The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-22

around the campfire had moved away
to the other side of the world, and the
little cabin was peaceful for them, in
side and outside. Sleeping thus, they
did not see the men rise from the camp
fire and approach the hut, now yelled
in darkness which made such move
ment safe They reached the cabin
without alarm or a sign from the
watcher who was not watching, and at
last the leader tried the shutter Of the
window. He pried at it with his knife
and moved it a little Then he put his
ear to the crack and could hear nothing
within. Replacing his ear with his eye,
he could see the feeble glimner of the
fire and nothing more. He was sure that
those whom he wished to take were
asleep, and he exulted, for fierce anger
mingled with his other desires to recap
ture both. He pried again at the win
dow, and with greater leverage it yield
ed further, and wood scraped against
wood He stopped and listened again,
but the inmates Of the cabin never
stirred
Putting his ear to the wide crack
that now intervened between the shut
ter and the wall, be listened again anc
heard the steady, regular breathing Of
some one inside and below. He knew it
was the breathing Of sleeping man,
too loud and strong for woman, too
even for one awake, and he reached up
and pulled the shutter wide open on it's
rude leather hinges Then he grasped
Ehe edge of the window with both hands
and pulled himself up
My sleep grew troubled at last and
then turned into a nightmare Some
huge wild beast, after the fashion of
beasts III nightmares, was sitting on my
chest and blowing his breath in my
face, while had no power to move
muscle. I was cold to the marrow and
waited for him to devour me. but in
stead he dwindled away and became
misty. With one great effort l threw
him off my chest and sprang to NY feet
My head struck against somebody else's
head as I sprang up, and that somebody
else swore an oath that had the SAVIOR
neither of nightmare nor dream, but
of reality.
Cold air and moonlight rushed in at
the window, but most Of the passage
was filed up by the shoulders and head
Of a large man whose face l could not
see owing to the imperfect light. He
held in his hand pistol which he fred
at me, but now the imperfect light was
to my advantage and not his, for his
bullet, avoiding me, buried itself with
chuck in the log walls, and the re-
port confined in the small room roared
like cannon shot.
Moved more by impulse and instinct
than by thought, 1 snatched out my
own pistol and fred at the head in the
window. The man uttered deep sigh;
the body dropped forward and swayed
there; heard the light drip, drip of
something on the floor, and then the
body fell inside the room.
The girl. suddenly awakened by the
terrible sounds and half in maze, cried
out in fright and then began to ask in
a high. trembling voice what had hap
pened
1.-The British have attacked Us" l
said. lone of them was in the shadow,
and l threw him back. Stand out of the
range of the window. did not want
her to see the thing lying on the floor
under the window, and showed the Ia
BILE in front of it,
She obeyed, for 1 spoke the last SEN
tence very sharply The window was
wide open. and expecting to see another
face there l held my second pistol
ready, but none appeared, and 1 had
no doubt that they feared Crowder was
dead
Taking the risk, reached out an
arm, seized the shutter and slammed it
shut, securing it as best l could with
the leather strap and nail used as a
fastening. Then. with my ear near the
crevice, listened. but could not hear
our enemies. | feared at first to look out
lest l should receive bullet, but still
hearing nothing applied my eye and
saw that the men had gone back to
their fire. They were all there-four. |
counted them and knew that none was
missing. They were celebrating evil
dently over the fall Of their leader and
what next to do. and took an immedi-
ate resolution
Light the candle" said to the
girl. ..Bold it to the fire. There's
enough heat left to start the wick to
burning"
She did so and saw that something
lay behind the table
"What is that?" she cried.
1.-The dancer and singer of last night,
l replied, seeing that would have to
II a.