The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-08-23

might be on foot. and no one denied
his elegance of beading, he was but an
amateur on horseback and when his
steed unexpectedly plunged forward he
relinQuished the reins and grasped the
name. For one brief moment the at
tention of the troop was diverted to-
ward the unexplained antics of the
maddened horse and the imminent
overthrow of its rider. 1t is one of the
defects of human nature that man is
prone to laugh when he sees a fellow
creature in some Dredicament from
which his own superior skill leaves him
free. Every man in the company was
a faultless rider, and nothing their
horses could do would have been any
embarrassment 70 them. To see this
dandified foreigner, whom at heart they
despised in any case, crOuching like a
gaudily dressed monkey on a frolic-
some dog, and screaming for help. was
too much for even the saddest of them,
and a roar of laughter went up. which
did nothing toward quieting the in
Jured and frightened quadrUped. If it
, had been the horse of Armstrong that
had begun these danoings. his guards
would have been instantly on the alert
for an attempted escape, but at the
very moment their eyes should have
been on the Scot their attention was
withdrawn. Armstrong did not laugh
but. thrusting back his knife whipped
out his sword and struck De Courcy's
horse twice with the broad of it. HL|
own steed leaped forward under the
4 prick of the spur, and before the col
! Onel could give a word OF command the
| two had disappeared in the fog ahead.
! Even then the colonel. who was the
only man that had his wits about him.
/ did not think there was the least
I chance of escape, for he had heard the
! troop coming toward him. and Arm
| strong must run directly into it. He
rose in his stirrups to give the alarm
to those ahead. when all heard a ring
ing shout: Charge, cavaliers. God
| save the king, To hell with the
| ROundheadst Chargei"
Out of the fog came a SCATTERING fire.
then a volley. Two horses and three
men went down, while the other troop
ers hastily unslung their carabines and
! fired down the street without waiting
for the word of command.
stop you fools" yelled the colonel
you are shooting your own men.
Then to the Oncomers he roared a like
warning. which was drowned in an
other volley- The Lichfield men were
not TO be taken In, even if they had
heard the warning With their own
eyes they had seen two cavaliers burst
upon them out Of the fog with stri-
dent cry for the king. De Courcy com
ing first. they concentrated upon him
and he went down before them. Arm
strong. swinging his sword. smiting
right and left. believing like fiend in
true. cavalier style. very Prince Ru
pert come again. dashed at the weak
est spot. and his impetuosity carried al
before him
Never mind him." cried the leader
as some would have pursued.
Fire and break their charge" an,
fire they did right stoUtly, until a mad
dened officer with a bravery tina
scorned the bullets around him, gal
loped along their front. waving hi
sword and commanding them to stop.
You are killing your own men. Their
are no royalists. but an interfering
fool of a Frenchman and an escape
Scot. Back to Licnfeldl" Neverthe
less, battle is not quelled at a word
and the brave colonel pressed throug
among them and galloped in pursuit o
his late prisoner.
Once clear of the clash Armstron
was not sparing of a horse that be
longed to some one else. At great ris
TO his neck ne raced through the bin
fog, sword in hand. ready for furthe
/ opposition should ne meet it. II
emerged from the fog with a sudden
ness that startled him The sun ha
set. and there. barely a mile away
& / stood out against the darkening SIX
] the great red bulk of the Cathedra
I with its war broken towers and tn
little town huddled at it's feet. At tn
same moment he became aware thu
v some one was numbering after hin
t and again ne dug the cruel spurs int
10 a 4 cr1 ],
{ shoulder showed the colonel breakin
y through the bank of fog. and h
thought of turning and fighting hin
s on the run. but the sound OF firing ha
T ceased. and he knew the colonel woul
prove a stouter combatant than tn
T Frenchman, so ne hurried on Asid
Z from this. Lichfield had been rouse
by the roar of the guns. and he saw til
/ long, narrow street that lay betwea
him and the cathedral becoming aliy
: with pikemen. and knew he would hay
his work cut out for him. if he was
- get safely through the town. As 500
: as he came within earshot he shoute
to them:
"Barricade the street. The king
Z upon us. I have just escaped Oh
men are on the retreat Defend II
4 town to the south. Barricade! Barr
cade." Thus he cIattered throus
8 Llchneld. shouting
d Soldiers are so accustomed to II
s word of command that they obey fir
d and think after if at all Seeing
d rider in the costume Of a cavalier con
tearing down upon them. they mao
5 nasty preparation for stopping him. b1
q his tone of authority was so we'll a
E sumed that they gave way before hir
= and began the running out of carts al
whatever other distractions they cou
: lay their hands upon. to make the VIZ
- dlHcult for the oncoming colonel. WI
= sWore as loudly at their stupidity as
:, he We're the kings own.
: What are you about, you occurs,
n clodhOppers? Don't you know kine
man when YOU see one? Leave tn
- rubbish and follow me to the cath
, dral"
is Go be Continued Next Sunday)