Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-18

My heart beat fast, but it was no time for thought Bidding the man in whisper to follow me and be ready to back me up. climbed the bank soft ly, and with . pistol in my hand, felt my way to the rear of the shack; thinking to find hut there, set against the fern. and NJ. de Cocheforet in 1t. But found no hut. There was none: and all was so dark that 1t came upon me suddenly as I stood between the hill and the stack that had undertak- en a very difficult thing. The hut be- hind the fern-stack? But how far be- hind! How far from 1t? The dark slope stretched above us, infinite, i'm measurable. shrouded in night. To begin to climb it in search of a tiny hut, probably well-hidden and hard to find in daylight, seemed a task as im- possible as to meet with the needle in the hay. And now, while stood. chilled and doubtlng. the steps of the troop in the road began to grow audi ble, began to come nearer.
 Well. NJ. le capitaine?" the man be- side muttercd-in wonder why I stood. Which way? Or they will be before us yet"
 tried to think, to reason it out: to consider where the hut would be; while the wind sighed through the'oaks and here and there could hear an acorn fall. But the thing pressed too close on me: my thoughts would not be hurried and at last said at a venture. Up the hill Straight from the stack
 He did not demur and we plunged at the ascent. knee deep in bracken and furze, sweating at every pore with our exertions and hearing the troop come every moment nearer on the road be- low. Doubtless they knew exactly whither to gol Forced to stop and take breath when we had scrambled up 30 yards or SO. I saw their lanthorns shin ing like moving glow-worms; and could even hear the elink of steel. For all could tell. inc hut might be down there and we two be moving frcm itl But it was too late 10 go back now: they were close 10 the fern-stack; and in despair I turned to the hill again A dozen steps and stumbled. rose and plunged on again; again stumbled. Then I found that I was no longer ascending was treading level earth. And-was it water I saw before me below me. little in front of my feet, or some mirage of the sky.
 Neither: and gripped my fellows arm. as he came abreast of me and stopped him sharply Below US. in ths center of a steep hollow, a pit in the hillside. z light shone out through some aperture and quivered on tho mist. like the pale lamp of a moorland hobgoblin. Ii made itself visible. dis playing nothing else; a wisp of light in the bottom of black bowl
 Yet my spirits rose with a great bound at sight sf ii. for knew that had stumbled on the place sought In fhe common run Of things I should have weighed my next step careful! and gone about is slowly But her was no place for thought. nor room for delay and I slid down the side O the hollow and the momert my fee touched the bottom. sprang to thl door of the little hut whence the ligh issued. A stone turned under my foo h my rush and fell on my knsss 0l the threshold: but the fall onll brought my face 10 level with th startled eyes of the man who lay insid on bed of fern. Ne had been reading At fhs sound l made he dropped hl book ard stretcsei out his hand foT weapon But the muzzle of ny pis1 covered him before be could rezch hts b. was not h a posture from whiee D could spring and st sharp word froE ne hs droppsd Ais hand The uEers riars rhich lad ficksred for aa ia stans in his eyss. gave place 10 Ian raid smile. and he shrusged ni shouidersL Eh. bisa- he said Eiu msrTsioas comPosura Taken st last Wen. szs tired 0f it-
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