Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-10-10
BY JOHN FINNIMoRE.

then o will have to ride after him
catch him. II II is a tall horse /
VIII send him down to hat ice, so that
lie is most likely 20 roll in a heap"
Why" said /, "tho fellow will be
| killed"
And a sword?" said Ieuan; "a sword
and a pistol? Perhaps they do not
till.".
True" said I. II might have to use
'oug6 persuasion"
He also will have good arms" said
teuan, 'be sure of that. And Gruffydd
VIII use them, too"
"Gruffydd!" 1 said. do you mean
hat big dark man with the sword-cut
on his cheek? Why do you name
him?"
And have you not seen him follow
ing that bad old man as a dog follows
his master2" demanded Ieuan. "He
Will come as sure as we stand here"
He turned and went up on the gentle
slope which rose from the thicket. The
crest of the rise was scarce fifty yards
from the spot where the ice-trap lay,
and from this point we looked out along
4 fiat, open stretch, lying silent and
d~esolate under the moon.
Il shall jump from behind this bush
and try TO beat him from his horse with
my gum" went on my companion, but
there is no good cover handy, and 1t ISIS
likely l shall miss. Then you must stop
in the bottom with your horse and cut
him of, If he passes the ice"
"Ay, ay," said 1, and beat my hands
again, for at present / could handle
nothing surely. Then / went back down
the hill to look at Whitesock, and found
her standing like a lamb under cover of
the thick bushes, but making a soft
whinnying noise for Joy to see me
again. / walked her gently up and
down for an hour or more, without
sight or sound Of anything happening
up the hill, then secured her again,
spread the cloak carefully over her, and
went up the slope.
Just as 1 reached the top, Ieuan rose
out Of q patch OF brake in which he la
settled himself, and / saw his beckon-
ing finger against the sky. I ran at
once, and he pointed to the distance.
The night was still and MINDLESS, and
the silence intense. 1 listened eagerly,
yet heard nothing. I shook my head,
but Ieuan wagged his shock of hair
with the completest confidence, and I
bent my ear to It's task again. Yes, l
had 1T now. The sound of climbing
hoofs, faint and far, and swiftly beat
ing on the iron road.
i am right; yes, / am always right"
said Ieuan, softly, as proud as a pea
cock over the way In which bis forecast
was coming true. He ISIS coming, he
ISIS coming"
Il will get back to my post, said I,
and away l ran down the hill. I led
Whitesock to the edge of the bushes
and swung myself into the saddle and
waited with my eyes fixed upon the
ridge above, clear in the moonlight.
The rider was no laggard, for l had
been ready but a short time when I
heard the clang Of hoofs rafting up to
the ridge. Suddenly horse and man
shot into sight, and upon the instant q
dark figure leaped at them with a wild
scream. The horseman must have
driven his spurs nome at the sound,
for the swift canter was exchanged for
a furious gallop. The big, powerful
horse he was riding came down the
hill with terrific leaps, bound upon
bound, and n Of these carried him
clean upon the trap Of Ice. 1t worked
to q miracle. The shoes Of the horse
were somewhat smooth, as we found
afterward, n shot out from under
him like skates and down he went,
horse and man rolling over and over in
n crumpled heap. Ieuan had followed
hard upon their heels and now ran in
and had the horse at once by the head.
1t got to It's feet trembling but unhurt;
the man lay quite still.
LII a lIlCt lSudH Hdu secured the
horse to a neighboring bush and was
back at my side, for had now come up
and was turning the mar over on his
back.
"Gruffydd 1t iss," said Ieuan, "and
where ISIS the paper?"
II is not dead" said I, laying my
nan on the messengers heart.
Dead" said Ieuan with scorn, land
why should he be dead with falling
from n horse? But the senses are out
Of him and that igs very useful for
as"
Without another word he turned to
his task and deity stripped off the
great horseman's coat In which Gruf-
tydd was wrapped. This he tossed
aside as a very unlikely place for a
letter to be slowed away in. Next
which &euan whipped off as neatly, and
set about searching. He took his long
knife and ripped 1t here and ripped 1t
there, but no letter came to light, and
after a few moments search he flung
that aside also. In a twinkling and
with a deXterity of which l had never
seen the like, he had the shirt Of Gruf-
fydd off and in his hands, allowing the
naked body Of the messenger to fall
back upon the Icy slab OF rock as If he
vas handling a wooden figure.
At the second cut of the knife he
gave a cultural cry of satisfaction. He
lad ripped open a small bag-like fold
Of the shirt pleated close to the neck
and out came q folded letter. He hand
ed it over to me and had 1t open at
once.
l held it up to the moonlight but
could make out nothing. Ieuan had
flint, steel and finder and he struck a
light. 1t was all right. We had the
letter safe enough. 1t gave the in
formation which could be gathered
from the note Of which l had been
robbed and was addressed to Sir John
Postgate. Nc name was signed to It,
but an ingenious and complicated de-
vice was drawn with a pen. This
would serve to prove who had written
the letter, since the writer alone would
know how ii was signed; and vet
should it fall into the wrong hands no
trace OF the writer's identity would be
furnished.
This is it," l cried.
Then there ISIS with us all we are
wanting INK Gruffydd ISIS of no more
USE" said Ieuan. He bent over the
PROSTATE half-naked figure, took a
handful Of the great black beard in his
and tossed the head back, barring
the hairy throat. Upon this naked
throat he laid the edge of his keen
knife, and with n turn of his wrist was
about to slit it from ear to ear, when
/ sprang forward and caught his arm
with both my hands, crying, NO, mol"
Ieuan turned his head and looked at
me inquiringly for a moment, then
rose and thrust his knife into his
Yes said he, you are right; you
quite right. l am seeing your !
meaning. If they shall know that
Gruffydd ISIS stopped, they shall start
one else, and perhaps we are not
there to catch that one"
1t was clear that Ieuan had not di-
vined the impulse Of humanity which
me to stand by and see the
poor wretch's throat cut for doing his
errand and bidding. But his
keen wits had furnished a reason for
proceeding with the murder of his