The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-21

"Sicily over again, / guess" 1 NUT
tered to myself, savagely, as l bent
over my wheel and, skirting the rock
as closely as l could, put all my
strength into the effort to get back to
the spot where l had seen my unpro-
Voked assailant. 1t was a different
matter from the descent, indeed, but
yet 1t was far from steep, and my
chief effort was to keep myself con-
cealed, partly to avoid a second shot
and partly to give myself a better
chance of taking my strengthening
friend unawares so as to return his
compliment. The plan had the advan-
tage that it made it impossible for me
to catch sight of our party Straight
as the road had looked to me riding in
the middle, or perhaps a little nearer
the trees, there was evidently a bend
and now as l crept up close to the cliff
it shut me off from a view of the up
per stretch.
After all, it was only for a minute
or so, and then noting the spot where
the rock rose bare and rugged and
gripping my revolver-a large and SER
viceable one-in my hand, l swerved
into the middle of the road with quick
and noiseless rush. My idea had been a
good one. AS / came in sight of the top
of the rock once more my friend, wa.
in the very act of turning away, and
the momentary glance which / got like
a flash of light at his face, seemed to
me to show a savage, well satisfied
smile on his dark features. In a mo-
ment 1 had fired, and at the same in
stant he had seen me. There was a
short fierce eXclamation, as with a
threatening motion of his arm he
plunged into the tangled mass of
bushes behind him. couldn't be GER
tain that 1 had hit him, but the rest
of our party evidently thought so. for
they shouted: "Well done! Good shot"
by way of greeting my return.
They had halted near where the path
to the fort Joined our road, and in an
other minute 1 had Joined them. About
half of the men had ridden back to
where the wagon that was to have
followed US with the paraphernalia Of
our lunch was still standing, and 1t
was Col. Maitland who rode a few
PAGES forward to meet me and greeted
me with the words: THAT was a good
idea of yours; glad you got the scoun-
drel'
81 hope / did, colonel" l replied,
vindictively. do you suppose there
are many of them?" / added.
"A good many, / should say other
wise they would never have attempted
an attack" 1 glanced around, and
even my unmilitary eyes could see that
our present position was quite unten-
able. The colonel noticed my look.
Bates tells me that we can easily
hold the old fort" he added, It'll we
can somehow send in word to the cam
tonment. We have guns enough with
us, l think, and the principal difficulty
will be to get through the scoundrels."
There couldn't be doubt about the
correctness of the colonel's remark for
to travel such a road beset with armed
enemies looked the nearest thing to
impossible. The ladies behaved WELL
There were no screaming, no tears,
and no Mysteries, and within two or
three minutes we We're on our way up
the hill track to the fort, the men in
front and behind. and the ladies in
the middle. / noticed that more than
one of the horses looked uneasilv at
my bicycle, so l pushed on up the in
cline, glancing, | confess, suspicious
ly from side to side as l went, expect
ing every moment to hear the whistle
of bullet or the report of a gun. Moth
ing happened, however and in two or
three minutes L had once more sur
mounted the rather steep ascent and
saw the old fort not 100 yards in front
l was not the first, for even as l
topped the edgeI caught sight of three
or four Misunderstanding fellows with
guns in their hands running down the
path and making for the entrance of
the fort. Barely in time after ALL"
l muttered to myself, as took advan-
tage of the change of grade and shot
silently down the track after them,
AS L went i congratulated myself
once more on my mount. The hoofs of
my steed, at any rate, We're noiseless,
and Icould easily see that the men in
front were entirely ignorant of my
coming. ] gave the machine free scope,
and we rushed down the slope at some
thing approaching racing speed The
men were running fast, but ii is need
less to say that they seemed almost at
standstill when compared to the pace
at which l overhauled them. / was
within twenty yards of them before I
made up my mind what / should do. L
had my revolver in my hand ready for
fire, and yet / was in doubt. So far
these men had one me no harm, and,
whatever they might be about to do, [
hardly felt prepared to fire at them in
cold blood. l was close behind them
now, and something must be done.
They had reached the little hollow
from which the path rose for about
thirty or forty yards to the entrance
of the fort and l was close behind
them, coming noiselessly in their track.
1 lifted the revolver and fired between
the two men most directly In front of
me. They were close together, and
the bullet must have whistled in the
ear of each as II II had been aimed at
them. With a startled exclamation
that was almost a scream, the two men
leaped asunder, and at the same mo-
ment my bicycle swept like a flash be-
tween them and up the incline beyond.