Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-11-19


"Good. Pursue these accurse
Americans. There are not NOR
than thirty. Follow them to San
ago. il necessary. but catch then
dead or alive"
Every we'll, General" replie,
the guerilla, and retired to music
his men and to sound the "Beot,
and Saddles. A hundred to twen
~ would be long odds, even fol
Skaters Horse.
SO it came about that when Sla
ter's men drew rein. fifteen mile,
froh the trochs, and sat : silent. !
oiaslered blsck spot = ire moon,
lie sd. thss hesrd !. - lhussIeI
come rolling mp from the west
the thunder of pounding hoofs.
''Bv Jove 70 said the English.
man, who was related to the emf.
nent author.
"Not three miles away" assert
ed the Canadian. who had just come
from the Egyptian Soudan.
Forward, them" said Slater.
and away they went, up and down
the rolling hills whittier the i'll.
made road led them. The country
was too rough to allow of taking to
the fields, where the Spaniards
might be thrown of the trail, but
it would be smoother in the course
OF few leagues. All night they
rode hard and sometimes the fol.
lowing thunder was loud and often
faint, but never wholly died away.
The guerillas were we'll mounted.
and Slater's horses were not fresh.
The pearly dawn came up before
them and then the sun was trail.
ing long shadow behind them as
they galloped. 1t was 4 o'clock,
and forty miles back to the trocha.
And now at last they seemed to
have distanced their pursuers, for
no rumble came out of the west.
They fed thier horses q few arm
fuls OF the green tops of the sugar
cane, refreshing and stimulating,
and gave them little water from
a roadside brook, and rubbed them
down as time would permit. That
was not much, for before they had
finished the sounds Of pursuit again
grew upon them.
"Forty miles farther and we will
be in our own line," remarked
Slater.
For three hours more the weary
little Cuban horses bore their riders
swiftly, though the sun grew high
and angry. They had struck of
the highway. ridden through field
Of cane, and we're now galloping
down a wide prairie, dotted with
cocoa palms. They scarcely ex-
pected that the enemy would fail
to notice where the chase had left
the road SO they were not disap-
pointed when the long crash of
breaking stalks announced that the
guerillas were riding down the field
they had just passed through. The
pursuit was gaining fast. In an
other minute there was q roar OF
shouts and cheers from behind,
and turning, they saw the hill side
crested with a long line of gal
Looping. grsy-coated men.
The peril was imminent, yet the
staunch beasts had the material in
them for a good ten-mile burst yet,
and this would be more than
enough to lead them into safety.
Down the long slope the two bands
swept, a full mile between them,
and mp another. when an astoish,
ing sight met them as they topped
the rise.
Away to the left in the following
valley smoke was rising from 9
burning house. The yard before
it was filed with Spanish soldiery
Two women stood bound in theil
midst. There seemed to be an 81
tercation. A soldier began to reev,
> rope over aconvenient tree bough
All this flashed before the men,
eyes in q moment. There was n,
hesitation. Those of Slater trooI
were accustomed to follow wher
Slater led, and they galloped at hi
heels as he spurred furiously dowr
the hillslope. The Spaniards b!
the house were suddenly aware Of
mingled rattle of hoofs and pisto
shots, and beheld q rush of mel
sweeping down upon them, brand
ishing weapons and volleying fort
.curses and bullets at once. A mo
ment-and they we're struck, crush
ed, ridden down. The sheer weigh
of Slater's headlong charge sea,