Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-11-15

ments we had loosened The boards and
were up through the garden TO the
house n to the window. 1t stood open,
and Curtis was half way in when he
leaned back and stood looking at our
man, who had entered the household as
a military servan to do the work there
for us.
What is it, man." asked l in a whis-
per.
"Gone!" said he.
Gomez" we cried together.
AYE! / have been searching for We
ali the night. but could not find We any
where. Ye were not al your place in
Mrs. Hodges. We were nowhere in the
streets. l could not fine ye at all!'
b speak up, my man." said Curtis.
What mean you?"
He's ordered to q command on the
Long Island shore and gone there"
"When?"
Late this afternoon, just at dark.
l laughed for the very absurdity and
wretchedness of it. TT was the last
straw, and our whole work and mission
was gone! The others stood inactive on
the news of it, and just her came one
OF the crew running up from the boat.
quick, lieutenant" III cried, under
his breath, TO me. Quick. they're on
us!' And we distinctly heard a cry
uOWn Dy the ShOre:
There they are! Pull, men, pull!'
L was down the garden path in an in
slant, Acton close on to me, Curtis
following leisurely. And as we came to
the shore and lcaped into the boat there
came another large barge with half a
dozen or mayhap eight men pulling
towards us. Standing in the bow was
a man hailirg us in the voice of Hazel
tine, for l call him by that name still,
as so l knew him.
WHO are you here at this time O.
night?"
Frank" said Curtis, before 1 could
speak, Frank, take yourself and your
men away, as you love your life!" And
his voice rasped out the words, as If
they would cut the night air.
"Oho! cousin, l have you all three
cried he. Row on, men, hard! Into
them! Into them"
The next moment they struck us, and
after a pistol shot or two that hit no
one a fierce hand-to-hand fight began
across the gunwales Of the two boats.
They were W more than we, but with
the exception of HaZeltine himself the
others We're sailors. We were, there
fore, the better swords, and there in the
darkness the miX-up was complete at
first and no one uttered word or cry,
till down in the stern of the now locked
boats came a groan, and one of our pur-
suers sank into his seat.
Acton was furthest aft, Curtis next
and l in the bow, SO that Hazeltine and
l came together.
You cur, you" cried the man. Il
have you at last" and he made a thrust
at me with such force that, parry it as
l did, the defense alone was like to have
knocked me overheard on the other
side. l returned the thrust, and we
fought there without science or at
tempt to skill, but as boys would fight
with broomsticks, crazy with anger. So
close were we together that there was
no room to move and thrust, and on
the instant as he parried a blow of mine
l felt my point enter something soft,
and, hearing q groan near by, | pulled
the rapier back and saw the mex man
fall. Hazeltine had saved hi~-~0i- md
killed the mar e him T.. ~
the stroke.
At that he began to culsc a
clumsy lout, using a good m&St,., and
In between his cries l could hear Acton
talking TO his opponents:
80! another gone belowi" cried that
indomitable spirit, as he turned TO the
next. "Ah! one of ours!" as a fierce
scream and the Earring Of our boat told
me one Of our men IA gone.
Curtis said not a word, but, his man
having fallen by my chance stroke, he
turned quietly to the next. None Of
this could l see, bLt l knew as If by
diVination without the use of eyes, for
my game was near up more than once.
The man fought with far more energy
than he would for his cause. He hated
me, and hammered at me in a frenzy,
crying out that / was a coward, and a
traitor, and a spy, and what not, yell
in0r ''1Nhnt.nf fIarAN'' l,,l, +sa.A l., .t...1-
at me.
So the cries and the noise of the fight
ragged or close by the shore till some one
falling in our boat tipped it sideways,
and two barges slipped a foot or more
apart. And that foul fiend, seeing us
likely to move off, gave a savage growl
that l should not escape him, and,
leaping on the gunwale Of his boat,
made a desperate thrust at me.
l saw it coming, and knew t would
reach it's mark. Aye, it did SO, and
scraped along the ribs OF my right side
as If some one had gTipped me with the
clamps of a red hot iron. 1 lost my grip
on the sword and it fell into the water
just as the other boat, weighted by
Hazeltine's body on the gunwale, turned
over and tipped the whole crew, the
dead, the dying, and the living into the
shallow water.
The pain / felt, the despair that was
in me long before l came to this en-
counter, set me doubly against this man
who had been the cause Of it, and l
leaped down into the water and Crap
pied with him there as he stood up. No
words were necessary now. We knew
that, whatever the others might do,
this was the end, and neither would let
go his hold until one of us was dead.
He was a powerful man, and though
/ had him by the throat he caught me
by the waist, ana, putting his foot be-
hind me, tripped me up and we fell I'M
der the water between the upright and
empty boats-he on top, l underneath.
And there in this two-foot depth Of wa
ter we struggled and kicked and Crap
pied with one another for all eternity.
Lying on my back under the water,
there came Il humping in my ears and
my veins began to swell. l had no
thought nor fear Of death, nothing went
into my mind but a sense that l must
not open my mouth, and then, with a
wrench and Il struggle that L knew must
be the last, 1 caught him under one arm
n over his neck. IT is an old wrestler's
hold, and with the strength of all my
body and ali the good years Of health
and training, | bent his head down and
his shoulders Up till he weakened his
" Oil ItC ~ save illo lSShs
hen in an instant over he rolled un-
der tie water, struggling, kicking,
gurgling, and IL opened my lips and
took in a prodigious gust OF air, and
then closed my fingers on his throat and
put one knee on his chest, digging the
other foot into the mud between his
legs.
L cannot think OF 1t ven now, long
years after, without the sweat running
down my spine. II was frightful then.
II is SO now. For soon bubbles crept up
to the surface and burst beneath my
nose, n a horrible gurgling sound
same up as If from the depths of hell
out OF the water. And still | held him
there, working my frenzied fingers into
his throat, till his grip began to weaken
and the bubbles came not 50 fast. And
stll L thrust my fingers into his flesh
II held my knees hard upon his chest.
his hold relaxed the more.