Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-09-14
CHAPTER TX.
THE HEAD OF ZIP SMIIS

edcIl moment by VolunteerS eager Tor
plumber, rained blows increasingly on
hinge and socket; and still hotter and
raster, through a dozen riffs in the
tim came the fire Of their threats
and curses. Many grew tired, but Others
replaced them. Tools broke, but they
brought more and worked with savage
energy. They had shown at first a
measure Of prudence; looking to be
hired on, and to be resisted by men, sur
prised. indeed, but desperate; and the
holder Of them only had advanced. But
now they pressed around unchecked,
meeting no resistance. They would
scarcely stand back to let the sledges
have swing; but hallooed and ran In on
the creaking beams and beat them
with their fists whenever the gates
swayed under a blow.
One stout iron bar still held its place.
And this l watched as II fascinated. l
was alone In the empty courtyard,
standing a little aside, sheltered by n
OF the stone pillars from which the
gates hung. Behind me the door of the
house stood ajar. Candles, which the
daylight rendered garish, still burned
In the rooms on the first floor, OF which
The tall narrow windows were open. on
the wide stone sill OF one OF these stood
Croisette, a boyish figure, looking
silently down at me, his hand o. the
latticed shutter. He looked pale, n 1
nodded and smiled at him. / felt rather
anger than fear myself; remembering,
as the flendish cries half-deafened me,
old tales of the Jacquerie and Its doings
and how we had trodden 1t out.
Suddenly the din and tumult flashed
to O louder note: as when hounds on
the scene give tongue at sight. /
turned quickly from the house, recalled
TO a sense OF position and peril. The
iron bar was yielding to the pressure.
Slowly the left wing Of the gate was
sinking inwards. Through the widen
ing chasm / caught a glimpse OF wild,
grimy faces and bloodshot eyes, and
heard above the noise a sharp cry
from Croisette-a cry Of terror. Then /
turned and ran, with a defiant gesture
n an answering yell, right across
the forecourt and up the steps TO the
door.
ran the faster for the sharp report
OF a pistol behind me, and the whirr Of
q ball past my ear. But / was not
scared by 1t; and as my feet alighted
with q bound on the topmost step, l
glanced back. The dogs were halfway
across the u l made a bungling
attempt to shut and lock the great
door-failed in this; and heard behind
me a roar Of coarse triumph. l waited
for no more. / darted up the "a stair
case, four steps at a time, n rushed
into h great drawing-room on my left
banging the door behind me.
h once splendid room was In a state
OF strange disorder. Some of the rich
tapestry had been hastily torn down.
One window was closed and shattered;
no doubt Croisette had done 1t. The
other two were open-as If there had
not been time to close them-and the
cold light which they admitted con-
trasted In CHASTITY fashion with the yell
low rays OF candles still burning In the
sconces. The furniture had been hud-
died aside or piled into a barricade, n
chevaux de frise Of chairs and tables
stretching across the width Of the
ROOM, It's interstices stuffed with, and
It's weakness partly screened by, the
torn-down ~hangings. Behind this frall
defense, their backs to a door which
seemed to lead to an inner room, stood
Marie and Croisette, pale and defiant.
The former had a long pike; the latter
leveled a heavy, bell-mounted argue
buse across the back Of a chair, and
blew UP his match as 1 entered. Both
had In addition swords. / darted like
n rabbit through a little tunnel left on
purpose for me in the rampant, and
took my stand by them.
rs all right?" calculated Croisette.
NNs @aaAf0 ~ III AANA ' 'NlAS
All right, | think l answered. /
was breathless.
you are not hurt?"
Not touched"
l had just time to draw my sword be-
fore the assailants streamed into the
room, a dozen rufIians, reeking and
tattered, with flushed faces and
greedy, staring eyes. Once inside.
however, suddenly-so suddenly hat
M iI1a Cnnctoto- y,;,h4 A.,.o -. n ~
change ludicrous-they came to a stop.
Their wild cries ceased, and tumbling
over n another with curses and oaths
they halted, surveying us In muddled
SURPRISE; seeing what was before
them, and not liking 1t. Their leader
appeared to be a tall butcher, with a
pole-ax on his half-naked shoulder;
but there were among them two or
three soldiers In the royal livery and
carrying pixies. They had looked for
only, having met with no re-
at the gate, and the foremost
recoiled now on finding themselves
confronted by the muzzle of the argue
buse and the lighted match.
l seized the occasion. / knew, in
deed, that the pause presented our only
chance, n l sprang on a chair and
waved my hand for silence. The in
of obedience for the as
itself; there was a stiffness in
the room.
"Beware!" l cried, loudly-as loudly
and confidently as / could, considering
that there was a quaver at my heart
as / looked on those savage faces,
which met and yet avoided my eye.
Beware of what you do! We are Ca
tholics one and all like yourselves, and
good sons of the church. Ay, and good
subjects, too! Vive lie ro1, gentlemen!
God ave the king! I say" And
the barricade with my sword
until the metal rang again. God save
The king!"
"Cry Vive la Messe!" shouted one.
Certainly, gentlemen" / replied,
with politeness. with all my heart.
Vive la Messe! Vive ia Messe!"
This took h butcher, who luckily,
was still sober, utterly aback. He had
never thought of this. He stared at us
as IL the OK he had been about to fell
had opened It's mouth and spoken, and,
at a loss, he looked for helm
to his companions.
Later in the day, some Catholics
were killed by the mob. But their
deaths as far as could be learned after
wards were due to private feuds. Save
in such cases-and they were few-the
cry of Vive la Messe! always obtained
at least a respite; more easily, of course
IN the earlier hours of the morning
when the mob were scarce at ease jn
their liberty TO kill, while killing still
murder, and men were not vet
drunk with bloodshed.
/ read the hesitation Of the gang in
their faces; and when one asked rough
ly who we Were, / replied with greater
boldness: Il am Anne de Caylus,
nephew of the Vicomte de Caylus, gov
.rnor. under the king, of Bayonne and
the Landes!" This L said with what
majesty i could. And these"-I con
tinued-"are my brothers. You will
harm us at your peril, gentlemen. The
believe me, will avenge every
hair Of our heads"
1 can shut my eyes now and see the
wonder, the baked ferocity of