Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-02-24

and pistols we're loaded. made a
novel plan of defense that was unant-
mously approved. | posted a watch
a. every window. A little after dawn
the baroness, from behind a curtain,
saw squad of horsemen coming
through the grove.
"Ici! they have comet" said she, in
q loud whisper There are not four;
there are many"
l took my detail of six men above
stairs. Each had strip of lumber we
had found in the shop, and each care
fully raised a window, waiting the sig
nal l knew my peril, but ! was never
30 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 I 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, great swarm Of them,
sprang thick as seeds from the hand
of a sower. 1t was my part to unhouse
a 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 a flight of arrows. They
put their hot spurs into flank and face
and neck. l saw them strike and fall;
they do hit hard, those bigwinged
Vespae. 1t was terrible, the swift
charge of that winged battalion of the
air. l 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 Dri shouting and laughing
at his window.
"Give 'em hell, we 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
rolling, convulsive heap. One, as if
blinded, bumped tree, going over on
his withers, all tours flashing in the
air. Some tore off in the thickets,
as unmanageable as the wild horse.
More than half threw their riders
Not man of them pulled a trigger;
they were busy enough, God knows.
Not one of them could have hit the sky
with any certainty. | never saw such
torrent of horsehair and red caps
"Whut! Been on the back O. one O.
'em hosses?" said D'ri, telling of it a
long time after. CD ruther O. been
shet up n a barrel with lot O cats
n rolled down hill Good deal better
fer my health, an l d "a luked more
like a human bein' when | come out.
Them fellers-they did mt LUX fit t
'sociate 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 playthipg. Five others lay
writing in the grass, bereft of horse,
deserted by their comrades. The
smudges were ready, and the nets.
Dri and l put on the latter and ran
out, placing a 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 a nose of the look
and diameter of a go@e-egg; one car
ried a cheek as large and protuberant
as the jowl of porker's head; and one
had ears that stuck out like a pulled
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 il
saved an ugly fight among ladies, and
no doubt, many lives. l know, if they
had taken us, D'ri and l would never
have got back.
| have saved myself many time
by strategy, but chose the sword al
ways if there were an even chance
And, God knows, if one had ever a lool
at our bare bodies he would see no sigI
of Sinking on either Dri or me.
TO be continued)