The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-09-08
CHAPTER xxy111.-continued.

ooh. no, no! did you-did you twig
him. J,ck?' he gasped. Saw you
ever such a mincing puss-in-boots since
the Lord made you? All! ha! hal"
THE devil take your ill-timed
humor." 1 cried. up with you, man.
n let us vanish while we may"
BY this the camp was in a pretty fer
ment, as you would guess-our late
captive having mad space enough to
tell his tale. Drunk or sober, Falcon
net was afoot and alert, shouting his
orders to the E%nglishmen who We're
scrambling for their arms. n to the
Indians who came swarming up from
the lodges.
Whilst we looked, the Cherokees
scattered like a company of trained gill
lies to beat us out cf cover; and when
the hunt was fairly up, the baronet-
captain set his men in marching order
to surround the wigwam of the cap
tives.
AS yet there was time for a swift re-
treat up the valley, or at least for the
choosing of some battlefield of our own
where the enemy need not outnumber
us twenty to one; and again I urged
Richard to bestir himself. But it was
the sight of F~alconnet's troopers de-
ploying to surround the tepee lodge,
and not any word of mine that broke
his merriment in the midst.
At a bound he was up and handing
me my sword.
"Goodby, Jack; go whilst you can.
You'll be like to meet Erh and the
Catawba coming in; turn them back
and tell them to bide their time
But you?" I would say.
My place is inside of that soldier
Gordon u friend is drawing about his
dove-cote. 1 shall be at hand when she
needs mo nc 7 rrp,nica1
AYE, so you may be; but not alone"
said 1; n with that we fell to running
like a pair of doubling foxes through
the wood on the deep sloye behind the
lodge, striving with might and main
to gain the laurel thicket whence we
had made our first reconnaissance be-
fore the converging lines of the redcoat
We did it by the skin Of our teeth, div
Ing to cover through the closing gap
not a second too soon. When we were
In and hugging the bare ground under
the scanty leafing of the laurel, I take
no shame in saying that I would have
given a kings ransom to be at large
again. Had there been but one of us
enough; and 1 was painfully conscious
that my borrowed O of scarlet was
but a poor thing to hide in.
To make it worse, Falconnet, who
had Jagged behind at the fire. was now
heaping fresh fuel on, and this reviving
of the blaze made the place as light as
day. With the nearest links in the red
coat chain no more than a pixies length
at our backs, we dared not stir or
breathe a word; and, all in all, we
might have been taken like rats in a
trap had any n Of the sentries on u
side of the circle CHANGED to look be-
hind him.
Having repaired the fire to his liking,
the t~roop-captain came up to pass a
word or two with his lieutenant. They
spoke %guardedly, but we could hear
could not help hearing.
You have seen nothing, Gordon?"
Nothing, as yet"
MAKE the round again and tell the
men twill be ten gold joes and a
double allowance of liquor to the man
who first claps eyes on any one of the
four"
The subaltern went to carry out the
order. and Falconnet fell to pacing
back and forth before the little wig
wan. I could see his face at the turn
where the twilight fell upon him; twas
the face of a villain at his worst, name
ly, a Villain half in liquor. There was a
lurking devil of passion peering out of
the eyes; and ever an anon he
stopped as If to listen for some sound
within the captive's lodge.
When the lieutenant returned to
make his report, he was given another
order to cap the first.
Your line is too close-drawn and too
conspicuous" said the captain, shortly.
Move the men out fifty PAGES in adj
vance. and bid them take over"
"They will scarce be within hail of
each other at that" says the lieuten-
ant.
Near enough, with ten gold pieces
to sharpen Their eyesight. Go you with
them and hold them to their work"
The line was presently extended as
the order ran, each link in the Gordon
chain advancing fifty PAGES on its
front into the forest. Dick fetched a
deep sigh of relief; and 1 thought less
of the thin-leafed cover and the scarlet
coat Of me.
Falconnet had resumed the pacing of
his sentry beat before the lodge, but
when his men We're out of sight and
hearing he stopped short and stole on
tiptoe to lay his ear to the flap.
so you are awake, Mistress Mar
gerry? Send your woman out. 1 would
speak with you alone"
There was no reply, but we could
both hear the low anguished voice of
our dear lady praying for help in this
her hour of trial: Dick inched aside to
give me ROOM, freeing his weapon, as
I did mine. We We're not over-quiet
about 1T, but the captain of horse was
too hot upon his own DEVILS business to
look behind him.
Having no answer from within, he
stopped to loose the flag. 1t was pegged
down on the inside. He rose and
whipped out his sword: the freight
fell upon his face again and we saw 1t
as it had been h face of a foul fiend
from the1pit.
"Open." he commanded; and when
there was neither reply nor obedience,
he |cut the flap free with his sword and
flung 1t back.
The two women within the wigwam
were on their knees before a little cru
cifix hanging on the lodge wall. So
much we saw as we broke cover and
ran in upon the despoiler. Then the
battle-madness came upon us and I,
for one. saw naught but the tense.
drawn face of a ~swordsman fighting for
his ltfe-a face in which the hot flush
of evil passion had given place to the
ashen CRAVING OF fear.
We drove at him together, Dick and
I, and SO must needs fall afoul Of each
other clumsily, giving him time to
spring back inc so to miss the clay
more stroke which else would have
shorn him to the middle. Then ensued
as pretty O bit of blade work az any