Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-11-21
CHAPTER XIV.
)op-BYE no -NANT-Y-BRYN.

women, who had fled out of the house
from the scene OF the combat. now
rushed into the hall uttering Wild
screams. which rose high above the
dreadful chorus, and, close upon their
heels, adding no sound to the wild tu-
multi, but for that very thing striking
a deeper note of awful terror. came the
wild, wolfsh figures of the Red Men or
the Dusk.
Their naked feet made no sound upon
the dark flags Of the floor. They glided
In, man after man, some Tapped In the
bloody wrappings covering wounds
gained on the spot from which they a
fed but a few nights before, and to
| which they returned on other footing.
For they came as masters now. At
first IL was not a fight, but q slaughter.
The keen p~ike-heads were driven like
serpent's stings, time n again, into
the huddled, drunken mass of bewil-
dered retainers, and the terrible sword
of Ieuan Gwyllt hewed down man after
man..
Even more dreadful and ruthless
than the Men Of the Dusk. their women
swarmed to the attack. Gaunt, savage
creatures, their eyes cleaning wildly
through foul tangles OF matted locks,
they drew behind the fighting line,
thrusting themselves through 1t,
dropped upon hands and knees. and
crept softly beneath the pixies, a long
knife held between the clenched teeth.
Woe to the man who lost his footing In
that rude huddle of fight! Like quest
Ing dogs, the women sought out the
wounded thrust down in the press, and
stabbed then again and again. with
shrieks Of ~ferocious joy, for, unlike the
men, they were not silent.
h dreadful apparition of people
whom all had deemed utterly broken
and vanquished. intensified the almost
superstitious dread with which they
had ever been regarded. and for awhile
the attack seemed TO shrink from meas
uring strength with them.
In number the men of the house still
held an advantage, but 1t was rapidly
being lost, as the Men of the Dusk piled
In ferocious silence their deadly
thrusts, and the women shrieked like
fends. as they slashed their knives
across the threats of the grooming fall
en-. But the very extremity Of the dan
ger drove the garrison to stand stoutly
together, and they turned their swords
from each other to n common foe. Some
of the cooler heads formed a line across
the hall, and opposed their bucklers to
the dripping points, thus giving an OPP
portunity FOR their slower friends to
rally, l saw this was no place for my
low any longer, and 1 leaped up TO
the stairhead and called upon her.
She ran to me and Slant followed.
" Gwylliaid Cocbion! Y Gwylliaid
Cochion!" A score OF voices were
screaming it. Both of them cried out.
Yes" said l, the Red Men Of the
Dusk have broken In and taken those
quarrelsome fellows utterly by sur
prise. but nave no fear, dearest, I do
not think"
l stopped short, for Enid uttered a
faint cry and pointed over my shoul-
der. l turned, but Sir Arthur was a
doomed man when my eyes fell upon
him. He had just raced into sight,
flying upstairs to seek n hiding place,
and a barely set foot upon the gall
lery when n pike whizzed after him
and buried its head deep between his
shoulders. He pitched forward on his
face, and as he fell, two half naked
young fellows and q woman ran IN on
him and drove their knives home to-
gether In his body. The woman was
old Megan, her great, hollow eyes shin
Ing vita savage Joy, and she plunged In
her knife again and again, laughing
aloud.
1 caught hold Of Enid and held her
close to my breast to shut out the
dreadful sight. She trembled q little,
and then l held her tighter, for I felt
her strength failing. She had received
shock upon shock during the day, be-
tween grief and excitement she was
worn out, and she now lay fainting in
my arms. l laid her gently down and
delivered her to Siani, keeping myself,
as u situation demanded, a keen
watch below.
The three wild figures struck I'M
weariedly at the object of their ven-
geance, though life had long since de-
parted, then Ieuan sprang into sight.
The young savages showed him their
hands, dabbled in the blood as their
mother had promised, and Ieuan's face
broke into n smile of gratiied hatred.
Next, he spoke hurriedly, and pointed
down with his dripping sword. He
rushed back into the fight, the others
followed, and, as they went, q pungent
smell came to my nostrils.
| started, ran down several steps,
and snuffed 1t up eagerly. Smoke,
without a doubt, and not Of powder,
either. l saw faint yellow wreaths
curling up from one corner Of the hall,
and my heart stood still. Fire! the
place was or fire, and my heart stood
still. Fire! the place was on fire, and
we were up here, and the lower stairs
and the hall impossible, for the fight
still ragged furiously.
"Siani!" 1 cried. Quick! quick! run
with your things to the room where
you kept the window; 1T is our only
chance" 1 sprang up, swung Enid into
my arms, and "a as swiftly as l
could. Siani followed me In a mo-
ment, loaded down to the ground. We
reached the room safely m drove
home the great iron bolt which fas-
tened the door on the inside. / laid
my love down, and seized the roll OF
stuff which Siani had brought.
1 drew out q yard or two, made the
end fast to the strap which joined the
saddlebags, and lowered them from the
open window. They were soon on the
ground, and this side OF the house, as
usual, was quite deserted. The doors
were on the other side and no paths
came his way. When l felt the weight
of the bags gone, by reason of their
settling On the turf, l slashed the
stuff with my sword. There was O
strip already hanging from the ceiling,
knotted round the beam as I had fas-
tened 1t in the afternoon. AS SIAM had
cut it across close at the window, the
piece left hung nearly to the floor.
l fastened the end of 1t to the end /
had Just cut, and W. now had a rope to
the ground. l pulled several yards
more off the roll and made q strong
running moose. Meanwhile, Siani was
doing her utmost to revive her mis-
tress. / ran across to the door and lis
tened for an instant. The tumult with
In the house sounded louder than ever,
and 1 smelt the smoke strongly.
Come, Siani," said /, 1--WE have not a
second to lose. We must lower your
mistress first, for / shall need your aid
to lift her through the window and
keep the line steady"
I knelt down and arranged the moose
carefully round Ends waist. The broad
band held her at once more firmly and
more easily than a ope and ! drew 1T
tight and secured it by a knot.
Slant held the line In a grip Of iron
while l lifted Enid to the window sill.
Then, pressing a kiss on her cold brow,
I also seized the inen and we lowered
her slowly and carefully. The slacken-
ing of the stuff and Siani's sharp eyes
ncnnrnd ns She WAS safely on tho