Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-01-09
"Geoffrey Heathcote. Esq"
Oy 'ohN fiNNinORE. Copyright 1899, by s. s. Mcclure Co..

"
With a shout of pain, he spraag 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
ieuan and the torch had vanished. Two
or three moments passed and then he
trod stealthily along the passage
toward me.
"a hole in there, eh?' chuckled
Ieuan. We'll, that iss very handy.
They shall nave something through IT.
put out my hand as he reached my
side, and the first thing / touched was
smooth, round metal. 1 rang my
fingers up it, and the feel of the big,
p~eii-shaped mouth told me what it was
he carried.
"A blunderbuss!" said I. Where did
you get it, Ieuan?'
Il thought it wass pretty sure the
landlord had something to keep his
house, so l told him TO give it 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 a 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
nave opened the ball with swords
men.
Ieuan uttered a great shout of tri-
umph.
1T ISIS shooting like q cannon" he
cried.
Have you anything to reload with %
I asked.
Some powder" said he; ut ISIS in a
horn in my pocket. And a little sheet
Oh lead. | VIII cut some pieces from 1t
with my knife"
He returned to the room where he
had left the torch, to get light to work
Dy, and l stationed myself midway In
the passage to watch both the doors.
For some time there was quiet, then
arose a sound of feet coming and GO
ing. l crept to the hole and recon
noitered, for the noise was in front OF
the house. l could make out nothing
out 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.
| fancied the time a favorable one
lor attempting an escape, when a
slight clink rs of a musket touching
the wall beside the door warned me
n a a guard was set.
Suddenly q brisk flame leaned into
slgnt twenty yards away. 1t ran up
ana mounted, and shot it's yellow
tongue swiftly through a great heap Of
dried furze collected on a bank on
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 came: There ISIS a big fire
at the back. a little way from the
house. Well" he cried. "and here.
too"
And here, too" said I; 1--WE shall not
escape unseen, that 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 and MINDLESS was the
night.
Il would not like to go out there"
said Ieuan, softly, and I understood the
feeling which lay beneath his speech.
There seemed something nexpressibly
threatening in the silence which had
fallen upon the place. The great bon
fire, blazing in the solitude and cast
ing Its glare over the naked road lately
peop!ed ny active foes, seemed to
watch us with n bright, dreadful eve.
In truth. it would have been no wise
proceeding to venture out to become
the target for unknown shot. The place.
as l nave said, lay open on every side,
and the two fires made every corner
as bright as day. Enemies were am
pushed around, and one might as cas-
lily be running upon a musket muzzle
as away from it.
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-was
furnishing out these piles: and | fur
ther marked that the one in front could
be fed from the other side Of the bank
without Il hand being shown. I recon-
noitered the back from a window and
found the fire there as cunningly dis
posed.
What do you say, I~euan?" / asked.
Il say wait" he replied, and watch
them. Perhaps they will fail to keen
the fires up, or some other chance will
tall in II 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 10 close my
eyes, and l stretched myself. I had been
on the move before dawn the previous
morning, 1 had been busy for many
hours at various tasks, had finished the
day with twenty miles on my feet, and
been Weakened for our little skirmish
after an hour or Sc of restless slumber.
1t ISIS what you want very badly,
too said Ieuan, patting my shoulder
as If he loved me: you have had a
ara hard day and we q very easy one.
Take q sleep for a bit. We will watch
in turns" / was easily prevailed upon,
l confess, and stretched myself upon
the floor. ! was asleep almost before 1
had laid myself along.