch this specter 50 noise
lessly exerting all his craft to find m
in order to take my life.
How steadily he stared into N
donga with his head only Just aboy
the stones! But he could not see m
his eyes could not pierce the darkne
E of my hiding place.
Seeing nothing, he gradually raise
himself to gain a more extended vie
or to look into the ground more imm
diately under his position, and now
saw his head, shoulders and boo
clearly silhouetted against the SIX
I almost under the moon. Quickly
raised my carbine to my shoulde
r The barrel shone like bar of silv
! as pointed it for his head. Slow
and steadily l lowered the fore eT
till the bar was diminished into 81
gle spark shining, against the low
9 part of the black figure. He nev
j moved, and all the while my bra
! kept repeating those lines of Gorden'
o How strange that man should mis-
. When his life depends on his aim
/ How strange that man should mis-
When his life
At the right moment hand and e