Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-02-16

them air guns er likely t. come handy
here most any minute Give us guns,
N we II sock it to EN-"
I'VE shall sock it to them, we shall
indeed" said she. hurrying out of the
room. I'VE shall make them to run
for their lives"
They were all in the dining room
the men of the party-save the gen
eTal, who could not be awakened. Guns
and pistols were loaded. | made a
novel plan of defense that was unani-
mously approved. | posted a watch
a. every window. A little after dawn
the baroness, from behind a curtain,
saw a squad of horsemen coming
through the grove.
"Ici! they have comet" said she, in
a loud whisper There are not four;
there are many"
took my detail of six men above
stairs. Each had o strip of lumber we
had found in the shop, and each care
fully raised window, waiting the sig
nal | knew my peril, but | was never
so cool in my life. If had been wiser,
possibly | should have felt it the more.
The horsemen promptly deployed,
covering every side of the mansion.
They stood close, mounted, pistol and
saber ready. Suddenly | gave the sig
nal. Then each of us thrust out the
strip of lumber stealthily, prodding the
big drab cones on every side. Hornets
and wasps, a great swarm of them,
spTang thick as seeds from the hand
of sower 1t was my part to unhouse
colony of the long, white-faced hor-
nets. Goaded by the ruin of their
nests, they saw the nodding heads be-
| low them, and darted at man and
| horse like flight of arrows. They
| put their hot spurs into flank and face
and neck. | saw them strike and fall;
| they do hit hard, those big-winged
| Vespae. 1t was terrible, the swift
| charge of that winged battalion of the
air | heard howls of pain below me,
and the thunder of rushing feet. The
| horses were rearing and plunging, the
men striking with their hats.
l heard D'ri shouting and laughing
at his window.
"Give 'em hell, ye little blue
devils!" he yelled; and there was all
evidence that they understood him.
Then, again, every man of us opened
his window and fired a volley at the
scurrying mass.
One horse, rearing and leaping on his
hind legs, came down across the back
of another, and the two fell heavily in
a rolling, convuisive heap. One, as if
blinded, bumped tree, going over on
his withers, all fours flashing in the
air. Some tore off in the thickets,
as unmanageable as the wild horse
More than half threw their riders.
Not a man of them pulled trigger;
they were busy enough God knows.
Not one of them could have hit the sky
with any certainty. | never saw such
a torrent of hOrsehair and red caps.
"Whut! Been on the back O. one O.
EN- hosses?" said D'ri, telling of it a
| long time after. Cd ruther O. been
shet up n a barrel with a lot O. cats
n rolled down hill. Good deal better
fer my health, an / d "a luked more
like a human bein' when I come out.
Them fellers-they did MT lux fit t.
socjate with nuthin' er nobody when
We led 'em up t. the house-nut one
on en-"
Only one Britisher was brought down
by our bullets, and he had been the
mark of D'ri; with him a rifle was
never a plaything. Five others lay
vritbing in the grass, bereft Of horse
deserted by their comrades. The
smudges were ready, and the nets
D'ri and l put on the latter and ran
out, placing smudge row on every
side of the Hermitage. The winged
fighters were quickly driven away. OF
the helpless enemy one had staggered
off in the brush; the others lay groan-
ing, their faces lumpy and one-sided
A big sergeant had nose of the look
and diameter of a goose-egg; one car
red cheek as large and protuberant
as the jowl of porker's head; and one
had ears that stuck out like a puffed
bladder They were helpless. We dis
armed and brought them in, doing all
we could for their comfort with blue
clay and bruised plantain. 1t was hard
on them, have often thought, but ii
saved an ugly fight among ladies, and
no doubt, many lives. | know, if they
had taken us, D'ri and l would never
have got back.
l have saved myself many a time
by strategy, but chose the sword al
ways if there were an even chance
And, God knows, if one had ever a look
at our bare bodies, he would see no sign
of Sinking on either D'ri or me.
CHAPTER X.