The Washington weekly post., 1900-04-17

was sent off by messenger, who would
be gone at least ten days, and then We
went into retirement" II is the rule
with all brigands who have prisoner on
hand TO lie low and take no chances. l
thought IL well to prepare this gang for a
disappointment, and when the mesSang r
had departed, l told them that he would
only have the journey for nothing.
1T cannot be for nothing" grimly Ie-
piled Bobetto, as he brought out his knife
and felt Of its edge. If no money com s.,
then your ears 90 to Athens. If they fail
to bring it, then We will send on your
heddSI''
Sentinels were posted on the hills
around to prevent a surprise, and We had
nothing TO do but loaf about. Bo5etto
thought he knew the game OF poker, and IL
was Tor US to uHdeceive him In three
days Gillian and. / had Won every cent he
had. We offered TO put up 500 against our
ears, but the bIigand assured us with
great dignity that II wasn't regular About
once a day 1 thought 1t my duty TO inform
Bobetto that We were moneyless Amerl-
cans, and that there was nothing in it for
him, and he always replied 10 me with a
lift of the eyebrows ana a ShruS OF the
shoulders and the words:
Time will tell, my lord; time will tell.
1t has happened that i have had to send
ears and heads TO Athens before"
For the first five days or our captivity
we were closely guarded, and there could
be no thought of escape. Then, as We ap-
peared to make ourselves at home, the
vigilance of the brlgands was relaxed.
While only four had been concerned in our
capture, there were really six IN the band.
one OF them mad q broken leg and the
other was acting as d nurse. Two Senti-
nels We're Always stationed at points half
mile away, and occasionally a brigand
tel asleep during the day. | think il was
on the eighth day and at about > O'Clock
in the afternoon when the brigand nurse
was sent for provisions. As two were act
ing as Sentinels and a third was lying
helpless, this left only two men TO deal
with. One of these was BObettO, and he
sat with his back to a rock, doing with
the heat of the day. Gillian was lying on
MS back while 1 was looking cdrelessiy
at Greek newspaper. All or a sudden the
artist sat up and whispered TO ne.
Let's end this right here and now You
tackle the leader, and I'll go for the
other felloWI'
The other fellow" was at the fire heap
ing the brands together. We rose up in
unison and made the attack. | gave old
BobettO kick on the jaw which knocked
him over and caused doleful howls. and
Gillian hit his man such a bow on the
neck rs TO render him unconscious for
half an hour. There were two guns in
camp, and We seized them and made for
the highway, only a mile distant. Before
departing l gave the leader a tap on the
head TO quiet his yells and so far as |
know We were not followed a rod. We
reached the highway just in time TO get a
mt IN passing cart, and in a couple of
hours were in Marathon. As TO the letter.
Il was delivered at the consulate, but was
looked upon as joke and the messenger
sent off empty-handed. We might have
lost our ears on his return but were moi
there TO have them sliced off. Bobetto
died TWO years later, as | read in the
papers, and ii was said that he was badIv
distgured by a broken jaw-the one INV
IOfd gave MIN with an American calf
skin shoe.
lCopyright 1900 hy Q q Iau.isl