The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-09-23

There's no knowin' how soon Imight
have to start"
The glasses were filled again, and
the Yankee clinked mis- against the
inspectors with as much cordiality as
though they had been the best OF
friends, instead of. as they were now,
hunter and quarry in chase to the
death.
The next day Seth Salter openly
hired cape cart and team Of four
horses to take him to Blcemfonteie,
which is about eighty miles by road
from Kimberly, and when the bar
gain was struck he privately inform
ed the driver al off colored Cape boy,
who had made more than one run of
the kind, that if he would start at
midnight instead of midday. and go
via Freetown instead of Boshoff, he
should have GlO0 for that part of the
journey alone, which was not bad
fare for drive of less than an hour
The boy jumped at the offer, and
within couple of hours had &C cept
ed one of twice the amount with half
cash down, from Inspector Lipinski,
to pull UP at certain spot spot about
four hundred yards from the Free
State border.
That afternoon Salter and Lipinski
met, as if by chance, in the private
bar of the Central, had whi sky and
soda together, and talked oyer the
journey with apparently perfect
friendliness and freed ON. The in
spector affected to treat the whole
thing as a joke, bit of spool that he
WAS far too wary bird to be taken in
by.
! 1t wasn't likely that such an old
hand as Salter would try to run any
thing but schlenters, after giving
himself away as completely as he had,
at least, not that time Some other
time, perhaps, and then he'd see. At
| the same time, it might after all be
clever and daring game of bluff, and
so it would be we'll to take precau-
tons
Altogether it was an interesting 81
tua ton, especially for the inspector
If he caught Salter with nothing but
the schlenters on him he would be the
laughing stock of the camp, and if he
let him 90 through with something
Ike f15,OO0 packetof diamonds
which he felt perfectly certain he had
planted somewhere reputation
would be ruined and his dismissal
certain. It was a desperate game,
and Inspector Lipinzke was pre- pared
to take desperate measures to win.
A little before noon Salter changed
his plans, and said he wonld 60 the
next day, and few minutes before
midnight he got into his cart just
outside Beaconsfeld. The boy whip
ped up his team, and the cart rattled
and jolted away at quick trot toward
the border. The night was dark, but
fine. and as they spun along mile af
ter mile without let or hindrance,
Salter began to think that, after all,
Lipinzki had fuDked the trap that he
had laid for him, and decided to risk
letting the diamonds through rather
than inake fool Of himself by the cap
ture of a worthless lot of schlenters
The lights of Freetown were al
ready glimmering in the distance
across the weld. Ten minutes more
would see him safe across the border
with the most valuable packets of d.
amonds that had ever been run out of
camp. and then-suddenly his strain
ed ears caught the sound of a voice in
the distance, followed by the clinking
of horses bits and the ominous "click-
click" of rifle locks.
He was sitting, as usual, on the seat
behind the driver, and just as the boy
turned round and whispered in
frightened way, ''P'lice, boss, better
pull up, eh? might get shot, ,"he thrust
the barrel of his revolver under his
nose, ana said in q low, but very bu
siness like tone:
"You yellow swine, you've sold me!
Now you whip them horses up, and
make 'em go for all they're worth. By
thunder, you shall drive to Freetown
or Glory to night, for if 1 see yon pull
those reigns I'll blow the top of your
ugly head off, just so sure as you'll
never see the other side of Jordan
Whip up now! You've got to get
through or go home, I tell you"
The road just here ran for some
distance through broken lot of
ground and surface workings, 80 there
was no chance of making detour to
avoid the mounted police whose NOV
ing forms Salter could now see dimly
in the distance. The terrified Cape
boy, feeling the cold revolver muzzle
in the nape of the neck, lashed his
horses into gallop. The shapes on
| ahead grew more and more distinct,
and presently rang out the short,
sharp order:
"Halt, or We'll shoot!'
Halt, and I'll shoot" Salter hissed
into the drivers ear: and the cart
sped on at a gallop.
New mounted forms seemed to rush
out of the darkness and close round.
Meanwhile the lights of Freetown
were getting quite near now. A few
minutes more and-crack, crack,
crack, went the rifles to right and left
and in front. The off leader reared
up with shrill neigh, and then pitch
ed onto his head, with the others aud
the cart on top of him.
"Well, gentlemen. may ask what
is the meaning of this outrage on an
unoffending traveller" said Salter, in
a cool, but angry voice, is the police
rode up.
"Thatll do, Mr., Salter," said In
spector Lipinzki's voice out of the
darkness: ''the bluffs played out.
Pass up with the kliys and come along
quietly, d.n't shoot, for that's muir
der, and you're covered three times
over"
| The Yankee climbed down out of
the cart with an audible chuckle,
walked quietly up to Lipinzki's stir
rup, and held up his hand, saying:
''Ah, it's you, inspector, is it? Sorry
Il