The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-12-16


"I may as well tell you now what 1
didn't know till afterward, AID that Is,
when Mai. Forteseue, who was gentle
man holding some Official position II
Alexandria, heard there was likely to
be trouble, he sent his daughter Lucy
with her maid and native servant,
round to her aunt at Port Said By boat,
and when the row really came he calm
" put OF to a British ship lying in the
harbor, thinking that all was safe.
"But women are only skittish crss-
lures after all, SO when the ship She
was on was stopped at Rosetta. Miss
Lucy fOolishly resolved to return over
land to her father. This was. Of course,
the very verse thing she could have
done, and the result was that Lieut..
Grahame met the native servant, who
was looking for the major to tell him
that the girl had returned to the house
and was hiding there in great danger.
''When we had run on for about ten
minutes we came across an ugly crowd
Of armed riffrafE, who seemed inclired
to dispute the road with Us. Stand
clear!' yelled the cap'n, as he dragged
me into an open doorway. Only just IN
time, for had been a minute later L
should have certainly lost the number
Of my mess there and then, as a perfect
storm Of bullets Kissed by me. We
slammed the door to, and luckily the
fastenings were still good, as we could
bear the mob hammering against II md
endeavOring to blow the lock open.
'''QuiclS; up here again shouted the
cap'n, leading the way up some crazy
stone steps on to the fat roof. There
was kind Of hatchway over the stairs,
and this we managed to clap on in half
tick. As luck would have 1t we also
found a pile Of loose masonry. which
had fallen from the dome Of a temple
place next door.
when I had shoveIed about half q
ton Of this rubbish on to the hatch. [
thinks it time to have a spell and take
our bearings. I looks round, but
couldn't see the caP'n nowhere.
"Just then I heard his voice yelling
and shouting curses in a most awful
manner. and running in the direction OF
the sound I found him waving his arms
and stamping about as if be was balmy
on the trumpet.
Look at the fiendsI he roared.
y
coming, deaTcst!'
"And believe he would have jumped
over the ParaPet, a sheer drop Of 60
feet, if I hadn't clinched his coat with
both hands.
There across the narrow street we
saw two English females crouched on
the opposite roof. The lower part Of
the building was in flames, and in the
street below a crowd of yellow mOngreIs
were shouting and brandishing their
guns.
'sNOw, If there is one thing more'n
another that Tom Saunders pats his
self on the back about it is that he never
loses his head. The roof he was stand
ing on had a flagstaff in the middle,
and in a moment like it came to me that
this spar was to be the salvation Of
them two girls
Help me pull the stick down, Ora
hamel' I shouted, forgetting his rank
in the furry Of the moment. He catched
on my meaning at once, and we both
tuCged away for dear life. can't say
now whether the staff was rotten or
how IT came about, but all know is that
in a brace Of shakes we had the spar
down and stretched between the two
roofs. The next minute my boots were
of, and was across before the chaps be
low had time to think what 7 was ado
ing Of.
Mrs. Grahame-I mean Miss Lucy,
as she was then-like a true woman,
wanted to stand argufying with her
maid rs 10 who I should take first, but
I cut their tackle short by Selling the
young lady in my arms and starting of.
she was true blue and didn't screech,
but nestled in my arms, bless her heart,
as If she was a baby.
Il know I must he getting old. for
whenever I think of that time now cold
beads of Pcrspiration stand out Oh my
face, and / can feel my heart beating
like the rod Of a donkey engine.
As soon as I stepped out on the boom
a hoarse shout came from below, more
like the roar Of wild animals than q ny
thing else. Then could hear POpguns /
going of, but there couldn't have been
a decent shot in all the bling Of en-,
or we should never have got across
Before YOU could count two I had
placed the purity creature in the capt. s /
arms and was halfway back again
Come along, my lassl' said. And
without a whinper the PlUcl1y gal came
right 20 the edge of the roof to meet me. \
Then TIE worst part of the beanfeast
began. AfOre had taken half a dozen
steps 4 bullet plugged through my
cheek, and I spit out two of my best
biscuit crushers. Polly, tOO-that'i
the missus' name-got a nasty scratch,
though I didn't know that till after
ward. Then 1 feels a singing pain
above the right knee, and, thinks 1 it's
all up this time. Tom. my boy when I
feels the caP'n laying hold of me, and
we was drawcd into safety.
81 thought al least 1t was safety. but
soon found 1 was wrong. The demons
had managed to force the trap, anG now
came syvarming up by dozens. Luckily
Tor US. two British tars is a match for
a hundred ragged camp followers, and
we appended a score or so before they
kuOwed where they was. ] don 60 for
10 say. though. that things wasn't look
ing serious when, just in the nick Of
time. we heard the tramp Of a patrol,
and the yellow chaps scOOted 50 quick
" that in about ten seconds there
wasn't nary one to be seen