The sun., 1897-09-19

as over and | was saved. and LOT my mind
dwell on shelter and safety, and bed and food
tho patch Of low gloom before me. where my
fancy pictured tho sleeping town. Then, on a
hoofs on the road behind me- and my heart
standing, still with terror ! pluckcd at my
Eeins and stood to lis,sn Aye and II was no
thud, thud:thud, and then squash, squash,
squish.squishl A horse was coming ZIP behind
within less than n hundred PAGES of me. Tho
soft wet road had smothorcd the sound up to
tho last moment
so much taken 10y surprise that the moon, sailing
Mt that instant into u clear sky, showed me TO
started, whipping and spMrrinR desperately.
me- PiunE!ng recklcssy toward along the wet
canter, ana leaning low In the saddle In mortal
fear OF bullet, closed my EYES to the danger
from thS, ,S witch Which followed on my % Heels 81 escape
Suddenly, and while was still kicking and
urging on my horse before tho first flush OF
fear had left mo, heard crash and cry be-
hind me, but did not dare AT that moment to
look back, | only leaned & the lower and clnnE
1@ y no @
Ing, Il flashed on me that ! was riding alone,
that was no longer pursued; and n little later,
warily, found that ! could see nothing nor
hear any sound save tho heavy painting of my
own horse.
had escaped. I had escaped and was alone
on the marsh. But as soon satisfied myself.
! was no longer on tho causeway along which
mo. The wind which had then met me was not
on my iight check; the light, for which had
been heading were H,a no Longer visibls. The
seemed more wet and rough; after that 1t need:
cd little to convince me that ! had strayed
from the highway, probably at the point where
This, since / dared not return by tho wav
had con come, terribly perpleXedd pd h mo - dsmounted,
hung its head and restlessly lifted its feet by
turns. rs il it already felt the engulfing power
nothing but gloom and mist, the dark waste and
unknown depths of the marsh. 1t was situa-
tion to try the st9atesi, , nor dd it need sec the
~ the strange gurgling noises that from time
to time rose from the sloughs about mo to add
the last touch of fear and melancholy to the
scene.
Though for m, own part sank in no fur.
ther than my ankles. the horse by its restless:
ness evinccd n strong sense of danger, and
dared not stand STILL But as clouds had again
obsc,lred the moon and darkness was absolute,
However, in fear that the horse. II / stood
where was, would break loose from me- led
it forward GSnouihy and then the tr@S
beast seeming to gain confidence 1t pro-
ceeded, l presently took courage to remount
carry me whittier it would. This 1t did slowly
and with Infinite caution, smelling rather than
feeling the way and often @ Stopping to try
instinct of the beast aided it, and remembering
that l had once been told that horses feared
men cali it, and would not willingly run that risk.
! gained confidence myself; which the event
justified. for by and by caught the dull sound
OF sea waves booming on n beach, and n few
minutes aftcrward discerned in the sky before
me the first faint streaks of dawn.
was wet, weary. and shivering with cold. and
with the anguish air OF that dreary place.
which is so unwholcsome that l am told the
naf IN ka IN ST. mn hR faVn
others do ale and wine. But at the sight
pricked up, and the horse, too: and We moved
on priskly, and presently by the help OF the
growing light. and through gray mist which
trebled the size of all objects. saw huge wall
Or bank bank loom across my path was close to
time to despair OF surmounting II before tho
horse was already cambering up 1t. Scram-
bling and slipping among the stones in minute
or so, and with great clatter, We gained the
summit, and saw below and before us the
smooth; milky surface OF the sea lifting lazy
So seen it had a strangely weird and pallid
aspect. as OF dead sea viewed in dreams; and
mire the spectacle; nor did fall TO thank God
that wns out OF that dreary and trcacherous
ets ments and not knowing which way ought to
take-to right or left along the beach-to gain
the more quickly help and shelter. was rein.
when a welcome sound caught my ear. 1t was
q mans voice giving an order. I halted and
made out boat lying beached at the edge Of
the tide, some $50 yards to my left. There
we're men standing in il, ! could not see how
many, and moro were in the act of pushing it
off the strand. Their voices came to me with
singular clearncss. but the words were unin-
telligible.
The sight gavc me pause and for n moment
1 stood accommodating the men. To advance
or not was the question, and was still debat-
ing 1t and striving to dcducc something from
the mems appearance. when something, never
knew what. perhaps some noise III Hpprs-
movement.
PAGES behind me l saw the figure Of a giant
horseman looming out of the mist. He was
advancing along the rummit OF the sea wall
below which stood, hence saw him before
and the advantage. had time to take in the
thing and seizo my horse by the head and
move eight or ten paces toward the boat before
there any concealment. With a cry. a yell,
rather. the mere sound OF which iunr Inc into
IA panic, the man urged his horse down the
bank. shouting terccly TO me to stand. / in
utter terror spurrcd mine across the beach
toward the men had seen.
/ have said that / had some sixty yards OF
start and 200 or 40 to cross to reach the boat
but the horses were scarcely able to trot, "A
up the sound Of hoofs. It was veritablc race
OF ghosts. OF phantoms laboring through tho
mist across s the %t .% Tith the oily stysan sea
He cried out in the most violent fashion,
now bidding me stay and now bidding the men
stop me. And for all knew they might be In
his pay, or at best he some OF the reckless des.
pcradocs who on that coast live by owling and
worse practices But they were my only hope.
and /. too. cried 10 them ana with joy ! saw
them put in again. they had before set afioat.
Believing Smith to bo gaining. cried pitifully
TO them TO save me, and then, my horse Stun
bling, | flung myself from tho saddle and
plunged through the sand toward them. At
that, two sprnng ont to meet me and caught me
under my, arms, and in moment, mind a jar
gon OF cries in n foreign tongue whipped me
over the side into tho boat. Then they pushed
II Off and leapcd In themselves, wet to the
thighs and as my pursuer came llrchinR dowr,
tho beach, pistol drawn In his hand, couple
Of powerful strokes drove tho boat through the
light surf Waving, frantically, ho yelled Ia
tho water. but with jcerinR laugh and II vol.
ley Of foreign words the sailors pulled the
faster and the faster, and the mist lying thick
on the water, and the boat sitting low, In half a
minute we lost the last glimpse OF him and his
passion. and rode outward on boundless sea,
t1O be cOntinued.)