The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-02


sounded:
Who's there?'
Il, Mordaunt. You know me. Pringle?'
He knew my voice. indeed. The door
| fell back. and a little wiry man looked
out on us, at first starting at sight of
my prisoner.
The colonel said |.
Yes. l, Pringle. I'll have you hung
some day."
"Not to-day. sir" said the cobbler, mo-
| tioning us in.
Il am his prisoner" said the colonel
I rather ,s;vagely.
I'm New York" said Pringle.
Yes, if you get away" he said.
l It's my business to attend to that
l the cobbler retorted. LAS it is | was
about to cross in an hour"
But your boat!' the colonel asked
| wonderingly.
lis down there in the bushes" he
said.
"But the patrols?'
Il know the password. I'm on Sir
| Henry's business"
| What treachery" he cried. What
| reacheryr'
! You can't depend ON men in u town
so divided as this, Col. Van Halo" the
| cobbler said grimly; land the meaning
| of that word treachery depends on the
| side you're on
I've found that out said the prison
| err. rather bitterly. Il can't recall them
| all Il set of rascally traitors-when fam
| lilies like the Mordaunts are so much
| concerned" and he bowed courteOusly to
me.
| | bowed back. acknowledging his; and
we stood together in that cabin, an odd
| ly assorted trio. Here was the little cob
bier himself-one of those whom civil war
| make into dare-devils; here was the pro-
prietOr a prisoner in our hands; and here
was the still uncertain enterprise of
taking him. to theb Oat, and of getting
the boat across to Paulus Hook. That
moment, as fel as chance had carried
| the enterprise, twas nothing to gamble
on.
The colonel's bright apprehensive eyes
studied us as we talked it over together.
Now l wonder if | maybym ETAOINN
Nod | wonder if i have made his resist
ance to me appear too small. AS | have
said he always was held a brave man,
but this emergency with its need of sud
den action had made him rather of a
coward. Yet you can't call a man a
coward i, that phrasing; it's a term
that plays both ways. Do they not say
that the bravest soldiers run in their
first battles; and why should not a
brave man make his resistance rather
less because he never had been a prison
er so taken, by a desperate escaped
prisoner, and held now as well by spy
whose life would be the forfeit of the
British knowledge of his business. And
indeed Col. Van Halo had resisted me
well in that sharp tustle. Even if then
| had thrown the pistol down, he rea-
soned that we were desperate men when
banded together To all these consider
ations were added his amazement at
discovering not only Pringle's real trade.
but more, that this obscure civilian
knew the word of the night, and could
pass the river. Who could have given
it? he was asking himself.
You will not spy much longer, fell
low" he observer to Pringle.
Il am not the only one in New York."
the cobbler retorted. You yourself will
have seemed"
The proprietor's face turned ashen,
and | interrupted:
None of that. l have promised to see
Col Van Halo returned"
Without an exchange"
without an exchange" said |. Il
have given my word.''
why not leave him here if that's the
case? We can bind and gag him, and
lock him in. But you see, Mr.. Mordaunt,
this spoils my business"
You will have TO get some other"
said /. Turn schoomaster, for I've
heard you were once half school master,
half cobbler. AS for the other matter,
Col. Van Halo crosses the river with u.s."
A matter of pride eh?" said the cob
bier. ''Shall we bind and gag you,
colonel?"
Il will cry out" said he, "if you
don't"
why not in my company" said l.
''There were no sentinels near enough,
before you could have killed me; but,
on the river the patrol will hear and
catch you"
YES" said /; you must tie his
hands-no, that's not needful-gag him,
Pringle.''
Thep risoner looked about as if medi-
tating resistance; but he saw it was
useles, as / took his pistol and held it
over him, while Pringle proceeded to
gag him, muttering something low in
his ears.
The candle in the rough room fiickered
on the scene. An old rheumatic dog
rose laboriously from his corner and
shifted at thep risoner. Pringle slipped
a band about his wrists, beyond my re-
quest, and then snuffed the candle.
You'll walk, colonel; or we will
carry YOU"
He walked without demur, and we left
by a little path where the thick bushes
swept our faces. The moon was low
would fall dark But Pringle, if once
on the horizon, and the night soon
on the river, did not fear light so much;
to Sir Henry re was a spy on us; to us
one on Sir Henry; he was constantly
going to and fro.
Presently we found the skiff, the
prisoner entered without resistance. We
put out, the cobbler extended me a
second pair of oars. He was surpris-
ingly strong in the way of thosel title
wiry men; men who have, too, as
tonishing endurance, as l have known
many times On long campaigns.
The moon had dipped, and the land
scape fell suddenly darker. A frigate
doomed to leeward, and then we settled
down to our steady work. A dog bayed
dismaly, and my heart beat again wild
ly over this part of the adventure.
had succeeded so far by an extraordinary
association of chances, but l felt omin-
Gus. | watched the still figure Of our
prisoner, who, without that gag, might