Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1907-07-19
CHAPTER XXI.

outside the immediate neighborhood OF the
main streets, the darkness was enough
to favor our hope of escaping notice with
out being SO intense as to embarrass our
footsteps. Everything, in fact, seemed to
be ON our side, and was full OF buoy
ant condolences as 1 put my revolver IN
my pocket and, on the stroke of midnight
stole from my lodgings. l looked up to-
ward the bank and dimly deserted three
or four motionless figures, whom l took
to be sentries guarding the treasure. Inc
street itself was almost deserted, but from
where l stood l could see The Piazza
crowded with a throng of people, whose
shouts and songs told me that the Colo
nel's hospitality was being fully appre-
ciated. There was dancing going ON to
the strains of the military band, and ev-
cry sign showed that our good citizens IN
tended, in familiar phrase, to make
night of it.
/ walked swiftly and silently down to
the jetty. Yes, the boat was all right l
looked to her fires, and left her moored Dy
one rope ready to be launched into the
calm black sea in an instant. Then l
strolled along, by the harbor side. Here
l met a couple of sentries. lnnocently
/ entered into conversation with them,
condolinR on their hard fate in being kept
on duty while pleasure was at the helm
in the Piazza. Gently deprecating such
excess Of caution, pointed out to them
the stationary lights Of The Songstress'
four or FIVE miles out to sea, and Win q
respectful smile at the ColoneFs uneasi-
ness, left the seed had Sown to grow IN
prepared soil. l dared DO no more, and
had to trust for the rest to their natural
inclination to the neglect Of duty.
When got back to the bottom OF LIB
erty street, ensconced myself In the
shelter OF a little group Of trees which
stood at one aide of the roadway. Just
across the road, which ran at right an
gles to the street, the wood began, and,
quarter Of an hours walk through its
shades would bring us to the jetty where
the boat lay. Ny trees made q perfect
screen, and here l stood awaiting events
For some time nothing was audible but
an ever-increaSing tumult OF 1oVialtty
from the Piazza. But after about twenty
minutes l aWOke to the fact that con-
slant dribble Of men, slngly or In paiFS,
had begun to flow past me from the Fl
aEHa, down Liberty street, across the road
behind me, and into the wood. Some were
In uniform, others dressed in common
clothes: one or two recognized ~ mem
bers Of Johnny Carr's missing band. The
strong contrast between the prevailing
rovelry and the stealthy, cautious air OF
these passers-by would alone have sug-
rested that they were bent on business ;
quitting two and two together, had not
the least doubt that they were the Prssi-
dents adherents making their way down
20 the waters edge to receive their chief.
So he was coming; the letter had done
Its work Some fifty or more must have
come and gone before the stream ceased,
and / reflected, VITA great satisfaction,
that the Colonel was likely to have his
hands very full In the next hour or two.
Half an hour or 50 passed uneventful-
ly; the bonfire still blAzed the songs and
dancing were still in full swing. 1t was
close upon the fateful hour Of two, when,
looking from my hiding place, 1 saw q
slight figure in black coming quickly and
fearfully along the road.
I recognized the Signorina at once, a.
should recognize her any day among q
thousand, and as she paused nearly oppO-
name and showed myself for 4 moment
She ran to me at once,
"Is It all riEht7" she asked, breath
lessly.
1--WE shall see In a moment" said L
'1The attack is coming on; It viii begin
directly"
But the attack was not the next tAin1
we saw. We had both retreated again to
the friendly shadow whence we could see
without being seem Hardly had we set.
eled ourselves than the SlgnOrina whia
pSrsd 10 me, pointing across the road e
the wood:
whats that. JackY
followed the line OF her finger and
made out a row Of figures standing mo
elonless and Still on the very edge Of the
wood. 1t was too dark to distinguish In.
diVlduAlS; but even a. we looked the 81
ient air waited to our eager ears q low
VOIcsd command:
Mind, not q sound till l give tAC
word"
"ThO Preaidsntl" exclaimed the Sir
norma, In a loud whisper.
"Hush, or he'll hear" said /, "anG
we're DONE"
Clearly nothing would happen from that
quarter till 1t was called forth by event.
IN the opposite direction. The SiEnOrina
was strongly agitated; she chung to m,
closely, and 1 saw with alarm that tn,
very proximity Of the man she stood h
such awe Of was too much for her com
posture. When had sOOthed, and I feal
half-friEhtened, her into stiffness, aEail
turned my eyes toward the Piazza. TIL,
fire had at last hickered cut and the revel
seemed on the wanS. Suddenly a body o
men appeared in close order, marchlnI
down the street toward the bank. w,
stood perhaps 4 hundred yards from tia
building. which was, in It's turn, about tw,
hundred from the Piazza. Steadily the,
came along; no sound reached US from
the wood.
This Is getting interesting" said
''There'n be trouble soon."
As near as l could see, the Colonel
band, for such it was no doubt, did no
number more than hve-and-twenty at til,
outside. Now they were at the bank.
could hardly see what happened, but Their,
seemed to be a moments pause; probabl,
someone had knocked and they were wait
ing. A second later a Loud shout ram
Through the street and saw a group Q