The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-09-08


more than once listened to Yeng Sofs
recital of this great happening.
Yeng Sol grumbled bit to himself.
But he could not resist the temptation
to talk, and began:
1T was night and raining. Tia
river came booming along, asking Tor
corpses, the water snarling up at the
supports of the bridge, each waveie'
like the clean white fang of wolf.
A spy had crawled out among the
lower bridge timbers, carrying with
him a bundle of devils powder, but
just before he fired it, soldier saw
him by wink of the lightning. There
was a shot. Then the most terr1rc
noises were born. The gods themselves
could not make greater thunder even
when drunk. Next morning the bridge
looked like a camel whose back has
been broken by beam. The man who
caused it all was found tossed in the
fishing nets below the village"
Ho Toi shuddered once during this
recital. The thought of man cling
ing to fishing nets all night, only to
find death in the dawn, chilled him.
At that point the man he watched had
laughed. Ho Toi could not relish that
laugh. The mind of him was troubled.
The man knew him now for NEEDLE.
some fellow. $3.50 ATs 1893
Yet he knew the man for spy! But
he must have proof-facts. For the
deliverance Of one accursed spy would
the Russians grant him liberty, so
that he might journey to the upper
hills ~
During the early hours of the third
morning-the changing of the guard,
when sentries are most drowsy-the
man sought to run the outpost. 1t was
during one Of the sleepless vigils OF
Ho Toi.
The air was bitterly cold. The man
slipped out at the shed door. Hoi Toi
eagerly followed the man. e T
He had gone toward the river. Ho
TOT saw him searching the bank for
something. After awhile he came upon
boat. Ho Toi listened to the faint
dipping of the oars as the boat brushed
away into the dark.
HE will drift down upon the
BRIDGE" muttered Ho Toi, musing In
his cunning way. "That boat was left
for hint is all arranged. There are
soldiers at both ends of the BRIDGET
tell them they will earn the reward.
and / will go back to the sheds with
those dirty pigs MOL must do some
thing" ef
Il A putting noise caused him to cease
planning and glance about in nervous
alarm. A line of empty cars was NOV
ing over the railroad toward the
bridge. a-a
Ho Toi hurried after the moving
train. Nimbly he swing himself upon
. one OF the last cars and lay at full
, length on it's top. Soon low rum
, bling told him they had passed the
bridges end and were crossing the
river. Waiting until some distance
, from shore, he slipped down to the
, beams of the trestle There was moth
, ing now to be seen but few shadowy
, timbers, beneath which an inky cur
rent surged with low incessant Sob
bing.
Ho TOT had begun to curse himself
for frozen fool. when faint swish
ing sound came. to his ears. A long
shadow drifted swiftly out of the black
and snuggled in under the bridge. He
could hear the soft rubbing of a boat.
Like fat toad he pumped down in
a the stern The boat danced trif1e
as If surprised. the water FLASHING be-
meath It. - i
There was not sound from the man
In the bow. Each stared silently al
q the black shape of the other; each
{ waited for vicious shot from the low
girdle of the bridge. 1t did not come
A moment later they had slipped away
v on the river marsh.
Ho Toi gathered himself together
> he saw the mans shape waver-and
!, with low cursing they grappled IN
/. the center of the swaying boat. The
man flung To Hoi backward and fell
y upon him. The boat tipped and stag
|, gered as drunken thing. Ho TOTS
!. head went wholly under. He made {
= furious effort, choking-he drew vi
\ his legs-the boat writhed-strugglet
free of them both-went dancing away
A Russian officer who liked fish To-
y his breakfast sent his orderly will
! the rivermen to their nets.
= "Ah-haa! A mani" cried one of tn
fishers, pointing to bending pole
!, They dragged into the boat. an un
;. couth, half-drowned object. 1t wa
seen that the mans hand clutched an
:. other clammy burden caught in thu
!, sagging net. 7es
= With some difficulty they release,
!. the second mass from the mans i'm
= bedded fingers. When brought to shor
!. and toasted back to living. he wa
:. asked of this. ,f.g,, ,s{
= my brother--he could not-swim
- His head was heavy-I. could not
hold him up" he gasped. sr
. Twice during the inquiry he fainte
II from exhaustion. At one time the sur
geon sincerely believed him to b
:. dead. And all the rest of the day h
lay huddled in corner, weeping bit
: terly for the brother he had been un
able to save After a long time thi