Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-06-14
CHAPTER XXxIII.

THE FALL OF A CHIEFTAIN.
There never vas such IN overturn In
this world. Each OF these six men was
as though he had been struck. But
with Silver the blow passed almost in
stantly. Every thought OF his soul
had been set full-stretch, like a racer.
on that money; well, ne was brought
up in a single second, dead; and he
kept his head. found his temper, and
changed his plan before the others had
had time to realize the disappointment.
"Jim," he whispered, take that, and
stand by for trouble"
And he passed me q double -barreled
pistol.
At the same time he began quietly
moving northward, and in a few steps
had put the hollow between US two
and the other five. Then he looked at
me and nodded. as much as 10 say:
Here Is u narrow corner" as, indeed,
/ thought II was. His looks were now
quite friendly; and / was so revolted
at these constant changes that 1 could
not forbear whispering: 80 you've
changed sides again"
There was no time for him to
answer In. The buccaneers, with
oaths and cries, began to leap, one af.
ter another, into the pit. and to dig
with their fingers, throwing the boards
aside as they did so. Morgan u a
piece OF gold. He held 1t up with a per-
feet spout of oaths. 1t was a two
guinea piece, and it went from hand to
hand among them for a quarter OF a
minute.
1.-TWO guineas!" roared Merry, shak-
ing it at Silver. That's your $500, 900,
is II? You're. the man for bargains,
amt you? You're him that never bum
gled nothing, you wooden-headed lub-
bert"
dig away, boys said Silver, with
the coolest insolence; you'll find some
p~ig-nuts, and ] shouldn't wonder"
"Pig-nuts?" repeated Merry, in a
scream. Mates, do you hear that? j
tell you now, that man there knew II
all along. Look In the face of him,
and youll see 1t wrote there"
"Ah, Merry" remarked Silver,
"standinging for cap'n again? You're a
pushing lad, to be sure
But this time everyone was entirely
In Merry's favor. They began to scram-
BILE out of the excavation, darting flu
rious looks behind them. one thing ]
observed, which looked well for us;
they all got ou uponJthe opposite side
from Silver.
Well, there we stood, two on one
side, five on the other, the pit between
us, and nobody screwed up high enough
to offer the first blow. Silver never
moved; he watched them, very up
right on his crutch, and looked as cool
as ever / saw him. He was brave, and
no mistake.
Al last, Merry seemed to hin a
speech might help matters.
Mates" says he, there's two Of
them alone there; ones the old cripple
hat brought us all here and blundered
us down to this; the others that cub
hat / mean to have the heart OF. Now,
mates"
He was raising his arm and his voice,
n plainly meant to lead a charge,
But just ~then-crack! crack! crack
three musket shots dashed out OF the
thicket. Merry tumbled head foremost
into the excavation; the man with
bandage spun round like a teetotum,
and fell all his length upon his side,
where he lay dead, but still twitching;
ana the other three turned and ran
for it with all their might.
Before you could wink Long John had
fired three barrels Of n pistol into the
struggling Merry; and as the man roll
ed up his eyes at him in the last agony,
George" said he, II reckon / settled
YOU"
At the same moment the doctor,
Gray, and Ben Gunn Joined us, with
smoking muskets, from among the u
meg trees.
Forward" cried the doctor.
Double quick. my lads. We must head
'em off to the boats"
And we set off at a great pace, some
times plunging through the bushes to
the chest.
l tell you, but Silver was anxious to
keep up with US. The work that man
went through, leaping on his crutch till
the muscles of his chest were fit &c
burst, was work no sound man ever
equaled; and SO thinks the doctor. AS
1t was, he was already 80 yards behind
US and on the verge Of ~strangling when
we reached the brow of the slope.
Doctor" he hailed, "see there! nc
hurry.
Sure enough, there was no hurry. In
O. more open part Of the plateau we
could see the three survivors still run
ming IN the same direction as they had
started, right for MizZen-mast Hill. We
were already between them and their
boats, and so we -four sat down &c
breathe, while Long John, hopping
his face, came slowly up with us.
Thank we kindly, doctor" says he
"You came in about the nick, l guess
for me and Hawkins. And SO it's you
Ben Gunn!" he added. well you're O
nice one, to be sure"
I'm Ben Gum, l am replied the
maroon, wriggling like an eel in his
embarrassment. And" he added, af.
ter a long pause, chow do, Mr.. SilverI
Pretty well, / thank we, says you"
ben, Ben murmured Silver, 'tc
think as you've done me-"
Concluded Next Week.)