Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-03-17

tell you oI-c0 you see Wnat ineuu!
says I.
'By heavensw says he. AN we come
through with 1t the king shall reward
you fttingly. But tits more like to end
in your DEATH" he says, and shakes his
head.
Ill take my chance Of that" says l.
"Come, is it settled between us?"
Are you a married MANI" says he
Have you wife and children
Neither the one nor the other"
says l.
"A mother. then?" says he.
"In the churchyard, two miles away"
says l.
He nodded and once more looked me
up and down. ending with long stare
into my face.
Il take your offer, friend" says he.
and he held out his hand. MY name is
Eustace Blunt"
my hand in his.
mo better man in Englandr' says he,
with laugh at his own wit "COme,
am in your hands, Stephen What do
we do firstY
First, l shall set out, leading my
horse across the paddock to the front
gate, thence to ride along the high road.
Give me a good ten minutes start ere
you set forth yourself. When your
| time 10 up follow the high road for half
| q mile, and then turn to your right. You
will find yourself in a grass lane. You
will follow it for a good three mile ere
| you come to a sign post, but when you
! come TO that you are on the straight
| road to York again. And so farewell
says |.
Before l had ridden a quarter of
mile along the road l heard the steady
| pounding of their horses feet behind
me. l turned in the saddle and looked
back-they came over a slight rise in
the road, riding abreast. There was
that in the steadiness of their pace that
gave me a notion of their resolution IN
the matter
l might have been half way between
the end of the lane where Blunt was TO
| turn off, according to my directions. and
the first stretch OF the common when a
sudden thought caused me to clap my
ha I'D to the pocket of my coat. The sur
prise that came TO me as my fingers
closed on the dispatch that should have
been in Blunts care and not in mine
made Inc pull up the horse. There l
was In possession of his majestys dis
patch, thing of the strictest import
ance, and behind me rode three round
head troopers that were anxious enough
to lay fingers on ii. AS for Blunt, that
should have had il In keeping, he was
by that time riding in the narrow lane
a mile in the rear.
The common suddenly widened cut
before me. saw Dick Pritt's granary
roof shine white in the moonlight. for
all that We were Il good mile and a
half from il.
The three of them still riding close to-
gether, were within 2OO yards OF me.
The moonlight struck the polished steel
OF their breast pieces.
There were four square miles OF COM
mon and twas as tricky bit of land
as a man might find in a days march.
There was n ditch here and a marsh
there. and both well hidden by the long.
rank grass that grew thick all over the
place. A man that did not know the
lay of the ground and rode his horse
across il with loose rein was more
likely 10 come TO grief than not; nay. if
he came within measurable distance
of Butter Bum hole he was like TO leave
horse saddle and bride in It's black
depths. and think himself lucky If h-s
escaped with his own life.
IL tn.
the rank grass the three men gave q
sudden shout and dashed across the
common to intercept me. / could have
laughed with glee-they had not gone
a dozen strides before the foremost
horse went knee-deep in a ditch anu
flung its rider over its head. ] was In
I hopes the horse had broken a leg, poor
beast. but in a trice the trooper had
picked himself UP and remounted
Butter Bum hCle was in front. l must
rid myself Of one il not two Of them in
its black depths If all three would but
ride into it ana sink fifty fathoms deep
there would he less need for all the
bother that | roresa W ere his Iiajesty'S
dispatch left my hands.
When I had suffered them 10 come
within thirty yeards of NE the moon
suddenly disappeared behind a bank of
clouds. But she suddenly peeps ont
through little rift, and on the instant
/ heard a sharp report and caught the
whistle OF bullet as il few past MY
head.
went on slowly, holding my horse
back, and at the same time calling loud
ly on him 10 hasten.
There was not yard between them
as them came to the hole. and each rode
NJ rat-Iinsy pace. Won w"riS have
rnOught they were clearing the whole
thing. but the man on the left seemed
suddenly to drop to the earth, and over
him rolled the fellow in the middle.
The man on the right, following the
path that l had taken, pulled up his
beast, with a jerk that threw 1t on its
launches and / saw him turn TO gaze
at the MEN and horses rolling and wal
lowing in the mud.
Farewell, my masters said l. and
ia ughed long and loud as l cantered of.
But was reckoning bit too soon. for
he sent another bullet whistling after
NE that took off my hat.
Looking over my shoulder / saw that
the man who had escaped the marsh
was following me with determination.
He had evidently seized the situation
and made up his mind to follow my
plans. So in and out We wound, over
ditch here and through a cluster of
gorZe bushes there, and he made no
such foolish mistake as to try to cut me
off or to take q shorter route. but held
on to my heels.
The horse tucked his big thighs under
nfm and tossed his head-faith, believe
he loved the spirit of the thing as dearly
Is his rider. And so We went straight
across what bit of common there was