Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-05-22

out of the stockades, and the Tories, seeing
they had been led into a trap, sought to
withdraw and seek safety In their fort. hut
the retreat dugenerated into II rout and
the ruut into "a massacre.
Gricrson Oily reached the water in safe.
tv, and u|lunging in at a point aquarter of
n milo below the ford started acrUis =, serene
in tho consciousness that no horse tut his
could breast the current at that place and
twirliuE his blarN mustachc in well as
stunned Indifference. Blu when 20 rods
from the bank u birch canoe shot out from
under the fringe of willows, and from
Hnuthor point came another, and then
another, and another, until nearly a dozen
appeared each Piled by two pairs of skilled
and sinewy arms and racing toward the
swimming horscman. He recognized then
the completeness Of the trap in which ut
last be was fatod to he So miserably caught.
As the nrst Of them came up he flung his
empty pistols at their heads and was
knocked from his seat with Il paddle for
his pains. In the water he fought like an
otter, diving and struggling, upsetting Il
couple of boats and fairly getting the best
of it until "a well directed blow struck him
sensrlcss. and then, bound hand and foot,
he was padded ashore and his horse swunI
back by one of the party.
Back up to the stockade on the hill they
carried i'm. where. with returning con
seriousness, his audacity returned, and he
flung grim iestS ut his capturers, railing
a fellow he had nearly drowned, ana with
racy songs and witty stories worked them
all into a rOllicking humur ere the sun
reached its meridian.
And then he east aside the assumed air
of good fellowship and stood forth an un-
mitirated brappart. boastinp of his own
proNess and telling of feats his horse had
ucrformcd Il s'pose your mare can iump
that pnlisndc." one of them. the leader
sarcasticalIv suggested. "Certainlv she
cam Griersuu reulied indifferently
Make her do it. and you are a free man"
was The snecrinclv given response. The
Tory rolled laziIy over. exposing the thongs
that held him. and though the men under
stood his meaning there was some hesita.
ton before they were cut. being one and
all surpristd ut his seriousness in propos-
Ing to take advantage of the merely idle
proposition and attempt a feat made abb
surl because Of its utter mpossibility
But tho effort promised some sport and
mne itself a, a bit of refined tor.
ture. and ne was unloosed amid some jok.
ing and cuarsely s"atirical comments. He
Ent m ana ihf n 11I1lt1L sill fIlllllR his
wrists rnltiuuiu, unblushinclv ali the
while The flow of brapgndocio and then.
whistllng to his mare. which came trot-
ting nm with a low whinnv of DELIGHT. he
climbed int, The saddle with "A stiffness
born Of his recent rnUch handling 1t was
all q grim f,r,, lint Griersnn was taking
if with an rn~~upstuess hat was mai hetic.
sremiurlv nrrsuadod nv his oyn lies that
the animal WAS really able to do it.
The small diameter of the Enclosure
made if imuossible 10 secure n unnin
start for the nttempt. and so. in lieu of
thar. he bepnn bv t%rottinr around the cir.
Gle. gradually increasing his speed until it
was n mad RIM and then with wild veil
and a taunting laugh. he buried the royyels
of his spurs in Wild Goose's sides and over
she went. rs HrhtIv ns q bird With oaths
and cries the ,r,triots rushed outside. their
he was beyond rifle shot, riding with an