Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-06-02
Chapter xxIlI.-(ContinucdJ

leave Tie OCner morse IOr RuIllIOfu 10
pursue her with; and, riding back,
she, with her dagger. cut the bride
with which the horse was tied, and.
taking hold of one piece of the rein,
she led the animal away as fast as she
could make him travel; and. as he
seemed to like the idea of being per-
mitted to accompany his companion.
Saladin, and went on as briSkly as
Astrea could ride through the swamp,
she found that the taking of him along
did not impede her flight. She was
also confirmed in the wisdom OF her
action. by the reelection that reck-
less rider like Rumford. mounted on
an inferior horse, might easily have
oyertaken her in the swamp, mas
much as she could not there urge Sal
adm to anything like the speed he was
capable of showing.
In the course Of half an hour Astrea
emerged from the swamp. and came
upon a road running east and west (as
she could tell by the last glinting Of
the suns rays OH the western hOriZOnp
and leading she knew not whittier. 1t
did not seem to be a road that was
much travelled, as it was to some eX-
tent overgrown with grass: and as far
as she could see in any direction there
was not the slightest sign Of any hu-
man habitation. Which way to go. she
knew not. 1t might be that in one di-
rection or the other the road might
lead to Rumford's plantation, or so
near it that her safety would be en-
dangered should she be so unfortunate
as to go thitherward.
After turning the matter over in her
mind for moment, it occurred to her
that if the horses knew the way home,
and were left to their own guidance,
they would be likely to take the home
ward way, and so she resolved to see
what direction they would go when
left to themselves. She, therefore let
go the rein of the led horse, and al
lowed the bride to fall upon Saladln's
neck. The horses at once took their
way eastward.
"That must be the way to Rum
fords,' thought Astrea, ''if either way
leads to his plantations: so I'll take the
other course. But don't want to lead
that other horse any longer. I'll let
him go toward the east. while l ride
SalaGin westward. Then, if pursuers
track me hither. they will find that the
horses have gone in different direc-
lions, but they will not be able to tell
which one carried me away on his
back. That will battle them again and
give me more time
Acting upon this theory. Astrea gave
the led horse sharp blow with
switch that she had provided herself
with as substitute for riding whip,
which sent him cantering along the
road to the east, while she turned Sal
adin's head and rode at brisk pace in
the opposite direction, the gloom of
approaching night rapidly closing
around her unknown path, which. for
aught she knew, might be thickly
strewn with dangers. The lonely wan
derer, faint from lack of sustenance
and exhausted with toll and excite
ment, felt the hazardous OF her situa-
ton in all it's bitterness; but, putting
up a prayer to heaven for protection,
she rode on into the gathering dark
ness with unfaltering trust in that
Fatherly Power which had already so
signally rescued her from what had
seemed unacceptable peril.
We will now return to Rumford and
his sable coadjutor:
The last we saw of Sam he was
rushing madly through the swamp in
the direction whence he heard his mas
sSA . AhAAooS, Ill olNCl " CSCdIC t1lE
doom threatened him by what he be-
leved to be the incensed Spirit of the
Swamp.
The frightened negro so filled the
swamp with his yells of terror as
he ran, that he no longer heard
the voice of Rumford. He rushed on,
over logs and through bushes; and. as
every uncouth looking stump and way
ing bush seemed to him. as it doomed
through the gloom. to be the threaten
ing spirit Of wrath, the poor fellow
was actually in danger of losing what
little sense nature had endowed him
with. And, at last, when a vine
caught his foot, and sent him. heels
over hea into clump of brambles,
he thought he was actually in the
clutches of the fends, and reared for
mercy with vehemence and strength
of lungs that caused his master, who
was not far off. to hasten to the spot in
establishment and alarm.
On coming up with his yelling groom,
Rumford seized hold of his leg, and,
dragging him from the brambles.
sternly demanded an explanation of
his unexplicable conduct. But Sam
was too much under the influence of
his superstitious terror to give his
master an explanation. He could only
beg for mercy, and protest that he had
never done anything to injure any
"sperit" whatever in all the born days
of his life, so help him heaven.
Rumford at last became so impatient
that he seized Sam by the ears and
shook him, and cuffed him. till the ply
steal pain overcame the mental super
stition, and brought the fellow to his
senses. But, even then, he could get
no satisfaction of him. Sam told him
how the Swamp Sperit'' had come
suddenly upon him, 'loollin' de awful
lest, marse, OBJ any ting eber seed on
dis yer yurth," and accused him of try
ing to dig up its body, that had been
buried (as Sam told it, at the foot of
the tree where he had sat down, for
ever so many thousand years. And
that when he denied having had any
such intention, and was only waiting
for his master to come back, "de sper-
it drawed an awful sharp knife out OBJ
It's bosom. and proceeded to cut out dis
yer chiles tongue by dc roots, which l
knows, marse, as how it would have
done, sart'in sure, only l heerd you
M To