Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-12-17


"But women are only sl<ittish crea-
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 worse 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 riffraff, who seemed inclined
to dispute the road with us, Stand
clearl' yelled the cap'n, as he dragged
me into an open doorway. Only just in
time, for had I been minute later
should have certainly lost the number
of my mess there and then, as perfect
storm of bullets Kissed by me. We
slammed the door to, and luckily the
fastenings were still good, us we could
hear the mob hammering against it and
endeavoring to blow the lock open.
"'Quick; up here again shouted the
cap'n, leading the way up some crazy
stone steps on to the fiat roof. There
was kind of hatchway over the stairs
and this we managed to clap on in half
tick. AS luck would have it we also
found a pile of loose masonry, which
had fallen from the dome of a temple
place next door.
when I had shoveled about half a
ton of this rubbish on to the hatch,
thinks it time to have spell and take
our bearings. / looks round, but
couldn't see the cap'n nowhere.
Just then I heard his voice yelling
and shouting curses in most awful
manner, and running in the direction of
the sound / found him waving his arms
and stamping about as if he was balmy
on the crumpet.
Look at the fiends!' he roared,
dancing with rage. Now, Lucy, I'm
coming, dearest!'
"And believe he would have jumped
over the parapet, sheer drop of GO
feet, if 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 crowd of yellow mongrels
were shouting and brandishing their
guns.
'Now, if there is one thing more'n
another that Tom Saunders pats his
self on tho back about tits that he never
loses his head. The roof he was stand
ing on had a flagstaff in the middle,
and in moment like it came to me that
this spar was to be the salvation of
them two girls.
"'Help me pull the stick down, Gra-
hame!" l shouted forgetting his rank
in the furry of the moment. He catched
on my meaning at once, and we both
tugged away for dear life. can't say
now whether the staff was rotten or
how it came about, but all know is that
in brace of shakes we had the spar
down and stretched between the two
roofs. The next minute my boots were
off, and was across before the chaps be-
low had time to think what was ado
ing of.
Mrs. Grahame-I mean Miss Lucy,
as she was then-like true woman,
wanted to stand argufying with her
maid as 10 who should take first, but
l cut their tackle short by seizing the
young lady in my arms and starting off.
She was true blue and didn't screech,
but nestled in my arms, bless her heart,
as if she was baby.
81 know I must be getting old, for
whenever / think of that time now cold
beads of perspiration stand out on my
face, and l can feel my heart beating
like the rod of a donkey engine.
"As soon as l stepped out on the boom
a hoarse shout came from below, more
like the roar of wild animals than any
thing else. Then l could hear popguns
going off, but there couldn't have been
a decent shot in all the billing of 'em,
or we should never have got across.
"Before you could count two had
placed the purity creature in the cap'n's
arms and was halfway back again.
"'Come along, my lass! l said. And
without a whimper the plucky gal came
right to the edge of the roof to meet me.
Then the worst part of the beanfeast
began. Afore / had taken half dozen
steps a bullet plugged through my
cheek, and l spit out two of my best
biscuit crushers. Polly, too-that's
the missus' name-got nasty scratch,
though l didn't know that till after
ward Then l feels singing pain
above the right knee, and, thinks it's
all up this time, Tom, my boy when !
feels the cap'n laying hold of me, and
we was dI-awed into safety.
81 thought at least it was safety, but
soon found l was wrong. The demons
had managed to force the trap, and now
came swarming up by dozens. Luckily
for us, two British tars is match for
hundred ragged camp followers, and
we up-ended a score or so before they
knowed where they was. l don't go for
to say, though, that things wasn't look
ing serious when, just in the nick of
dime, we heard the tramp of patrol,