The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-21

trotting at his heels until, in sheer self
defense, he was compelled to carry out
their wishes as far as he could.
Toward the middle of the aft
ernoon he announced himself ready,
and, with Buster John and Sweetest SUI
san jumping and skipping at his side,
and Drusilla more soberiy bringing UP the
rear, ne went to the field where old Scar
Face was said to have his home. Be-
fore the broom sedge took it. the field
had been used as a pasture for the cows,
but it was now pastured only in the early
spring when the tender shoots of the sedge
are putting out. This was why bars took
the place of a gate. Two or the bars were
already down, and it was an easy mat
ter for the Son of Ben Ali to stoop and
pass under the topmost bar. The chill
dren following promptly, he paused to ar
range the entrance so that no stray cat
tie from neighboring plantations might
wander in. Aaron's caution was simply
the result of the force of habit. The Fed
eral army had spared the stock on the
Abercrombie place as we have seen. but
there were few cattle left in all that re-
gion to stray through open gates or fall
len bars.
I'VE are hunting foxes on new plan"
said Buster somewhat boastfully. But
Aaron warned him to be quiet
IHty went through int SGuSes WHICH was
as high as Aaron's waist, and higher than
Sweetest Susan's head, until they came to
a pine thicket. In a desert this small
pine orchard would be called an oasis. In
the sedge-feld is was known as the pine
thicket. The pines were not large; they
had sprung up since the field had been
abandoned; but they were large enough
and thick enough TO afford shelter from
the sun in hot weather, and to form a sort
- 4
the op;Usite side there was a wall of
brambles and wild briars and blackberry
bushes. This wall had a door, to- When
the rains fell, the lay of the land caused
hundreds of little rivulets to- trickle
through the sedge toward the thicket.
On the other side, these tiny rivule%s com
ing together, gathered force and strength,
and the force thus collected, dug its way
through the briary wall. By some this
door would be called a drain or "dreen,
by other, a gully. Anyhow. there it was,
and in good weather it formed a neat en-
trance for the wild creatures coming from
the forest side. 1t was to this playground
that Aaron led the youngsters. BY mo-
ton of his hand, the Son of Ben Ali indi-
Gated that they were TO sit on the carpet
of pine needles, thickly spread over the
ground. He had no need to ask them to
refrain from talking. His eXpectant at
tifude was sufficient or itSeH TO command
their silence, and there was something In
the situation that kept the children quiet.
They felt now, as they sometimes did
when playing hide and seek in the big,
dark barn when those who played the
part of it were afraid that one Of the hid
den one, or something else, would jump
out of the gloom and seize them
Aaron remained standing, one hand rest
ing on the trunk of a pine. The silence
was so profound that wind softly blow
ing through the dry sedge sounded like
the fight of frightened creatures. How
long they remained thus, the children
could never guess, but it seemed a very
long time indeed. Suddenly the Son of
Ben All, using his hand as a sort of trum-
pet. gave peculiar cry, which was thrice
repated The children having been
touched" understood this at once.
Cunning one! Where are you? Where
are your"
Almost instantly this was answered by
a series of snort sharp welps. which, to
the ordinary ear, would have sounded like
The cry Of welcome or of pain made by a
very small dog. But, to Aaron and the
children It meant this:
Il am here, Son of Bon Ali; here and
waiting But what is this you have
BROUGHT"
At the same instant the head OF old
scar-Face appeared in the opening of the
tunnel made by the gully and the over
hanging briars.
End Part VII.