The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-04-26

to me, bounding across the open with
great leaps, the progress of which 1
could trace by the depression in the
grass where it alighted, although could
not see the beast itself.
"One day we struck a gold mining
camp, and decided to stay there for
few days. On the first night of my stay,
however, got into an alteration with
one of the miners, who was intoxicated,
/ and he drew his revolver and fred at
me. My faithful kangaroo, unseen,
stepped between us and received the
bullet himself, as afterward learned,
although it was a mystery to me as well
as to the bystanders that did not fall
with bullet in my brain. At the same
instant the kangaroo struck out with
his powerful hind leg and caught the
miner full in the solar plexus, knocking
him out completely. The whole affair
was SO sudden that none realized what
had occurred, and some were inclined
to believe that the ruffian had had a
stroke of apoplexy. Invent to my hotel,
and they took the miner to his shanty.
Along toward morning was awak-
ened by my host, decent sort of es-
capped convict, and informed chat the
miner had died and that some of his
friends were going to carry out the de-
sign which he had formed before his
death of killing me. I don't dare lend
you horse, said the man, but you
get on your wheel and ride away as
fast as you can, or they'll catch you
sure.
81 started out promptly, for did not
want to be the object of a vigilance
committees deliberations, and was
soon wheeling over the plains had
my faithful kangaroo at my side, and
! noticed that he coughed and appeared,
from the sound, to be splitting blood.
This puzzled me at first, but quickly
realized that he must have been shot in
the lung, and felt more sorrow than l
can express at the thought.
II was setting pretty good pace,
but it was not long before heard the
sound of hoofs far behind me, and look
ing back saw four horsemen follow
ing me at full gallop. 1 realized that
they were the dead miners friends, and
also that there was no chance of escap-
ing them, for my wheel was in bad con-
dition, sadly in need of oiling, and it
was impossible to ride it over the rough
surface of the trail as fast as the swift
bush horses could gallop. There was
only one thing to do l called the kan
CARGO toward me and attached my stout
rawhide lariat to his enormous tail,
tying the other end to the head of my
bicycle. chirruped, and the faithful
beast started off with leaps and bounds
that nearly unseated me, but l man
aged to stick on, and soon saw that l
was distancing my pursuers l was not
satisfied with that, however, but re-
solved that must not slacken speed I'M
til safely beyond their radius of action.
l urged my invisible motive power on
to greater efforts, and before shutdown
we were more than 300 miles away
from the mining camp.
st was just as the sun was sinking
over the trees that the kangaroo stopped
short, and as rode forward the wheel
struck his PROSTATE body. dismounted
and knelt beside him. AS I did so felt
the warm lifeblood pouring from a
great wound in his side, heard faint
moan, and then the poor beast licked my
hand, gasped convulsively and died.
He had given his life to save me"
The wheelman who had travelled
paused, knocked the ashes from the in
visible pipe, replaced it in its case and
wiped away tear
but what of the piper" asked one
of the members.
"Oh, yes-the pipe. Well, 1 rode on
toward civilization, not daring to stay
in those parts much longer, and the
following spring l went over the same
ground again with large party. We
found at the spot where had left the
dead kangaroo the skeleton bodies of
four horses and their riders. / realized
at once what had happened. My pursu-
ers had followed me, their horses had
stumbled over the invisible body of the
dead kangaroo, and they had all been
killed. The fact that the neck of each
corpse was broken proved my theory. I
CROPPED among the bones for those of my
faithful friend and soon found them. |
placed several of them in my travelling
case, and when / returned to Buffalo
had this pipe made from two of them.
The rest mislaid and have never found
them. may stumble across them some
day. buffalo Express.