The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-10-16
BY JOHN FENNiMORE.

ana catch him. If it is @ tall horse l
will send him down to that Ice. SO that
lie is most likely 20 roll in a heap
Why" said 1, the fellow will be
killed"
And a sword?" said Ieuan; "a sword
and q pistol? Perhaps they do not
kill" 9
True said I. Il might have to use
rough persuasion"
He also Will have good arms" said
leuan, be sure of that. And Gruffydd
viii use them, too"
''Gruffydd" 1 said. do you mean
that big dark man with the sword cut
on his cheek? Why Go you name
hm?"
And have you not seen him follow
ing that bad old man as a dog follows
his naster?" 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
flat, open stretch, lying silent and
desolate 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 it ISIS
likely l shall miss. Then you must stop
him off, If he passes the ice"
"Ay, ay," said T. and beat my hands
| again, for at present I could handle
nothing surely. Then 1 went back down
the hill to look at Whitesocle, and found
her standing like a lamb under cover Of
the thick bushes, bus making a soft
wninnying noise for Joy to see me
again. I 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 I reached the top, Ieuan rose
out OF a patch OF brake in which he had
settled himself, and I 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 I listened eagerly,
yet heard nothing. I shook my head,
but 1euan wagged his shock of hair
with the completest confidence, and 1
! bent my ear to its task again. Yes, I
had it now. The sound of blinking
hoofs, faint and far, and swiftly beat
ing on the iron road.
Il am right; yes, I am always right"
, Eaid 1euan, softly, as proud as q pea
cock over the way In which his forecast
was coming true. "IIe ISIS coming, he
ISIS coming"
Il will get back to my post, said 1,
and away | ran down the hill. I led
i Whitesock to the edge Of the bushes
+, md 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 I had
been ready but q short time when /
heard the clang of hoofs rafting up to
the ridge. Suddenly horse and man
shot into sight, and upon the instant a
! dark figure leaped at them with a wild
scream. The horseman must have
driven his spurs home at the sound,
!, for the swift canter was exchanged for
furious gallop. The big, powerful
horse he was riding came down the
hill with terrific leaps, bound upon
bound, and one of these carried him
clean upon the trap of ice. 1t worked
Ito miracle. The shoes of the horse
/; were somewhat smooth, as we found
+ afterward, and shot out from under
+; him like skates and down he went
horse and man rolling over and over In
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.
J In a trice 1euGn had secured the
horse to neighboring bush and was
back at my side, for I had now come VI
and was turning the man over on his
back
i "Gruffydd it iss,' said 1euan, "and
where ISIS the paper?.
! He Is not dead said I, laying my
hand on the messengers heart
! + Dead" said Ieuan with scorn, land
why should he be dead with falling
from q horse? But the senses are out
Of him and that ISIS very useful for
U.s."
| Without another word he turned tic
his task and deftly stripped off the
great horseman's coat in which Gruf-
/ fydd was wrapped. This he tossed
aside as a very unlikely place for 9
came very thick wooden doublet
/ which Ieuan whipped off as neatly, an6
set about searching. He took his lone
knife and ripped it here and ripped II
there, but no letter came to light, anC
after few moments search he flung
that aside also. In a twinkling anC
with a dexterity Of which I 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 fal
back upon the icy slab of rock as If he
was handling wooden figure.
At the second cut Of the knife he
gave a cultural cry of satisfaction. HI
had ripped open a small bag-like folC
Of the shirt pleated close to the necl
L.
ed it over to me and had it open a
once.
! / held 1t up to the moonlight bur
could make out nothing. Ieuan hat
flint, steel and finder and he struck {
light. 1t was all right. We had tn,
letter safe enough. 1t gave the in.
formation which could be gathered
from the note of which I had beer
robbed and was addressed to Sir Johr
Postgate. No name was signed to it
but an ingenious and complicated de.
vice was drawn with a pen. This
would serve to prove who had writer
the letter, since the writer alone would
know how 1t was signed; and We
should it fall into the wrong hands M
trace Of the writer's identity would b.
furnished.
/ This is It," I cried.
"Then there ISIS with us all we are
wanting and Gruffydd ISIS Of no more
use," said Ieuan. He bent over thu
PROSTATE half-naled figure, took {
handful of the great black beard in hi.
clutch and tossed the head back, barring
the hairE throat. Upon this naked
/ throat he laid the edge Of his keer
knife, and with q turn OF his wrist wa.
about to slit 1t from ear to ear, whe1
II sprang forward and caught his arm
with both my hands, crying. mo, no!'
1euan turned his head and looked a
me inquiringly for a moment, the1