Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-09-09

went cold at the thought Of 1t, and no
man yet has ever called me coward.
well, when they'd got the recess
cleared, they rolled me into it, and
started building up loose stones in
front. They'd about finished this job,
when a voice like trumpet quite near
yelled out something.
1.-The whole six jumped like cats, and
1 could hear them gasp as they faced
round. 1 managed to get my eye to
chink between two stones then /
saw Jim Darrell for the first time.
'He was standing on little mound
about fifty yards away-rif1e at the
ready, finger on trigger, and with a
face on him like it had been carved
out of a white stone 1 may tell you
that Jim isn't big chap but just then
he seemed somehow to fill the whole
place, giving you the feeling that he
had death for dozen behind him.
Then he began speaking again, but
rather slowly, and making every word
ring like a hammer striking iron. 1t
was the Gulguila bat he was using,
and couldn't understand q word of it,
but l guessed that what he was saying
was not the sort of talk you hear in a
Sunday school.
II looked at the Gulgulias. Their
faces were greenish, aid there was
foam on the, lips of one or two Of them
as they kept turning their eyes toward
where their rifles were lying. But the
figure on the mound, with it's awful
GOODNESS, was too much for them-that
and the magazine rife. Slowly, and
snarling like trapped wolves at every
step, they began to file off III the di-
rection of the column, Jim's rifle muz-
zle covering them as they went.
They'd nearly passed him, when one
the last-wheeled like lightning to
make for the rifles by the bushes But
he hadn't taken three steps before the
Lee-Metford cracked and he came
down, hit clean through the head That
settled the rest, as far as fighting went,
and in about a minute they were out
of sight, Jim following them up
"Well, as you may guess, I wasn't
long prisoner, for when Jim had land
ed his lot at the main guard he came
back with q dozen more to get the
prisoners rifles, and, of course, found
and released me.
That's the story so far, but before
you can weigh it up you've got to re-
member one or two things. The first Is
that when Jim tackled those six he did
not know that there was q white man
anywhere, near him the second is that
he tackled the Gulgulias of his own ac-
cord-he needn't have been seen by
them unless he'd chosen to-and that
though he'd a magazine rifle, he'd only
one round in 1.-THE one he fired.
"Get OUT" "Oh, draw it mild, cor
poral."
Its gospel truth. He'd had a fall
among some rocks, and the block action
of the rifle had got damned. The mag
aZine action wouldn't work, and the
cartridge in the chamber wouldn't come
out, so that once 1t was fired the rifle
was useless. And yet, knowing that,
hC IelShASu lHOoS SAAI anu CdIIlSO IL On
through pure cheek. How did that
stand for a bluff"
Before answer could be made a rap
Id step was heard in the darkness, and
one of the A. H. G. came into the light
of the fire.
Corporal Carfin."
Corporal CarfiL."
"Here," aid the speaker rose to his
feet.
you're wanted at the hospital tent.
One of the sentries down by the djheel
was shot an hour ago. He was uncon-
scious till just before he died, and
then he asked for you. The doctor
wants to see you about him."
His name?"
"Jim Darrell"
There was q dead silence round the
fire, and in it the corporal looked slow
Iy round the ring of rough faces His
own was CHASTITY in it's pallor, but not
not so much as an eyelid quivered.
This won't bluff" he said, and smil-
ing slightly, walked away.
They understood. Soldiers don't
whine, and it could not be helped. 1t
was all in the days work.-PhiIadel-
phia Telegraph.