Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-08-04

straight on the stockade. At the same
moment the fire was once more opened
from the woods, and rifle ball sung
through the doorway and knocked the
doctors musket into bits.
The boarders swarmed over the fence
like monkeys. Squire and Gray fired
again and yet again; three men fell,
one forward into the Enclosure, two
back on the outside. But of these, one
was evidently more frightened than
hurt, for he was on his feet again in a
crack, and instantly disappeared
among the trees.
Two had bit the dust, one had fed,
four had made good their footing in
side our defenses; while from the shell
ter of the woods seven or eight men,
each evidently supplied with several
muskets, kept up hot though useless
fire on the log house.
The four who had boarded made
straight before them for the building.
shouting as they ran, and the men
among the trees shouted back to en-
courage them. Several shots were
fired, but such was the hurry of the
marksmen that not one appeared to
have taken effect. In a moment the
four pirates had swarmed up the
mound and were upon US.
The head of Job Anderson, the boat
swain, appeared at the middle loop
hole.
AT email hands!" he roared, in
a voice of thunder.
At the same moment another pirate
grasped Hunters musket by the muz-
zle, wrenched it from his hands,
plucked it through the loophole, and,
with one stunning blow, laid the poor
fellow senseless on the floor. Mean
while a third. running unframed all
round the house, appeared suddenly in
the doorway, and fell with his cutlnss
on the doctor.
Our, position was utterly reversed.
A moment since we were firing under
cover, at an exposed enemy; now it
was we who lay uncovered, and could
not return blow.
The log house was full of smoke, to
which we owed our comparative safety.
Cries and confusion, the flashes and
reports of pistol shots and one loud
groan rang in my ears.
''Out, lads, out, and fight 'em in the
open! Cutlasses!" cried the captain.
1 snatched a cutlass from the pile,
and some one at the same time snatch
ing another gave me cut across
the knuckles, which I hardly felt. /
dashed out of the door into the clear
sunlight. Some one was close behind.
know not who. Right in front, the
doctor was pursuing his assailant down
the hill. and, just as my eyes fell upon
him. beat down his guard and sent him
sprawling on his back, with a great
slash across his face.
Round the house, lads! round the
housed" cried the captain; and even in
the hurly-burly perceived change in
his voice.
Mechanically obeyed, turned east
ward, and. with my cutlass raised, ran
round the corner of the house. Next
moment / was face to face with Ander-
son. He roared aloud. and his hanger
went up above his head. flashing in the
sunlight. I had not time to be afraid,
but, as the blow still hung Impending.
leaped in trice upon one side. and,
missing my foot in the soft sand, rolled
headlong down the slope.
When had first sailed from the door
the other mutineers had been already
swarming up the palisade to make an
end of u.s. One man, in red night
cap, with his cutlass in his mouth, had
even got upon the top and thrown a
leg across. Well, so short had been
the interval. that when I found my
feet again all was in the same posture.
the fellow with the red night-cap still
halfway over another stz1l just show
ing his lead above the top Of the stock