Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-10-22


and there were better prospects with
my hussars in front of the English.
Every mile that passed my heart grew
lighter and lighter until I found myself
shouting and singing like young en-
sign fresh from Saint Cyr, just to think
of seeing all my fine horses and my GAL
liant fellows once more.
AS we penetrated the mountains the
road grew rougher and the pass more
savage. At first we met few mule
teers, but now the whole country
seemed deserted, which is not to be
wondered at when you think that the
French, the English and the guerrillas
had each in turn had command over it.
So bleak and wild was it, one great
brown wrinkled cliff succeeding anoth-
err, and the pass growing narrower and
narrower, that ceased to look out, but
sat in silence thinking of this and that,
of women whom had loved and Of
horses which l had handled. I
was suddenly brought back from
my dreams, however, by observing the
difficulties of my companion, who was
trying with sort of bradawl which he
had drawn out to bore hole through
the lcathern strap which held up his
water flask. AS he worked with twitch-
ing fingers the strap escaped his grasp
and the wooden bottle fell at my feet. 1
stopped to pick it up, and as did so the
priest silently leaped upon my shoulders
and drove his bradawl into my eye.
My friends, am, as you know. a man
steeled to face every danger. When
one has served from the siege of Genoa
to that last fatal day of Waterloo, and
has had the special medal: which
keep at home in leathern
pouch, one can afford to confess
when one is frightened. It may
console some of you when your own
nerves play you tricks to RENE mbcr
that you have heard even me- Brig adler
Gerard, say that 1 have been scared.
And besides my terror at this horrible
attack, and the maddening pain of my
wound, there was sudden feeling Of
loathing such as you might feel were
some filthy tarantula to strike it's fangs
into you. I clutched the creature in
both hands and hurting him onto the
floor of the coach I stamped on him
with my heavy boots. He had drawn a
pistol from the front Of his soutane, but
kicked it out of his hand. and again I fell
with my knees on his chest. Then for
the first time he screamed horribly,
while I, half blinded, felt about for the
sword which he had so cunningly con-
cealed. My hand had just lighted upon
it, and I was dashing the blood from
my face to see where he lay that I
might transfx him. when the whole
coach turned over upon it's side, ana
my weapon was jerlzed out of my grasp
by the shock Before 1 could recover
myself the door was burst open and ]
was dragged by the heels on to the road,
CHAPTRE H.
But even as I was torn out onto the
flint stones and realized that thirty
rutfians were standing around me, I
was filled with joy, for my pelisse had
been pulled over my head in the strug'
gle and was covering one of my eyes, and
it was with my wounded eye that was
seeing this band of brigands. You SEQ
for yourself by this quicker and sca=
how the thin blade passed between
socket and ball, but it was only at thai
moment when was dragged from tho
coach that understood that my sight
was not gone forever. The creaturch
intention, doubtless, was to drive II
through my brain and, indeed, he
loosened some portion of the inner
bone of my head, SO that I afterwards
had more trouble from that wound
than from any one of the seventeen
which have received.
They dragged me out, these sons of
| 4 hoo =
ing me with their fists and kicking NE
as / lay upon the ground. l had fire..
quently observed that the mountaineers
wore cloth swathed round their feet,
but never did I imagine that should
have so much cause to be thankful for
it. Presently, seeing the blood upon
my head, and that lay quiet, they
thought that was unconscious, where
as was storing every ugly face among
them in my memory, so that l might
see them all safely hanged if ever my
chance came around. Brawny rascals
they were, with yellow handkerchief
round their heads, and great red sashes
stuffed with weapons. They had rolled
two great rocks across the path, where
it took short turn, and it was these
which had torn off one of the wheels OF
the coach and upset us. AS to the rep.
tile who had acted the priest SO clev-
erly and had told me so much of his
parish and his mother, he, of course, had
known where the ambuscadc was laid,
and had attempted to put me beyond
all resistance at the moment when we
! reached it.
I cannot tell you how frantic their
rage was when they drew him out OF
the coach and saw the state to which
had reduced him. If he had not got all
his deserts he had at least something
as souvenir of his meeting with
Etiennc Gerard, for his legs dangled
airnlessly about, and though the upper
part of his body was convulsed with
rage and pain he sat straight down
upon his feet when they tried to set
him upright. But all the time his two