The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-11-21
CHAPTER VIII.

with the most unremitting vigilance. with
| out finding any fit opening for charge.
| The experienced successor of Colonel
Wellmere knew too well the power of his
| enemy to leave the uneven surface of the
| heights, until compelled to descend to the
| level of the water. A small schooner,
| which had been their convoy from the
| city, lay with her guns bearing on the
| place of embarkation. Against this com
| bination of force and discipline, LawtOn
had sufficient prudence to see it would be
folly to contend, and the English were
| suffered to embark without molestation.
The dragons reluctantly commenced their
own retreat back to the main body of the
corps.
Harvey Birch prudently kept his posi-
| ton on the rock, where he had been seen
by the passing glance of Henry Wharton,
until evening. From this height he had
seen all the events Of the day as they
occurred. He had watched the departure
| of the troops under Dunwoodie. and with
difficulty had cur5ed his impatielce until
the obscurity of night should render his
moving free from danger. He had not,
| however, completed fourth of his way to
his own residence when his quick ear dis
tinguished the tread of approaching horse.
| By crouching and moving quickly, he
| hoped yet 10 escape unseen. Captain
| Lawton was too much engrossed to suffer
| his eyes to indulge in their usual wan
dering; and the peddler, perceiving by the
| voices that the enemy he most feared had
| passed, stood erect, in order to make
| greater progress. The moment his body
arose above the shadow of the ground it
was seen ana a chase commenced. The
| pedder betook himself to fight.
The confusion of the chase had been
| heard by the whole OF the men, though
| none distinctly understood the order of
Lawton but those who followed. The re-
mainder were lost in doubt as to the duty
| that was required of them, and were
making eager inquiries when man cross
| ed the road at single bound. At the
same instant the stentorian voice of Law
ton rang through the valley, shouting:
Harvey Birch--take him, dead or
alive
Fifty pistols lighted the scene and the
| bullets whistled in every direction round
| the head of the devoted peddler. A feel
ing of despair seized his heart, and in the
bitterness of that moment he exclaimed !:
Hunted like a beast of the forest -
He felt life and it's accompaniments 10
be burden and was about to yield him
self to his enemies. Nature, however
| prevailed. If taken, there was great rea-
son to apprehend that most probably the
morning sun would witness his ignomin-
ious execution. He again fed. A frag
ment of a wall crossed his path. He
hardly had time to throw his exhausted
| limbs over this barrier before twenty of
his enemies reached it's opposite side.
Their horses refused to take the leap in
the dark. The heart Of the peddler now
beat high with hope. when the voice of
| Captain Lawton again rang in his ears,
shouting to his men to make room. The
fearless trooper rode at the wall at the
top of his horses speed. and few over the
obstacle in safety. The triumphant hur-
rahs of the merr and the laundering trad
of the horse, too plainly assured the pil-
dler OF the emergency of his danger Pc
was nearly exhausted, and his fate ho
longer seemed doubtful:
"Stop, or die" was uttered above bis
head, and in fearful proximity to his
ears.
Harvey stole glance over his shoulder
and saw within a bound of him the pan
he most dreaded BY the light o1the
stars he beheld the uplifted arm anl the
threatening sabre. Fear, exhaustion
despair seized his heart, and the inAded
victim fell at the feet of the drtoon.
The horse of Lawton struck the prtrate
peddlcr. and both stced and rideHcame
violently to earth.
AS quick as thought, Birch wassn his
feet again, with the sword of the lscom-
fitted dragoon in his hand. V@eance
seems but too natural to human fssions.
All the wrong of the peddler shoA on his
brain with dazzling brightnessg For q
moment the demon within him revailed,
and Birch brandished the powehl wea-
pom In the air; in the next, it fH harm
less on the reSiving but helplessfrooper.
The peddler vanished up the sig OF the
friendly rock,
Help Captain Lawton, thera cried
, Cornet Mason, as he rode up, bllowed
by a dozen of bis men, land SON OF you
. dismount with me and search thu rocks
the villain lies here concealed.'1
Hold" roared the discounted captain.
. raising himself with difficulty tdHs feet /;
"if one of you dismoust, he dH Tom,
my good fellow, you will help MI strad-
die Roanoke again."
The astonished subaltern cdplied in
= silence, while the wondering agoons
, remained as fixed in their SAD fs as If
!. hey composed part of the an hls they
. Dde.
( captain Lawton," said thefderly OF
. Scs troops, "wc are now passin ghe house
It the peddler spy; In it yo5 pleasure
o that we Ourn it?"
: mo" roared she captain, voice
q sAat startled the disappoints Sergeant ;
s are you an incendiary? WoA you burn
house in cold blood? Let spark
!, approach, and the hand ths carries IT
- L loht