Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-05-03

: itN 'tSS x ftNt u u
gapeQ TOT an answer.
Il thought | was ~bewitched. There
was still no Hood. and presently | sat
down to breakfast. and the Greeks re
turned and. grouped together a little
way off. But when l approached they
sat silent Il gave me no answer till.
getting beyond liberation. l seized two
and cracked their heads together. But.
upon that. up leaped one of the scoun-
drels and drew his knife on me. |
stepped back, but S~tambouloS, a dirty
THIEF. took him by the arm and wills
pered in his ear. and there We're nod
dings all round the party.
by this time. as YOU may guess. l
was in 4 deuce OF a hut. ana OF |
strobe into Lle wood, whistling to show
my Indifference. 1t was silly, no doubt.
but did not want q pack of Skunks
like that to imagine l was Worrying
about them. Just as l had got Il dozen
yards or so l heard sone one come
INTO the forest after me and, turning.
caught sight of q man named Delne-
trioS. What are you after:' thought |.
But l paid no attention and kept on.
| kept straight ahead, for the wood was
very thick there, and there was no Il
about. | only wanted to get away for
q spell and consider the position. But
after a bit l pulled up and took a seat
on q patch Of heather where the ground
was more open. The morning SKY shone
or the bushes and worked into the cor
ners of the forest. and as | sat there
In a meditative way | heard sounds
coming nearer, and presently Deme-
trios pops his head out of a bit of
~shrubbery and glances at me. Imme-
diately after some one approached
upon the other side, and l caught a
glimpse Of another Of the gang poking
his ugly phiZ from behind a tree. and
then, again, l found q third to the left.
This set me up right awake, and l
asked myself what it meant. You
can't wonder if l could not make it
u Could you have tumbled to it?
Well, l didn't, not just then. But, for
all that 1t made me angry. l rose and
ran at Demetrios with the express idea
Of kicking him; but. retmating, he
slipped out a knife and snarled at me
like an angry dog. and at the same
time his fellows drew up to support
him. | had come out without a weap-
on. and was at a disadvantage, but
by this tine Il seemed to me to be
growing serious, and so l made off
back toward the cave. The beggars
followed re.
"NLen | got near the cave-there is
{. track tl!it uns hard by, winding
somewhere ver to the western valleys.
but unfrc .Ucntad-'I will take a walk
here, | said to myself, and accordingly
l turned Of, but at that motion Of mine
there was a sort Of s%cranbling among
the underground and three Of the cut
throats barred my path, zach showing
an ugly knife. Very we'll thought /,
1 don't know yet what you're I'D to,
but III warrant I'll find out, and mean
while III see that Pm on a little better
footing in the matter or arms got
back to the cayern. where the two re-
naming ~scoundrels sat tossing coins.
and | went in. My revolvers had been
removed, and there was not SO much
as even a pocketknife left to me.
you will conceive nov that | began
to be scared. What was the issue Of
all this! l moved down toward the
slope, and two beasts got in my way
and grinned at me. I turned back and
tried another route, but there I was
confronted by two more. I tell you
that it dawned OF me her that it was
plain black murder they meant,."
Sercombe paused again and refreshed
himself, casting q glance at US in which
l thought l detected q look Of fear re-
neWed from his experiences.
perhaps you say he went on in a
slow voice, that l might have cut and
run for it. That thought occurred to
me, but | put it off. | thought this was
a mistake Oh their part which | could
explain. Anyhow, | thought, they're
taxing no active proceedings. They
want to pen me up, that's all, and the
morning was wearing on, and, to say
the truth, thought I'd argue 1t out
II have some food, but | soon found
that, for any arguments ! had. | might
begin with, only two Of them under
gtood more than Il sailors English. and
Of these S%tanbOulos merely grinncl by
way Of reply, while tho other pad no
heed. What Hood had said TO them
don't know. He had pretty wen alien.