The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-10
THE REFoRMER BRATTLEBoRo. VT, FRIDAY APRIL 10. 1906

gether with the stealthy tread of ap
proachlng footsteps, apprising the fugi
tlves that not only was their ESCAPE
dicovered but probably also the direc
ton they had taken.
Der narve it, narve it, Bart The
ditter divils are after ye !" shouted the
hunter hastily retreating from the shore
and disappearing in the nearest thick
ct.
And scarcely had he gained cover
before his place was occupied by foul
or five of the enemy who came rush.
ing down to the water; where discover
ing the receding boat then not SO yards
distant the acting leader Of the band
fiercely exclaimed, "Put about there
instantly and come ashore or we'll fire
and kill every person in the boat - :
80 but you'll kill us if we cone
back. " replied Bart splashing round
his oar as il turning the boat, which
in fact was going swiftly ahead
No we won't, Responded the leader.
deceived by tho apparent simplicity of
the reply; but be quick or we fire"
Well seeing you ART going to hurt
us, " said the former carelessly, while
| q
per the girl to throw herself close to
the bottom of the canoe, he silently.
but with all his might bent himself
to the oar.
"Why," said the leader, after a
short and doubtful pause, as he
peered out into the darkness at the
dimly seen boat why amt the fellow
still moving ahead? He is confound
him: fire. -
"Let drive them sung out Bart.
with the greatest sangfroid, as he
hastily cast himself down in the boat,
The next instant several bullets
struck the boat or whistled over it as
the fierce flashing and deafening reports
Of as many exploding muskets burst
from the shore with startling effect on
the darkness and silence of night.
81 vow! hut that amt so bad shoot
ing as might be, in the dark" ex-
claimed Bart, hastily springing up
and seizing his oar. "They are more
at the business than I thought em
and we may as we'll be little further
off afore they have time to load and
fire again | guess. - he added. sudden
" changing the direction of the boat
from the course it had been taking
and plying the oar with an energy
which showed rather less Indifference
to his proximity to the hostile
marksmen behind then his words
might seem to imply.
The tories in the mean time who
had foolishly all discharged their
pieces at once, fell to loading again as
fast as was possible for them to do in
the dark. But before any of them was
ready to fire. the last traces of the
fugitive boat had vanished from their
view
They were however after giving
vent to their veXations in volley of
curses upon the fellow who had thus
outwitted them, in getting beyond
controlling distances. preparing to fire
again, a random, in the direction in
which the canoe was last seen moving
when their attention was suddenly ar
rested by firing in the woods a
short distance to the south which
seemed be an exchange of
shots between their pickets and some
enemy asaailing them from that
direction. They therefore hurried back
to their companions, and with them
rallied to make stand against the
force which all supposed was about TO
storm their encampmept But to their
agreeable Disappointment. though an
occasional shot continued to be di
rected toward them by persons who
seemed to be lurking in the distant
thicket, no tangible force made its APP
pearance for the firing which had so
alarmed them, and caused them to call
in all their scouts within hearing and
me ito Fnp n To
resistance. was. as the reader will
have already imagined, but the feint
made by Woodburn's party, who. hear
ing the reports of the guns discharged
at the escaping canoe and partly de.
vining the cause. had advanced from
their concealment, and begun to make
the diversion agreed on at the outset, |
But not receiving the signal promised
in case help was needed and feeling
doubtful how to act, most of them fell |
back, and ceased operations, till Bart, |
who in the meantime reached the |
shore, and with the fearless girl he had |
released. fastened round to their post. |
arrived and informed them Of all that |
had occurred. On receiving the aggra-
waiting intelligence Woodburn, now al
most frantic with disappointment and |
anxiety withdrew to the road with all
his hand except two left to keep the
enemy in state of alarm: when they
all including even the heroic Vine
How ard, Immediately scattered in diff
ferent directions through the the dark
forest in anxious search for the luck.
less Miss Haviland, to whom we will
now return for the purpose of follow
ing her in the wild and perious ad-
ventures she was destined to encount-
er on that eventful night.