The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-09-07
1.-THE MASTER OF APpLEBY|
{
S--==-- Ry Frenei.@ Lynd.. -=--2
BY FrAnci. Lynde



the man striving shrewdly to gain time
made shift to shield himself.
Yet it was not in flesh n blood to
fend the double onslaught for more
than some brief minute or two. Play
as he woodland no schlagermeister
of my old field-marshal's picked troop
could best him at this gameOfparryand
defense-he must give ground step by
step: slowly at the pressing of the
Ferara, and in quick backward leaps
when the great broadsword bit at him.
For the first few bolts he Withstood
us in grim silence. But ROW 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 unneeded. At the first clash Of steel
the outlying troopers We're up and
swarming to the rescue; and 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 us
in the jaws Of the trooper-trap; but
it's the fatal a in mere brute courage
that it will break at the pinch. No
sooner did the volunteer captain catch
q glimpse of his up-coming reinforce
mentS than he must needs show us a
clean pair of heels, running like a
craven 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 berserler;
and with a cut and thrust to right and
left for the nipping trap-jays we We're
out and away in chase.
Now YOU may mark this as you will;
that whilst the 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
1t seemed, uprose a yelling mob of
Characteristic detachment we had met
in the caver returned in the very nick
of time to cut us off from the pursuit
and 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
It's the trivial things that leave their
mark upon the memory. For one, I
recall the curious thrill of MASTER
might it gave me to feel the play of
Jennifer's great shoulder 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 I remem-
Der, too, 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 il. y
But after that sickening aualm I re-
call only this: that I could not free the
sword for another thrust, and whilst
l tugged and fought for space they
dragged me dow and buried me, these
fierce tribesmen, piling SO thick upon
me that sight and sound and breath
went out together, and I was but an
atom crushed to earth beneath the hui
man avalanche.
IN WHICH, HAVING DANCED, WE
PAY THE PIPER.
Measured by the sense which takes
cognizance of pauses it seemed 40
more than a moment between the
stamping out of breath n it's gasping
recovery. But in the interval the scene
had shifted from the open savanna to
a thinly set grove of oaks with the
stream brawling through the midst.
TO the biggest of the trees I was
:, tightly bound; and a little way apart
a fire, newly kindled, smoked and
blazed up fitfully. BY the light of the
fire a good score of the Cherokees were
gathering dead-falls and dry branches
to heap beside me-; and from the camp
below, the Indian lodges Of which were
in plain view beyond the intervening
horse meadow, other savages were hur-
rying to join the wood carriers.
So far as these hasting preliminaries
difficult to read. I was to be burned
at the stake in proper savage fashion.
But Richard Jennifer-what had be-
come of him.? A sound, half sigh. half
groan, told me where to look. Hard
; by, bound to a tree as I was, and SO
near that with a free hand I could have
: touched him, was my poor lad.
"Dick!"I cried.
| He turned his head as the close
drawn thongs permitted and gave me a
| smile as loving-tender as a woman's.
aye, jack: they nave us hard and
fast his time. I ave been praying
| you'd never come alive enough to feel
the fire."
! w were taken together?" SO much
{ I dared ask.
5 "In the same onset. Twas but a
, question of clock ticks in that back-to-
/ poS lAlCS pII SSOl# l.
I lot" this with an inching nod toward
5 q row of naked bodies propped sitting
} against a fallen tree; nine of them in
all, one with it's severed head between
= it's knees, and three others showing
l the gaping hacks and hewings of the
! great broadsword.
They've fetched them here to see US
t burn" he went on. But blythe gods
we have the warrant of two good
blades n Ephraim Yeates' hunting
I knife that the only fires they'll ever
), see are those Of hell"
"Yeates?" I queried. "Then they
have taken him and the Catawba, as
well?"
Not alive, you may be sure, else we
should have them for Blu
it has a black look for our friends thai
the flying column we met in the stream
:, cave came back SO soon. Moreover, thu
bodies of the three peace-pipe smoker
r were found and brought in; that viii
h be the Great Bear holding his head il
e his hands at the end of yonder blood,