The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-06-19

face with spray. He heard a second
report, and saw one of the sentinels
with his rifle at his shoulder, a light
cloud of blue smoke rising from the
muzzle. The man in the water saw
the eye of the man on the bridge glar-
ing into his own through the sights
of the rifle. He observed that it was
a gray eye, and remembered having read
that gray eyes we're keenest and that
all famous marlsmen had them. New
ertheless, this one had.missed.
A counter swirl had caught Farqu-
har and turned him half round; he
was again looking into the forest on
the bank opposite the fort. The sound
of q clear, high voice in a monotonous
sing-song now rang out behind him and
came across the water with a distinct
ness that pierced and subdued all other
sounds, even the beating of the ripples
in his ears. Although mo soldier, he
had frequented camps enough to know
the dread significance Of that delib-
crate, drawing, aspirated chant; the
lieutenant on shore was taking q part
in the mornings work. How colby and
pitilessly-with what AN even, calm in
tonation, presaging and enforcing tram
| auiIlity nthem en-with wh~ataccurate-
ly-measured intervals fell those cruel
words:
Attention, company. Shoulder arms.
Ready. Aim. Fire!"
Farquhar dived-diVed as deeply as
he could. The water roared in his ears
m A. r. NSororo vet bo boor1
the dulled thunder of the volley, and,
rising again toward the surface, met
shining bits of metal, singularly aat-
tened, oscillating slowly downward.
Some of them touched him on the face
and hands, then fell away, continuing
their descent. One lodged between his
collar and neck; it was uncomforta-
bly, warm, and he snatched it out.
AS he rose to the surface, gasping
for breath, he saw that he had been a
long time under water; he was per-
ceptibly further down stream-nearer
to safety. The soldiers had almost fin
ished reloading; the metal ramrods
flashed all at once in the sunshine as
they were drawn from the barrels,
turned in the air. and thrust into their
sockets. The two sentinels fred again,
independently and Intellectually.
1.-The officer" he reasoned, will not
make that martinet's error a second
time. 1t was as easy to dodge a volley
as a single shot. He has probably al
ready given the command to fire at
will. God help me, l cannot dodge them
ALI"
Suddenly he felt himself whirled
round and round-spinning like a top.
The water, the banks, the forest, the
now distant bridge, fort and men-all
were co~mmingled and blurred. Objects
were represented by their colors only;
circular horizontal streaks of color
that was all he saw. He had been
caught in a vortex and was being hurled
on with a velocity of advance and gyra-
ton which made him giddy and sick,
In a few moments he was flung upon
the gravel at the foot of the left bank
of the stream-the southern bank-and
behind a projecting point which con
cealed him from his enemies. The sud
den arrest of his motion, the abrasion
of one of his hands on the gravel, re-
stored him and he wept with delight,
He dug his fingers into the sand, threw
it over himself in handfuls and audibly
blessed it. 1t looked like gold, like dia-
monds, rubies, cmeralds; he could
think of nothing beautiful which it
did not resemble. The trees upon the
bank were giant garden plants; he
noted a definite order in their arrange
ment, inhaled the fragrance of theiE
blooms. A strange roseate light shone
through the spaces among the trunks
and the mind made in their branches
the music of aeolian harps. He had nc
wish to perfect his escape, was content
to remain in that enchanting spot until
retaken.
A whizz and rattle of grapeshot
among the branches high above his
head reused him from his dream. The
baffled had fired him a ran
dom farewell. He sprang to his feet
rushed up the sloping bank and
plunged into the forest.
All that day he travelled, laying his
course by the rounding sun. The for
est seemed interminable; nowhere die
he discover a break in it, not even {
woodman'sroad. He hadnotknown tina
he lived in so wild a region. There wa:
something uncanny in the revelation.
His neck was in pain, and, lifting
his hand to it, he found it horribly
swollen. He knew that it had a circl,
Of black where the rope had bruised
it. His eyes felt congested; he coulc
no longer close them. His tongue wa,
swollen with thirst; he relieved it
fever by thrusting it forward from be
tween his teeth into the cool air. HOY
softly the turf had carpeted the un
Travelled ~avenuei He could no longe.
: feel the roadway beneath his feeti
Doubtless, despite his suffering, b
{ fell asleep while walking, for now b,
sees another scepe-perhaps he ha
) merely recovered from a delirium. III
; stands at the gate of his W home
E All is as he left 1t, and all bright an,
Z beautiful in the morning sunshine. Fl
must have travelled the entire night
: AS he pushes open the gate and passe
y up the wide, white walk, he sees a flu,
: ter of female garments; his wife, look
ing fresh and cool and sweet, step
down from the veranda to meet hin
j. ~ g. 49, A. a4L =