Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-10-08
BY JOHN rlNNlMoRE.

over this like a fox" said Ieuan, land
i then you will have to ride after him
and catch him. If 1t is tall horse
will send him down to that ice, SO that
: he is most likely TO roll In heap"
I Why" said L. "the fellow Will be
/ killed."
And sword?" said Ieuan; "a sword
and pistol? Perhaps they do not
kill"
True said l, II might have to use
rough persuasion"
He also will have good arms" said
! Ieuan, -"be7sure of that. And Gruffydd
will use them too"
"Gruffydd!" l said. do you mean
| that big dark man with the sword-cut
on his cheek? Why do you name
| him? p
And have you not seen him follow
ing that bad old man as dog follows
his master?" 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
a flat, open stretch, lying silent and
desolate under the moon.
I 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 I shall miss. Then you must stop
in the bottom with your horse and cut
him off. If he passes the ice"
! Ay, ay,' said /, 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 lamb under cover of
l hl1c lint jno
whinnying noise for joy to see me
again. l 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 patch of brake in which he had
settled himself, and / saw his beckon-
| ing finger against the sky. l 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. l shook my head,
with the completest confidence, and 1
| bent my ear to its task again. Yes. l
had 1t now. The sound of .clinking
| hoofs, faint and far, and swiftly beat
| ing on the iron road.
II am right: yes. am always right"
said 1euan, softly, as proud as a pea
cock over the way in which his forecast
was coming true. He ISIS coming, he
ISIS coming"
y will get back to my post, said I,
and away l ran down the hill. 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
i been ready bIf "a short ffrna whan r
heard the clang of hoofs rafting up to
| the ridge. Suddenly horse and man
shot into sight. and upon the instant
dark figure leaped at them with wild
scream. The horseman must have
driven his spurs home at the sound,
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
| to miracle. The shoes Of the horse
We're 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
| a crumpled heap. Ieuan had followed
aard upon their heels and now ran in
and had the horse at once by the head.
1t got to its feet trembling but unhurt;
the man lay quite still.
In a trice Ieuan had secured the
| horse to neighboring bush and was
! back at my side, for had now come up
and was turning the man over on his
| back
"Gruffydd 1t iss,' said Ieuan. and
where ISIS the paper?"
HE Is not Dead said /, laying my
nand on the messengers heart.
Dead" said Ieuan with scorn, and
| why should he be dead with falling
from a horse? But the senses are out
| of him and that iss very useful for
is"
Without another word he turned to
| his task and deftly stripped off the
| great horseman's coat in which Gruf-
| fydd was wrapped. This he tossed
aside as very unlikely place for
letter to be slowed away in. Next
came very thick wooden doublet,
which .euan whipped off as neatly, and
| set about searching. He took his long
knife and ripped it here and ripped it
there, but no letter came to light, and
after few moments search he flung
that aside also. In twinklng and
with a dexterity of which l had never
seen the like, he had the shirt of Gruf-
fydd off and iii his hands allowing the
naked body of the messenger to fall
Back upon the icy slab of rock as IL he
was handling u wooden figure.
AT the second cut of the knife he
gave a cultural cry of satisfaction. He
had ripped open small bag-lite fold
of the shirt pleated close to the neck
and out came II folded letter. He hand
ed it over to me and | had it open at
once.
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 | had been
robbed and was addressed to Sir John
Postgate. No name was signed TO It,
but an ingenious and complicated de-
vice was drawn with pen. This
would serve to prove who had written
the letter since the writer alone would
know how ii was sighed; and yet
should it fall into the wrong hands no
trace of the writer's identity would be
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 the
PROSTATE haifnaked figure, took
handful OF the great black beard i'm his
clutch and tossed the head back, barring
the hairy throat. Upon this naked
throat he laid the edge of his keen
knife, and with turn of his wrist was
about to slit 1T from ear to ear, when
/ sprang forward and caught his arm
with both my hands, crying, NO, MOI"
Ieuan turned his head and looked at
me inquiringly for a moment, then
rose and thrust his knife into his
sheath
Yes" said he, you are right; you
are quite right. / am seeing your
meaning. If they shall know that
Gruffydd ISIS stopped, they shall start
some one else, and perhaps we are not
there 10 catch that one
1t was clear that Ieuan had not di-