The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-15
CHAPTER xxxv1-Continued


Here my nlan,s said sThe
people want me h will trouble little
about If bolt from thisShousel
Ike rabbit from ITO hole, they#wilIi
IoHoW me up and 3 a strike off
ahssSthe moor and get away
.,,r 81 sgd Ieuans@sand viii you
4 will 50 Ireplied. and slipped oY my
clumsy shoes IeuaN understood and
sonthe grass and along the soft
g You will go twice as FAST he
g VIII . carry sword?s
Nos said I.IssI notcnInber my
ssThis ISIS better than nothing at air.
on Ieuan. drawing aknifefrom
beneath his coat Il pressing 1T on me.
ItaWas.esnaad ( accepted 1T.
Nov little money said he,
thrusting his handanto his breast.
got replied: shall
~outposts.D
oh we'll agreedIeuan, ana with
drew his hand.
AlIsthispa passed very swiftly. as need
was 1ts should, and marched at once
Tor the back Of the house, which Wasa
nor in sight OF b main guard.
sentinel posted here was walk
some twenty yards very
slowly watched him take a couple
soI Iurns and saw what 4 must do. Ten
YARDS OF the twenty hi marched With
his eyes off the door, his head rigid
as the musket poised on hisgshoulder.
he wheeled and moved back, and
y shoulders and nodded to-
leuan Hebrew the boltgnoiselessIy,
lifted The latch, and opened the door
half an inch.
You feel weIl7'' he Whispered, his
eyes shining
Meyer better Ireplied. / had had
2 9 sleep and a hearty meal. Ev-a
cry muscle IN my body tingled for ae-
was to run not only for my own
life, but for those OF the Red Men OF
the Dusk, and I felt fit for 1t. Not
Word9Was exchanged. Ieuan and
Dafydd thrust@outtheir hands and al
shock them, then peered through a
crack IN h door The sentinel was
Just passing a stone I had marked ard
"A steppeda back and made a sign. Ieuan
drew the door open andsI darted out.
running noiselsssly and laying my
course full for the slowly moving fg-
ure.
4 ran with my hand on the haft Of
the knife, but there was no call for it.
q caTseshp with thesnnan just as he was
about to turn. ! placed my hand mid
way OF hta shoulders, and, collecting
all my strength and with the impetus
OF my rush., hurled him down head
long His Innsket Went OFF as he rolled
on the ground, and r had secured my
aim; he could nc longer cripple me
with a bullet asI ran. The whole place
sputtered fire is I flew over the moor,
butt III nnade an excellent start Of
1T, and had silenced the only gun dam
sgerously near. Il bounded nortnward,
the short, thick turf springing like vel
YET beneath my feet, not over hurrying,
but running easily within my strength,
q long TALBOT pursuers stringing out
yer the country behtnd8me.
sFialf q mile$from the inn I ran over
g swelling rise In the moor. From the
sSopI looked back, such time asst drew
three or our long breaths, and saw
now matters stood. Two hundred
yards behind, and my nearest pursuer,
9 Sir John Postgatei IN a. strong
hackney. Two men$were close behind
him, n scattered figures were dotted
here and there on my track. The SOL
sdiers must be yet at some distance
from the ~a1e-house, and a clear field
left for the Red Men ofsthe Dusk.
turned and ran steadily on, bearing to
the right to gain the road for Butley,
and wien + Preached tt, Sir John Post
gate alone kept me in view. % miles
ofthe twelve was soon covered and the
distance between us had scarcely va
RED by asyard.
His horsesWas a stout galloper, but
not very fast, and I held my own cas-
lily.
I was now well Into Butley Heath,
and the road home ran straight before
me, crossing the heath as directly as
JIG 1t had been drawn with a great ruler.
It was but little used inc @resem-
bled for the most part a grassy ride
patched with yellow sand. 1t was per-
Fiction for my feet, clothed only with
stockings, and so a T had had luck
to match, having mel with neither
thorns nor hints.
ran 2 mile again and breasted
steepish rise. AT the top i turned and
saw Sir John walking his horse.
Blown I said to myself and
laughed, for Ifelt as full OF running as:
when I burst from the house. So ac-
cushioned had ] grown to the thought
of Sir John as mysonlysspursuer, that
ftwas a mere glance of carelessness
which I cast along the track we had
come, before 4 set off again.
I sharpened my gaze and looked
closer. Two riders, mounted in far
other fashion to the old Independent,
and al vet far behind, were coming
on at great speed. One of them shone
and dashed as lie he bore 9 mirror on
his breast, a dazzIing point of light in
the sunshine. L wheeled n flew
down the hill. tearing off my coat as 7
ram and finging it aside to tighten me
and free me for the task before me.
T had read the riddle yenough.
The mirros was a polished breastplate,
worn by the mounted officer In ON
nland Of the detachment; his cornpan-
ion was Jack Postgate. who had been
toSfetch the soldiers, n they were
well mounted and galloping furIousIy.
Ny heels mustSsave me now or all was
iost.
I refined myself tightly and fought
back the panic fear4which babe me run
myself blind exhausted In ten min
utes, and, instead weighed every stride
III held myself rigidIy to the pace
which calculated would leave me suf-
s1cient strength to swarm oVer9the park
palings if i had the luckssto finish the
race a little ahead of those swift horse
lei
The thought crossed my mind to
sWerve aside and bfde In the heath, but
II dismissed the idea IS useless. tt
Was..too open In that part to afford
good over, and ran ten times the
chance OF crinpling myself among the
sthorns and briers.
No, had nothing to trust to save nv
oWn speed and endurance I doubted
Whether they We're equal to the task,
I was fully resolved to run to q
stand beforeI was taken. / fixed my
eyes IN the road and watched jealousy
every inch of h ground upon which,
4 lay my foot. I had long had