The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-06-11

the food before him, and peerinR TOT
ward I made out a current, sweepihs
silently and swiftly across our pain.
a current with an ominous rusn any
swirl. 49,,
"Over?" grunted Master Berthe. mo;
this is the place. See, the road has
given way, and the stream is pourins
through from the river. I expect IT Is
getting worse every minute as the
banks c~rulnhle.
II was impossible to say how deep the
water was, or how far the deep part
might extend, and we a with US a
child and two ONE
I'VE must go back" said Master
| BERTHE, resolutely. There Is no doubt
about 1t. The Hood Is rising. II we 90
not take care we shall be cut on and be
able to go neither backward nor for
ward. 1 cannot see a foot Of dry land.
as It is, before or behind us.
He was right. Far n wide, wher-
ever our eyes could reach. the moon
light was reflected In a sheet OF water.
We were nearly up to our girths In
water. on one side was the hurrying
river; on the other were the ~treacher-
| Gus depths of the backwater. asked
the guide as well as / could whether the
road was good beyond. He n Kered
that he did not know. He and his COM
panion were SO terrified that we only
kept IlGI1 DGSlue US w IlICaIos j. m
II fear we must go back" I said, as
sentings sorrowfully.
Even the duchess agreed, and we were
In the act of turning to retrace our
steps with what spirit we might when a
distant sound brought us all to a
standstil again. The wind was blow
ing from the quarter whence we had
come-from Emmerich-and 1t brought
to US the sound Of voices. We all
stopped to listen. Yes; they were
voices we heard-loud, strident tones,
mingled now with the sullen splash OF
horses tramping through the water. I
looked at the duchess. Her face was
pale, but her courage did not fail her.
She understood In a trice that the dan
ger we had so much dreaded was upon
us; that we were followed, mt the fol-
lowers were at our heels, and she
turned her horse round again. With
out a word she spurred 1t back toward
the deep part. l seized Anne's rein and
followed, Notwithstanding that the poor
girl In her terror would have resisted.
Letting the guides go as they pleased,
we four in a m found ourselves
abreast again, our horses craning over
the stream, while we, with whip and
spur, urged them IN.
In cold blood we should scarcely have
done 1t. Indeed, for a minute, as our
steeds stumbled and recovered them
selves and slid forward, only to draw
back trembling-as the water rose
above our boots or was flung by our
fellows in our eyes, and all was fog
ging and ~scrambling and splashing--it
seemed as IL we were to be caught In a
trap despite resolve. But at last
Master Bertie's horse took the plunge.
His wife's followed, and both, partly
fl~oundering and partly swimming set
forward, snorting the while In fear. To
my joy I saw them emerge safely not
ten yards away, and shaking them
selves stand comparatively high out OF
the water. .
Comet" cried my lady imperatively
as she turned In her saddle with a
gesture Of defiance. Comet It is all
right" F
Come indeedl I wanted nothing bet
ter, for / was beside myself with pas
sion, But, fog as / might, I could not
get Anne's brute to take the plunge.
The girl herself could give me no aid.
Ciingtng TO her saddle. pale and half
fainting, she could only beg me to leave
her, crying out again and again in q
terrified voice that she would be
ly mingled another-the hail of our
pursuers as they sighted Us. I could
hear them drawing nearer, and I grew
desperate. Luckily they could not make
any sped in water so deep, and time
was given me for one last furious eff
fort. 1t succeeded. Ny horse literally
fell into the stream. 1t dragged Anne's
after 1t. How we kept our seats, how
they their footing, / never understood,
but somehow, ~splashing and stumbling
n blinded by the water dashed in our
faces. we came out on the other side,
where the duchess and her husband,
too faithful to us to save themselves,
a watched the struggle in an agony
of suspense. ! did but fling the girls
rein to Master BERTHE. and then I
wheeled my horse to the stream again.
I had made up my mind what I must
do.
with a gesture OF farewell. GO on!> I
can keep them here for awhile"
"Nonsense!" ! heard the duchess cry,
her voice high and shrilI. 1T is"
Go on!" I cried. go onl Do not
lose a moment, or 1t will be useless"
Master BERTHE hesitated, but he, too,
saw that this was the only chance. The
S~paniards were on the brink of the
stream now and must, If they passed Il,
overtake us easily. He hesitated, /
have said, for a moment. Then he
seized his wife's rein and drew her on,
and / heard the three horses go splash
a glance at them over my shoulder, be-
thinking me that / had not told the
duchess my story, and that Sir An
thony and Petronilla would neVer-but,
pish! What was / thinking Of? That
was a thought for a woman. / had
only to harden my heart now and set
my teeth together. My task. was very
simple indeed. I had just to keep these
men-there were four-here as long as
l could and IL possible to stop Clar-
ence's pursuit altogether.
ITnnfimafaI NaNk wAaL "