Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-19


 You have your remedy, sir" he said, but made no answer, merely moving to the door. T will take your word for 1t, sir" he repeated. !
 q have not given it." I said.
 Well, sir said Jones, T bid you good evening" - @
 knew well enough that the prospect of that interminable seafch had made him wince. It would be folly for him to undertake it, and so he withdrew with this slight discharge4of courtesies. Sheppard met me with the news. Montgomery had undertaken the job of guiding the captain through the gall lery. and after that Sercombe was to conduct him to the rendezvous on the river He had given Sheppard particu- lars of the place, and 1t did not appear as if we could miss it. but time was passing. and if anything was to be ac- complished we must be eaway. Our preparations were accordingly pushed forward, nor were they very elaborate. An encounter, maybe a bloody one, might be looked for. Certainly we could not afford to dispense with our weapons, but beyond them there was little to delay or incumber us.
 Sheppard and got forth Of the cas- tie and reached the great gates just after dark was fallen. As we passed through thought perceived the black shadow of a man lowering among the bushes near by, and put him down as 1 Jones' E 1 At the foot of the gorge we turned, and, following the road to the right for quarter of a mile, dipped quickly l with the bend of the brook eastward and for the border of the farther coun- ty. The first part of the way took us ] through the outlying stretches of the i forest, but presently the woods hugged the margins upon either side. and be 1 hind was open country, broken into i fields and pastures. with here and there i the shining windows of farnhouse or 1 cottage About this point it occurred i to Sheppard that we were being fol l lowed. .f
 1 T saw a man cross from that last stile," he declared. and I'll swear heard rustling in the bushes"
 Very we'll" said I. If Jones is 1 after us Jones will have a long tramp and the sooner we dispatch him on it l the better"
 What will you do?' he asked. "Sit tight" said I. '.and keep mum l Here's an excellent corner for silent meditation" sand I dropped into a black patch of brachen, whither he fol. 1 lowed me
 We had been following a footpath which wound through the coppice close ] to the stream, and little distance to ! the left we sank into our hiding place | and waited. Some five minutes after 1 the footsteps of man sounded softly behind us. and he came into the plane 1 of sight Dark as it was made him out for one of Jones' men, and my opinion was confirmed by the stealth! manner in which he proceeded.
 well let him pass" I whispered and then follow him. Rustic police are no harm to us"
 Five minutes later we emerged and resumed our journey. diligently open ing our ears to the sounds of the night but nothing was audible to alarm US and we reached at last spot wher' the path ran down to the waters edg' between thick trees. Opposite, the darl bulk of little jetty was just discern ible and beyond that the lights of ; house
 This is the place" said Sheppard But I see no signs of the others. Ne they must have got here before us"
 Let us wait" I suggested. an' meanwhile we are better fin hiding" We concealed ourselves among tn trees and passed ten minutes in som' anxiety. 'Was il possible I sske' myself. that Montgomery and Ser combe had already encountered Hoo and his scoundrels. with tragic re suit: Or. again, had Jones happene' upon them and taken Sercombe? Per haps even the captain had been dealin. treacherously with us all through" But these speculations were scatter cd at the approach of voices and | noise of oars in the water. which her ran deep and wide. mile from it junction with the Ray. We listene' with increased excitement. but as ye nothing was visible in the darkness The boat seemed 10 draw up at tn
 foot of the path below us, and ther was the noise of two people landing.
 Its all right" I whispered to Shep psrd. Here they are"
 And I was on the point of jumpini
 up when heard a new sound oppo
 site. and a figure rose and stood fl
 the pathway. As we strained OUT eye