The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-09
CHAPTER III.

There was great excitement at the
function when we arrived without the
express messenger, who acted as postal
clerk as well
When the local express agent learned
that the messenger was not with the
rescued party, that the conductor had
been unable to find him, and that no
one could remember having seen him
since we stopped and he was seen head
ing for high land with his register
pouch and some packages Of express
matter bearing red seals, he began to
wh,e IN all directions In a little while
mounted men were dashing out toward
tha hills so es to be ready to take the
trail at dawn.
= 1t was plain enough, tho agent ar
gued, that the messenger had taken ad-
vantage Of the circumstances aad clear
ed out with the wealth in his posses
sion. A thousand dollars reward was
offered for the capture Of the messenger
A deputy sheriff made up posse Of
four, including himself. and put out
for the scene Of the robbery. They
were among the first to leave town, and.
as they all knew the country, were soon
upon the ground where the open and
erapty safe left little to be explained.
The safe, they argued, had been blown
up by the messenger for blind, but they
would not be fooled.
The messenger. it would seem, had
remained in the vicinity Of the washout
until the train was abandoned, and then
set out upon long tramp through the
t1ackless hills. He knew the packages
that were most valuable, and with these
he filed his pockets The gold he must
leave, for the journey would be tire
some one. The country, which was new
to him, was extremely rough. At times
he found himself at the bottom Of
deep gorge. and again at the top Of
steep bluff, and saw before him black
and apparently oottomless abyss There
was no moon, but the friendly stars
would guide him. Pixies peak. stand
ing high against the sky, showed him
where the east was, while the Green
horn range rose rough and abrupt to the
west. But when he had been upon his
journey less than an hour, gray cloud
hung like a heavy fog on the hills and
shut out all the light from the heavens
and obscured the earth. Instead Of wait
ing for the pIists to clear away, he kept
on going and was soon hopelessly lost,
SO far as any knowledge Of the points
Of the compass was concerned. He
might, for what ho knew, be headed for
the hills. or he might bo walking in
the direction of the junction and the
states prison.
At last, having reached what appear
ed to be the summit of little hin, he
sat down upon huge rock to rest. As
he sat there he thought he heard sound
like that produced by horses stepping
about on stone floor. Presently the
cloud rolled away, and although tho
valley below was still o5scured, the
stars were bright above and the crags
Of the main range stood out clean cut
against the western sky. Before him be
saw Pixies peak and knew that little
way below him, hid in the mist, lay the
junction.
The sheriff and his posse, lost III the
fog had halted in a small basin end
were waiting for the clouds to clear
away The sheriff insisted that he had
beard u man cough. and COW the little
party were sitting their horses in 81
lence, which was broken only by the
nervous tramping Of a brcncho. WHAT'S
that?" asked the sheriff, pointing to the
rock above them 81 should say it was
bear sitting on his launches. said
one of the men. 'I:ll just tap it with
cartridge continued the last. spca1Ser;