The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-10-23
CHAPTER XVI.
THE MESSENGER

have put such instant faith In Ieuan
KGWYHt: but so lit was, and I marched.
withahim as ~contentedly and as easy in
my mind as ever accompanied man.
For me thing. ( had met him tWicesats
sword point n been beaten both:
times, SO I held him in much respect;
and, again. Knew enough of his char
sacter from his old acquaintance to be
thai. while our interests Jumped
together. his hand would never be
turned against me. Further, I was des-
Sperate to prevent mischief happening
to my friends, and would have ven
tured upon no small danger to inter-
8cept the billet. which I was well as
sured my uncle would dispatch at the
earliest possible moment. So I crossed
over to him n peeped over his Shout
der at the pathway. sg
There ISIS no sign of man or horse
passing" said he, hearing the crunch
ofSmy feet on h snowy grass. But
he will come, yes he5wiH ONE"
WHAT makes you SO certain"
the same reason. Il am sure tina
some has already spoken to YOU
returned Wild John. in his stiff, formed
English: that 1T ISIS good to start al
once before the Gwylliaid Cochion be-
gin oncesmore to movesabout the
try"
/ laughed to see how keenly he
summed ~upsSthings. and he continued:
How muchspowder and ball ISIS with
you?"
Little enough i answered; .about
four charges. 4 thought 1T would be
enough for the road
Little Indeed said he; this gun ISIS
loaded, and I have enough to load 1t
once again. That ISIS ALL"
Never mind" said Plenty to
the mans horse from under
him.
Ieuan turned his head and barred his
strong White teeth In a. contenptuoust
grin. AND do you think. said he,
n do you think we shall spend pow
der on the job2 And there ISIS SO little
with us. Not likely
VIVA will you do?'' / asked.
II will show you," he returned; "ands
it iss time to be about 1t, too"
He Went&back through the thicket,
crossed the main road twenty yards be-
low the fork, and marched In the direc-
ton Of NantAy-Bryn. followed like
his shadow, and 200 yards.or more from
the thicket he stopped. We9had been
moving Larallel@With the road, but five
or six yards from it, out on the wide
grassy margin. AT the place where we
stood. the roadbed for some ten or:
twelve Yards was formed by a smooth
sheet of living rock. Such strips are
common enough mail that countryside.
where the rock crops upin8every places
and in; wet or slippery Weatherthey de-
mand very wary riding. But. In spite
#of the snow and frost, the roads were.
now not slippery,fo the skin of snow
had fallen on clean, hard, dry earth
and 1t had never melted, nor was IL
deep enough to clog a horse o. ball IN.
der his feet.
Ieuan looked round, then went WITT
hasty stride to a9blnck cash in hi
moor, Where q turf pit had been opened,
Before the frost came on 1T had beer
filled with water almost to the :brim,
and a2couple of blows from his heavy
heel shattered the ice. He whipped off
his hat and filed 1t with drak water.
Which%came yelling UP, then ran swift
ly to the oad and dashed 1T on the.
broad riband of smooth rock.
I FASTENED to help him. Every hatful
of water as 1t was fl, Jig down spread
like a blot, then s'pod a hard, black
plate Of ice. On 81 bitter a night it
froze almost as 1t Tell, and within a
quarter Of an houI we had a band of
ice as hard as iro11 and catching the
moon like a mirror.
We wrung our hats as dry as we
could, then buffeted our hands round
our waists 10 getathe life back into the
numbed fingers.
Continued Next Week.