The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-13

mime.
"Oh. no. no, Did you-did you twig him.
Jack?" he gasped Saw you ever such
mncing puss-in-boots since the Lord made
you? All! ha! ha!''
The devil take your ill-timed humor!"
cried up with you. man, and let us
vanish while me may!
By this the camp was in a pretty fer
ment, as you would guess, our late captive
having had space enough to tell his tale.
Drunk or sober, Falconnet was afoot and
alert, shouting his orders to the English
men, who were scrambling for their arms,
and to the Indians who came swarming up
from the lodges.
Whilst we looked the Cherokees scattered
like company of trained gillies to beat us
out of cover: and when the hunt was fair
ly up the baronet captain set his men in
marching order to surround the wigwam OF
the captives.
AS yet there was time for a swift retreat
up the valley at least for the choosing
of some battlefield of our own where the
enemy need not outnumber us twenty TO
one: and again 1 urged Richard to bestir
nets troopers deploying to surround the
tepee lodge and not any word of mine that
broke his merriment in the midst.
At bound he was up and handing me
my sword.
Goodbye, Jack: go you whilst you can.
You'll be like to meet Eph and the Cataw,
ba coming in; turn them back and tell
them to bide their time"
But your" 1 would say.
my place is inside of that soldier cor
don our friend Is drawing about his dove
cote. I shall be at hand when she needs
me, as / promised.
AYE, so you may be, but not alone"
said /, and with that we fell to running
like a pair of doubling foxes through the
wood on the steep slope behind the lodge
striving with might and main to gain the
laurel thicket whence we had made our
first reconnaissance before the converging
lines of the redcoat Gordon should close
and shut us out
We did it by the skin of our teeth, diving
to cover through the closing gap not sec
ond too soon. When were in and hug
ging the bare ground under the scanty
leafing of the laurel / take shame in
saying that I would have given kings
ransom to be at large again. Had there
been but one of us the covert would have
been cramped enough; and 1 was painfully
conscious that my borrowed coat of scarlet
was but a poor thing to hide In.
Jagged behind at the fire. was now heaping
fresh fuel on. and this reviving of the
blaze made the place as light as day. With
the nearest links in the redcoat chain no
we dared not stir or breathe a word; and,
all in all, we might have been taken like
rats in trap had any one Of the sentries
on our side of the circle CHANGED to look
behind him.
Having repaired the fire to his liking,
the trooper captain came up to pass word
or two with his lieutenant. They spoke
guardedly, but we could hear-coud not
help hearing.
"You have seen nothing, Gordon?"
Nothing as yet"
MAKE the round again and tell the men
twill be ten gold ioes and a double allow
ance of liquor to the man who first claps
eyes on any one of the four"
der and Falconnet fell to pacing back and
forth before the little wigwam. / could
see his face at the turn where the freight
at his worst, namely, a villain half in
liquor. There was a lurking devil of pas
sion peering out of the sensuous eyes; and
ever and anon he stopped as il to listen for
some sound within the captives' lodge.
When the lieutenant returned to make his
report he was given another order to cap
the first.
.'Your line is too close drawn and too con-
spicuous,'' said the captain shortly.
Move the men out fifty PAGES in advance
and bid them take cover"
..They will scarce be within hail of each
other at that" says the lieutenant.
Near enough. with ten gold pieces to
sharpen their eyesight Go you with them
and hold them to their work.
The line was presently extended as the
order ran each link in the Gordon chain adj
vancing fifty PAGES on its front into the
forest. Dick fetched deep sigh of relief.
and thought less of the thin-leafed cover
and the scarlet coat of me-
Falconnet had resumed the pacing Of his
sentry beat before the lodge. but when his
men were out of sight and hearing he
stopped short and stole on tiptoe to lay his
ear to the flap.
$50 you are awake. Mistress Margery?
Send your woman out. 1 would speak with
you-alone."
There was no reply. but we could both
hear the low, anguished voice of our dear
lady praying for help in this her hour of
trial. Dick inched aside to give me room,
freeing his weapon, did mine. We
were not overQuet about it, but the cap
tain of horse was too hot upon his own
DEVILS business to look behind him.
Having no answer from within. he
stopped to loose the flap. 1t was pegged
down on the inside. He rose and whipped
out his sword; the freight fell upon his
the face of a foul fiend from the pit.
"Opeh!' he commanded: and when there
was neither reply nor obedience he cut the
flap free with his sword and flung it back
The two women within the wigwam were
on their knees before little crucifix hang
ing on the lodge wall So much we saw as
we broke cover and ran in upon the de-
spoiler. Then the battle madness came
upon us, and /, for one, saw naught but
| the tense-drawn face of swordsman
| fighting for his life-a face in which the
| hot flush of evil passion had given place
| to the ashen craving OF fear.
We drove at him together. Dick and T.
and so must needs fall afoul of each other
| clumsily. giving him time to spring back
| and so to miss the claymore stroke which
| else would have shorn him to the middle
Then ensued as pretty bit of blade work
+, as any master of the old cut-and-thrust
| school could wish to see: and through 1t all
! this kings captain OF horse seemed to bear
| a charmed life.
There was no punctlio Of the code OF
| honor in this duel outrance. Knowing
our time was short, we fought as men who
/ fight with hslters round their necks; not
| TO decide a nice point at issue. but to kill
| this accused villain would kill a
| mad dog or a venOmous reptile whose liv-
| ing on imperiled the life and honor of the
woman we loved.
| Thrice whilst / held him in play Dick
| rushed in to end II with a scythe sweer
| of the broadsword, and thrice the Scottish
| death was turned aside by the flashing cir
| Gle of steel wherewith the man striving
| shrewdly to gain time made shift to shield
| himself.
Yet IL was not in flesh and blood to fend
| the double onslaught for more than some
| brief minute or two. Play he would
| and no schlagermeister Of my old field
| marshars picked troop could best him al
| this game of parry and defense-he must
| give ground step by step. slowly at the
| pressing of the Ferara and In quick back
| ward leaps when the great broadsword bit
| at him
For the first few bouts he wlthstood u.
| in grim silence But now Richard cut In
| again and the claymore stroke. less skill
| fully turned aside, brought him to hi.
| what. and though he was afoot and or
| guard before my point could reach hin
| he began TO below Justify for help.
| AS you would suppose, the call was al
| unneeded AT the first clash of steel tn,
outlying troopers were up and swarmins
| to the rescue. and now on all sides cam,
the trampling rush OF the in-closing Gordon
line.
Had Falconnet held his ground a momen
| longer he would have had fast In tn
jaws OF the trooper trap. but It's the fata
| flaw In mere brute courage that IL will