The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-09-08
The MASTER OF APpLEBY|
BY Francis Lynde. ---
BY Fr.nci. Lynd..

the maj striving shrewdly to gain time
made shift to shield himself.
Yet 1t was not in flesh inc blood to
fend the double onslaught for more
h some brief minute or two. Play
as he woodland no schlagermeister
of my old field-marshal's picked troop
could best him at this game Of parry and
defense-he must give ground step by
step: slowly at the pressing of the
Ferara, and In quick backward leaps
when h great broadsword bit at him.
For the first few bolts he withstood
us in grim silence. But now Richard
cut in again and the claymore stroke.
less skilfully turned aside, brought
him to his knees. This broke his bull
courage somewhat, and though he
was afoot and On guard before
my point could reach him, he began to
below Justify for help.
AS you would suppose, the call was
all u~nneeded. Vt the first clash of steel
the outlying troopers were up and
swarming to the rescue; n now on all
sides came the trampling rush of the
%in-closing Gordon line.
HAD Falconnet held his ground a
moment longer he would have had Is
in h jaws of h trooper-trap; but
It's the fatal flaw in mere brute courage
that it will break at the pinch. No
sooner did the volunteer captain catch
a glimpse Of his up-coming reinforce
ments than he must needs show us a
clean pair of heels, running like a
raw coward and shouting madly to
his men to close with us and cut US
down.
After hint" roared Dick, who was
by now as rage-mad as any berserker;
and with a cut and thrust to right and
left for he nipping trap-jaws we were
out and away in chase.
Now YOU may mark this as you will;
that whilst h devil hath need of his
bond servant he will come between
with a miracle If need be to keep the
villain breath of life in his vassal.
Three bounds beyond the closing trap
jaws fetched us, pursued and pursuers,
to the open camp field; and here the
devils miracle was wrought. Out of
the forest fringe, out of the skirting Of
underground, out of the very earth, as
it seemed, uprose a yelling mob Of
Characteristic detachment we had met
in the cavern returned in the very nick
of time to cut us off from the pursuit
sand to ring us in a whooping circle Of
Death.
"Eack to back, lad!" I shouted; and
twas thus we met their onslaught.
In such a fray as that which followed
tits the trivial things that leave their
mark upon the memory. For one, I
recall the curious thrill OF MASTER
might it ave me to feel the play Of
r....x - - .L-sE ~
JeIllllleI $ great QOulQe muscles
against my back in his playing of the
heavy claymore. For another, I re-
member the sickening qualm I had
when the warm blood of my second-or
mayhap twas. the third-gushed out
upon my sword hand, and 1 remem-
Der, loo, how the impaled one, driven in
upon the blade by the pressure of his
fellows behind, would lay hold of the
sharp steel and try in The death throe
to withdraw It
call only this: hat 1 could not free the
sword for another thrust, and whilst
1 tugged and fought for space they
dragged me down and buried me, these
fierce tribesmen, piling so thick upon
me that sight and sound and breath
went out together, and 1 was but an
atom crushed to earth beneath the hui
man avalanche.