Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-11-24
CHAPTER xL1.-continued.

II In
THAT we cannot; twill be over me
horses ears. The beasts will drown tnem-
selves and us as well"
How we should have argued II out | 90
not know, for just then Jennifer's morse,
seeming the troop. mounts on the farther
shore, cooked tail and ears, let out 2
squealing neigh, n fell TO curyeting ana
~plunging in a racket that might have
stood for the s~plashings of an advancing
army.
In a twinkling the outpost camp was
astir and a believing hail came TO US
across the water. Having no answer, the
troopers began to let of their pieces nap
hazard in the darkness; and with the
singing zip Of the first musket ball, Ken
ard went battle mad, as he always ala IN
the face of danger.
cat themi' ne Numbered, tapping
spurs TO his faded beast and whipping OUT
the great claymore; and so we charged,
the forlornest hope that ever fell upon an
enemy.
How we came ashore alive through the
gun-fire is one of those mysteries to which
every battle adds it's quota; but the poor
beasts we rode were not so lucky. Jen-
nifer's horse went down while we were
yet some yards from the bank; and mine
fell a moment later. To face a score OF
waiting enemies afoot was too much for
even Richards rash courage; so when
we were free Of the struggling horses we
promptly dove for shelter under the up
stream bank.
Here the darkness stood our friend; n
when the redcoat troopers came down to
the rivers edge with torches to see what
had become Of us, we took advantage OF
the noise they made and stole away up
stream till a shelving beach gave us leave
to climb to the valley level above.
Richard shook himself like a water
soaked spaniel and laughed grimly.
"Well, here We are, safe across, horse
less and well belize to freeze 10 DEATH
he commented. What neXt?'
l made him a bow. You are on my de-
mesne of Appleby Hundred, Captain Jen-
infer, and 1t shall go hard with us If we
cannot find a fire TO warm a guest and a
horse to mount him withal, Let us so TO
the manor house and see what we can dis
cover"
He entered at once into the spirit Of
the jest, and together we trudged the
scant mile through the stubble fields 10 my
old roof-tTee. As you would guess, we
looked to find the manor house turned into
an outpost headquarters; but now We
were desperate enough to face anything.
Howbeit, not to rush blindly into the
jaws of a trap, we first routed out the ola
black majordomo at the negro quarters;
and when we learned from him that the
great house was quite deserted, we TOOK
possession and had the black make us a
rousing fire in the kitchen arch. Nay,
more; when we had steamed ourselves a
little dry, we had old Anthony stew and
grill for us, and fetch us a bottle of that
madeira of my fathers laying in.
"A toast" cried Richard, when the bot
tie came, springing to his feet with the
glass held high. ITO the dear lady of APP
pleby Hundred, and may she forgather
with the man she loves best, be 1t you, or
/, or another. Jack %Ireton!'
We drank il standing; and after would
sit before the fire, havering like two love
sick school boys over the charms of that
dear lady TO whom one of US was less
thar naught, and 10 whom the other could
be but naught whilst that first one lived.
You will smile, my dears, that we should
come TO this when, but a short hour be-
fore, one Of us had been bent upon STAY
ing the other for Mistress Margery's sake,
But the human heart is many-sided not
ably that heart the soldier carries. And
though i locked not to live beyond the
setting of another sun, l was glad to my
finger tips to have this last loving cup
with my dear lad l thought 1t would
nerve me bTavely for what must come
and so il did, though not as | pretiGured.
We were still sitting thus before the
kitchen arch when the dawn began 10 dim
the freight, II the work OF the new udy
confronted us. Pinned down, old An
thony confessed tina some two or three
horses of the Appleby Hundred stables
had escaped the hands of the foragers OF
both sides: and two of these he fetched
for us. OF the twain one CHANGED to be
Blackstar the good beast which had car
ried me from New Berne in the spring;
and so / had my own horse betwixt my
knees when / set Dick a mile on the road
to Salisbury, and bade him farewell.
His last word to me was one of generous
caution.
Remember, Jack; haste, haste, post
haste is your w~atchword There Will be
other couriers in from the battle field at
Kings mountain; and you must hang and
fire your news-petard and vanish before
they come to betray you
Trust me- said j, evasively; and so we
parted. he to gallop eastward, and | to
charge down p~eaceably upon the British
outpost we had set abuzz In the small
Io,,rs nf tho ptphf