The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-26

tight against the shriveling heat the crack
ing lips drawn back. the black skin chang
ing to dry and sickly brown. And ever
and anon between the shrieks the parched
lips shaped a plea: 20 massa! Massa
cap'm, shoot po' nigga and let UNI dier'
the marrow of my bones, and lacking
means to save his life / thought l might
at least make shift to try to put him out of
misery.
The enemys disposition favored me. The
savages. drunk with lust of blood. leaped
and danced around their victim. Falconnet
sat his horse apart beneath the naples,
and with his bodyguard of troopers was
well within the borderland of lurid SHADOW
where the fire light mingled with the night.
/ crept away and made swift detour
to the right to come behind the rearmost
horseman of the troop. As his ill luck
would have it his horse, affrighted at the
firelit pandemonium, was in the act OF
wheeling to run away Being cumper PEREZ
of handling his mount, and when the Deast
came down in a snorting tremble TO rear
afresh at sight of me the man flung away
the musket and drew his sword.
In cooler blood 1 might have given him
his soldiers chance, but here again II was
another's life mine. Even so. mignt
have fought him fair had he but held MS
tongue and fought I'm silence. But this he
would not, so / had to quiet him or nave
the others about my ears upon MS snout-
ings.
That done, 1 snatched the musket that
had cost the man his life, and staying not
to see what should befall ran back TO cover.
In the interval of weapon getting the nre
against the cabin wall had gnawed It's way
from log to log and now was tapping Win
it's yellow tongues beneath the caves. But
lest the victim should not suffer long
enough the Indians were at work IN yelllnS
frenzy fogging the blaze with green
branches broken from the trees so that the
fire itself should not be merciful.
/ waited till the slowly spinning ngure OF
the black should turn and make a mark
could not miss. The pause gave space TOT
some swift steadying of the nerves, put
with the colder thought 1t also brought
fierce and terrible temptation. The hnger
on the musket's trigger held life In pawn
and | might pick and choose and say wnat
life I'd take.
1 glanced aside at Falconnet- He was
fairer mark than my poor Tomas, ana py
the laws of God and man had earned MS
death. The tortured slave had little time
to suffer at the worst, and with the puiiet
that would give him surcease could well
avenge him. More than this. that bullet
planted in my enemys heart would save my
lady Margery harmless, leaving me lree
to go to my own place and so 10 rish' TIC
wrong that had done.
All in the pvoting instant of the pause
the musket swung slowly round ,1h as OF sa 1,s
the slashings, gold on red, across the
breasting of his captains riding coat. Ohe
little crooking of the trigger niger ano me IN {
lead had gone upon its errand. But at the
balancing instant that piteous cry was
lifted once again: 20 massa! Massa
cap'm, God "a mussy-shoot po nigga anu
let 'um die.
/ did as any other man would do, as you
have guessed. The great kings musket
swept another arc and roared and pelcneo
and spat its messenger Of death, and poor
Tomas had the boon he prayed for.
And then, as if the musket flash ana roar
had been a lodestone and these fierce Cnero-
KEGS so many bits of steel to cluster tnick
of an eye, and whizzing hatchets and rlne
bullets whining sibilant were but an earn
est of the fate had invited
rTo Dc Coufinued1