Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-01-02
BY JOHN r~iNNIMORE.
CHApTER xxxIv.-Continued.

couple OF fellows posted t1eTe Win
muskets, which were trained upon me
Instantly. 1 had known all along that
Sir John was q wary old soldier whom
n did not easily out-manoeuvre and
1 recognized this as a characteristic
stroke. / checked Whitesock, n she
stood for O momen while / surveyed
the state of affairs at less than forty
yards distance.
/ was within easy shot, yet they
made no offer to fire, and this eau
ton showed the danger Of pushing
upon them. Sir Johns followers had
smelt powder on too many a battle
field to be held cheaply, and one or
other of us would get a bullet, and l
was as unwilling it should be White
sock as myself. / turned aside and
swept across the open park once more;
they never offered to check my flight
and L saw that / was to be taken alive
If possible. The thud of the pursuing
steedS came hurrying at my back, ana
1 sent Whitesock along a little faster,
and glanced over my shoulder.
They were pounding ~stubbornly along
in my wake, hoping to corner me some
where, when ii would be short work
between three men armed with sword
and pistol and n flourishing a quar-
ter-staff. Fol the first time my heart
sank within me as / saw the position
In which / stood. A ten-foot paling
could not stop me. and escape was
easy by climbing; but Whitesock, poor
lass, must be left on the wrong side,
and l go out into the world on my two
feet. / cudgeled my brains for a gap
or break anywhere, but i could not
bring one to mind, nor do l believe one
exists.
The last summer Of my grandfather's
life was spent in overlooking the re-
paling of the park, the fancy for which
had struck him in the spring, and he
devoted a Whole grove Of oaks to the
work. n made Of it a job to last a
hundred years.
l saw no other way or help for 1t, and
struck off toward the southeastern cor
ner, putting Whitesock to the top Of
her speed. The park was dotted here
with thick ~clumps-of brushwood, and l
soon dropped my rearguard. l wheeled,
and showed myself as If racing back
toward the house, then, in shelter OF a
long narrow plantation, turned and
went on my former road.
This would throw them out a good
ten minutes, for, through a a l had
seen them riding across to cut me Off
as they expected, and so, when l came
to the barrier, / was riding quite alone,
Had l had the necessary tools 1t would
have taken an hour or more to make a
gap in that huge solid fence sufficiently
for the mare to pass through; so, with
a heavy sigh, 1 tossed over my qpar-
ter-staff and prepared to follow.
gave her a few careSSeS, then
mounted the pales, an easy thing from
the inside. where the cross-bars formed
a ladder, dropped to the ground on the
other side and plunged into the heath,
followed the narrow, open strips or
grass running between clumps Of thorn
n bramble, and was lost to sight from
the park in a moment.
Whitesock's shrill whinny Of distress
at being deserted went to my heart,
and / plodded along in the worst evil
case l had ever found myself. No
mare, no money, no weapons, active
foes behind me, and a country before
where hiding would be another matter
altogether to my last refuge. The only
thing in my favor was that l knew ev-
cry inch Of it, and could turn it to the
best account.
Hereford" . thought, If 1 can win
as far, there vii! be a chance for me
yet" and in thought l ran over the
QUITE. oxford, too, came into my mind,
for Roger had heard that Jack Locking
was there, his first harbor proving I'M
safe. l knew two or three places in
oxford, where knowledge of my friends
quarters might be come at, for the city
was familiar to me. After some ball
ancing, however, / settled upon Here
ford, and began to play my march. AS
| walked | came to q rude track cross
ing the heath, and, following it for 200
yards. arrived at a point where 1t
forked into two branches.
One ran southwest n in that direc-
ton lay Hereford, the other full south
east. The road was soft and sandy,
and along the southwestern path ran
two parallel lines of hoof-marks. / re-
membered that / had directed Ieuan
and Dafydd his way, n these must
be the marks of their ponies feet. n
set Of prints was not clean cut. |
looked closer and saw that the pony
was very lame.
As / raised my head | noticed a peas
ant at work in the heath not far away.
His bill hook rested die in his hand
and he hailed me, but l took no heed
of him, and turned to the southeast. l
pushed on rapidly, running where the
ground lay with me, walking fast else
where, and soon came to a high ridge
commanding the country | had ira
Versed. | looked back n saw 70
signs of pursuit, then hurried forward
at a round pace.
Four miles of this travelling brought
me to the edge of the heath, and the
road now ran through cultivated land.
1t took q sudden bend and twisted
through a farmyard, passing between
the house and the barn. Crossing from
the one to the other vas q big, round
faced country fellow with a great
wooden bucket in each hand. He stood
at gaze when he saw me, and eyed
me in open-mouthed curiosity.
A stranger. hatlesS n d~isheveled,
swinging a great quarter-staff as he
strobe, was a sight worth looking at,
and he took his fill. He was directly
in my path, and 1 stared hin straight
in the face, walked directly up to him,
snatched his hat from his head, clapped
1t on my own, and marched away as
fast as l could. He never made a
sound but stood there transfixed with
establishment, gaping at me, pals in
hand.
At the corner Of the farmyard l
turned and glanced back. He had just
found his voice and was roaring out
his anger, but still he did not move,
and l left him there, a statue Of amaze
ment. I am aware that this was using
Thomas Buck-for l knew him we'll
very unfairly. But 1 was playing a
game for my life, and this forcible bor-
rowing of n hat was an essential move
in that game.
wanted a hat very badly, and 1
wanted Thomas to remember and be
ready TO testify that ! had passed his
way, and / had attained my object
fully. a mile again I reached a little
inn, and the landlord stood at the door
serving ale to a couple of drovers. All
three looked very hard at me, but I
slouched my hat and appeared to avoid
them. Six miles from Butley / arrived
at a little hamlet, where some women
were talking around a well.
In full sight OF them / turned tC the
left and travelled due east. The land
about this part of the country was all
u~ninclosed, and half a mile from the
l turned aside and struck back
westward over the open country, NOV
ing very carefully along the lower lev
els, and taking advantage of every
scrap of cover
Two miles wary walking brought me
into the heath again, and l pursued my
easily over its lonely face toward