The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-04-18
MY CAPTIVE.
Continued from sixth page

pClltuSti hilOWi uS tIldt du army uSuJ
better if it goes into battle well fed
well clothed and we'll rested 1t was
good argument, that bore extension, ant
l closed my eyes that they, too, Nigh
have rest, for they felt weary and clog
ged. Then, do what ] would or could
WEAKNESS and sleep took charge of me
Tired muscles rose in open and defian
rebellion against mind and Will The
combat was short and fierce but matter
trlumphed over mind, and in five min
utes | was in the midst of sleep thai
was heavenly with rest, unpeopled by
bad dreams, with my head back against
the wall and my breathing long and
regular. Meanwhile the bed Of Goals or
the hearth grew smaller and paler The
rim OF fire narrowed. Goals turned from
red to black and then to gray and crum-
bled into ashes. The darkness crept up
to the very edge of the hearthstone and
then invaded it. The girl was complete
ly in the shadows, and the pale glimmer
of the fire was but faint light left in
the room.
The sleeping man and the sleeping
girl were tired very tired, and they
slept soundly. If they had dreams, they
were pleasant ones, and no thought of
danger entered into them. The men
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
no hut -. la
III a darkness which made such move
ment safe. They reached the cabin
without alarm or 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 little. Then he put his
ear to the crack and could hear nothing
within. Replacing his ear with his eve,
he could see the feeble glimner of the
lire and nothing more. He was sure that
those whom he wished to take were
asleep, and he exulted, for a 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 wi1n crack
that now interviewed between the shut
ter and the wall he listened again and
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 ND
and pulled the shutter wide open on its
rude leather hinges Then he grasped
the edge of the window with both hands
and pulled himself up
My sleep grew troubled at last and
chen 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 nv
face, while l had no power to move a
muscle. 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 threw
him off my chest and sprang to my feet
My head struck against somebody else's
head as l sprang up, and that somebody
else swore All 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 filled up by the shoulders and head |
Of large man whose face 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
ike cannon shot
Moved more by impulse and instinct
han by thought, snatched out nv
own pistol and fred at the head in the
window. The man uttered a deep sigh:
me body dropped forward and swayed
here; heard the light drip drip of
on the floor, and then the
body fell inside the room.
The girl. suddenly awakened by the
terrible sounds and half in maze. cried
tut in fright and then began to ask in
high, trembling voice what had hap
)ened
Tho British have attacked us. 81
aid. Zone of them was in the shadow.
md threw him back. Stand out of the
ange of the window" / did not want
Ter to see the thing lying on the floor
lnder the window, and / showed the ia
lie in front Of it,
She obeyed, for spoke the last SEN
ence very sharply. The window was
vide open, and expecting to see another
ace there l held my second pistol
sady, but none appeared. and l had
o doubt that they feared Crowder was
cad
Taking the risk, reached out an
rm, seized the shutter and slammed it
nut, securing it as best l could with ,
le leather strap and nail used as a
Then, with my ear near the ,
'evioe, listened, but could not hear
If enemies. feared at first to look ont
st should receive bullet but still /,
caring nothing applied my eve and
wv that the men had gone back tn
leir lire. They were all there-four. :
'unted them and knew that none was =
issing They were celebrating evi. = =
'ntly over the fall of their leader and !,