The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-22

couple of inches broad and several
inches long falling away and admit
ting the flare of the torches and giving
a clear view Of their operations. They
were now certain that we had no fire.
arms to discharge, and they counted
that their muskets would serve their
turn when once the barrier was de-
stroyed.
A big man, his doublet flung off, and
arms barred, was assailing the door
with a heavy crowbar, and under his
powerful strokes 1t must shortly go
down. 1 laid the point of the sword in
the gap and ran 1t forward as he de-
him in the wrist nj the impetus of his
swing did the rest, ripping his forearm
right up to the elbow.
With q shout of pain, he sprang back,
dropping the crowbar, which changed
noisily on the steps. A little confusion
followed and the attack was suspend
ed. l glanced over my shoulder, but
1euan and the torch a vanished. Two
or three moments passed and then he
trod stealthiIy along the passage
toward me.
"A hole in there, eh?' chuckled
Ieuan. well, that ISIS very handy.
They shall nave something through it,"
l put out my hand as he reached my
side, and the first thing 1 touched was
smooth, ROUND metal. ], rang my
fingers up 1t. and the feel Of the big,
bell-shaped mouth told me what it was
he carried.
"A blunderbuss!" said I. Where did
you get it, I%euan?"
Il thought it wass pretty sure the
landlord had something to keep his
house. SO I told him to give 1t to me at
once. And this thing wass under his
bed. There ISIS little bullets in it."
leuan took a peep through the hole to
survey the field. then clapped the broad
muzle to the gap and fired. The scat
tering shower Of slugs struck home
here and there, for loud yells were set
up, and we heard the clatter Of feet,
as the besiegers ran to cover. This
was q welcome diversion indeed. Half
a dozen strokes more with the crow
would have brought us face to FACE
again, and this time they would not
ave opened the ball with swords
men.
Ieuan uttered a great shout Of tri-
umph.
1T ISIS shooting like a cannon" he
cried.
Have you anything to reload with?"
/ asked.
Some powder" said he; ut ISIS in a
norm in my pocket. And a little sheet
of lead. l will cut some pieces from it
with my knife
He returned to the room where he
had left the torch, to get light to work
by, and 1 stationed myself midway in
the passage to watch both the doors.
For SONG time there was quiet, then
arose q sound Of feet coming and go
ing. l crspt to the hole and recon
noitered, for the noise was in front Of
the house. l could make out nothing
but that some movements were in pro-
gress on the other side Of the road, The
torches had been eXtinguished and the
work was being carried on by the soft
starlight which fell from a cloudless
sky.
I fancied the time a favorable one
for attempting an escape, whe a
slight clink rs Of a musket touching
the wall beside the door warned me
that a guard was set.
Suddenly a brisk flame leaped into
sight twenty yards away. 1t ran UP
and mounted, and shot its yellow
tongue swiftly through a great heap Of
dried furze collected on a bank op-
posite to the ~ale-House. Not a soul
was to be seen around the blazing pile.
Everything looked silent and deserted.
At that inshtant Ieuan called out to
me as he m There ISIS a big fire
at the back, q little way from the
house. Well" he cried. land here,
too"
And here, too" said I; we shall not
escape unseen, hat is clear"
The cracking flames rose higher and
higher, well fed with air, so loose was
the fuel, till in a few minutes the whole
pile was burning with the steady radi-
ance of a lamp, the huge flame drawing
clean and clear to a scarcely wavering
point, so still n MINDLESS was the
night. 4
II would not like to go out there"
said 1euan. softly, and I understood the
feeling which lay beneath his speech.
There seemed something inexpressibly
threatening In the silence which had
fallen upon the place. The great bon
fire, blazing in the solitude and cast
ing It's glare over the naked road lately
peopled by active foes, seemed to
watch us with a bright, dreadful eye.
In truth, 1t would have been no wise
proceeding to venture out to become
the target for unknown shot. The place,
as l have said, lay open on every side,
n the two fires made every corner
as bright as day. Enemies were I'M
pushed around, and one might as cas-
lily be running upon a musket muzzle
as away from 1t.
Fuel was in plenty with them. The
landlords rick of furze-which in all
parts is cut and stacked In the autumn
for the firing Of ovens and such-waa
furnishing out these piles; and I fur
Their marked that the n In front could
be fed from the other side Of the bank
without a hand being shown. I recon
no1tered the back from q window and
found the fire there as cunningly dis
posed.
What do you say, Ieuan?"I asked.
II say wait" he replied, land watch
them. Perhaps they will fail to keep
the fires up, or some other chance will
fall in u way Just before the day
comes, that ISIS a good time to. catch
people off their guard, when it ISIS very
cold and they are very sleepy"
The word sleep seemed to close my
eyes, and I stretched myself. I had been
on The mov before dawn the previous
morning, I had been busy for many
hours at various tasks, had finished the
day with twenty miles on my feet, and
been wakened for our little skirmish
after an hour or so of restless slumber.
1T ISIS what you want very badly,
too said Ieuan, patting my shoulder
as If he loved me; you have a a
hard hard day and we a very easy one,
Take a sleep for a bit. We will watch
in turns" I was easily prevailed upon,
I confess, n stretched myself upon
the floor. l was asleep almost before
had laid myself along.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
I RUN FOR TT,