The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-09-07
CHAPTER XXVIII.-Continued.


CHAPTER NxyIII.-Continued.
ooh. no, no! did you-did you twig
him, Jack?" he gasped. Saw you
ever such a mincing p~uss-in-boots since
the Lord made you? All! a hal"
THE devil take your ill-timed
l1umor!" I cried. up with you. man.
and let us vanish while we may
By this the camp was in a pretty fer
ment, as you would guess-our late
captive having had 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
scranbling for their arms, and 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 CT cover; and When
the hunt vas 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 l urged
Richard to bestir himself. But it was
eAAS lloopSIo W.
ploying to surround the tepee lodge,
n 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 Eph and the
Catawba coming in; turn them back
and tell them to bide their time
but you?" I would say.
MY Dlaca is inside of that soldier
Gordon u friend is drawing about his
dove-cote. 1 shall be at hand when she
needs me, as I promised"
AYE, SO you may be; but not alone"
said [; and with that we fell to running
like a pair of doubling foxes through
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
Gordon should close n shut us out.
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 L would have
given a kings ransom to be at large
again. Had there been but one of US
the covert would have been cranped
enough; and l was painfully conscious
that my borrowed coat 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 inks 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 ats in a
tran had onu nna of tbo ca,triara an o11r
side of the circle CHANGED to look be-
hind him.
Having repaired the fire to his liking,
the troop-captain came up to pass a
word or two with his lieutenant. They
spoke ~guardediy, but we could lfear-
could not help hearing.
You have seen nothing, Gordon?"
Nothing, as yet"
MAKE the our 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, n Falconnet fell to pacing
back and forth before the little wig
wam. 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 sensuous eyes; n yer 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 ad-
vance, and bid them take cover"
They will scarce be within hail of
ZACH other at that ga VS. tha lie,,ten-
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 it's
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 were 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. I 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
Z iou VI llldl. LICK lHCneu aSlOe tG
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 w 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 it
as it had been the face of a foul fiend
from the pit.
Open" he commanded; and wher
there was neither reply nor obedience
heacut the flap free with his sword and
flung it back.
The two women within the wigwam
We're on their knees before a little cru.
cifx hanging on the lodge wall. Sc
much we saw as we broke cover anG
ran in upon the despoiler. Then the
battle-madness came upon us and 7
for one, saw naught but the tense.
drawn face of a swordsman fighting fol
his life-a face in which the hot flust
Of evil passion had given place to the
4 ocLo, cpo x;,r of Eco, C. a