The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-15

fitted his scheme air tight. We GER
tainly would have behaved better un-
der ordinary conditions. As It was,
when the men within ordered us off in
broken English and fired again a vol
ley this time, we took to our heels and
scampered, every man jack of US
Pete, Coloran and Capt. Perkins hit
ting as lively a gait as poor Louis or
myself.
1 mad often wondered in reading his
tory, why an army that one day con-
Quoted itself with spotless gallantry,
seemingly regardless of death or hell
fire, should on the next day skedaddle
in the widest rout, throwing away
the very weapons on which their lives
depended, and needless of any fact in
nature but how fast they could Waggle
their hind legs. 1 now know why. 1t
was because the army was composed
of men. Pete, Caloran, the captain,
these were three brave men; men who
had proved their mettle bfor, and who
proved il again-yet that night, in the
furry of that surprise. away they went.
There is no use trying to excuse or
conceal it. we were panic stricken and
we fell over each other, trying to get
away. Too bad, but also too true.
And after us came the men from the
cave, delighted at their easy victory,
shouting and cursing US, and shooting
very badly, or that would have been
the end of my story. And the loudest
voice in the company, jeering at us the
worst names, was the voice of our for
mer partner, Santiago-the man we had
lived with for months. Caloran's pre-
dictionS were justified in full.
How simple it all wasl While we
were lured from the cave by the fire
on the boat, Santiago's men had Slip
ped down through the hole in the cliff
and Seized everything they needed, ri
f1es, ammunition and gold, as even in
that lonely place we felt safer with the
gold near us when we slept Think of
it! In that short space of time a ruff
fianly crew of ragged half-breeds and
renegades, at whom we would have
laughed the day before, had complete
ly mastered u.s. The only weapons we
could by any chance get at were the
stones of the beach and Caloran's
sword in the boat
So we stumbled through the night
with those dogs at our heels. and our
end seemed certain. We could only run
so far, when we would be between those
devils and the deep sea, in that place
where the breakers hundred and foam
ed like cataracts. Eiether way 1t
was a quick finish for us. The waves
would smash a man to pulp while you
counted five-the half-breed's gang
were determined to kill US to a man.
They wanted no witnesses.
Then a strange thing happened.
Knut, who was a few PAGES in front of
me, stopped short with a yelling hyena
laugh. The fright had set his weak
brain awry He stopped, picked up a
stone in either hand, and, with that
crazy laugh, charged right at our pur-
suers.
We all stopped and watched him go,
while that nights fight hung in the
balance of those few seconds. Some
body fired at Knut and missed him. He
needed it not at all, but made for the
leader of the gang, threatening him
with the stone. The man threw his
rife before his face, as a guard, for
getting it had another purpose. The
stone struck him fair in the chest, and
he went down like a ninepin. The
half breed gang wavered, irresolute.
Come on, boys!" yelled Captain Per-
kins. We gra bebd the first stones that
came to hand and went at them. 1t
was our time now. Guns or no guns,
they fed for the cave. while we
chased them as hard as We could pelt
They were very courageous when ev-
erything was going their way, but It
took small check to unnerve them.
Captain Perkins, reached the man
Knut knocked down, lifted him in the
air and broke him on a bowlder. We
had one gun now.
But in the race back they beat us.
Once more in the cave their courage
returned. They gave us a volley, for
the first time drawing blood. Knut, who
was close behind them, got a bullet
through his shoulder Pete ran out and
dragged him behind a stone heap for
safety, and then we took breath.
ITO he Continued