The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-06-19
CHAPTER x1lI-continued.

enCe himself. He let fall a SavaSt
word MS his horse stopped suddenl,
with Its fore feet spread out on the
egg OF the stream. and his dark face
grew darker as he saw the swirlins
eddies n me standing fronting hin
IN the moonlight with my sword out
strength of my position. Where l stood
the water vas scarcely over my horses
1etlocks. Where he stood 1t was ovel
his horses knees, and between us II
= flowed nearly four feet deep.
He held q hasty parley with his com
.panions. and then he hailed me. "Will
you surrender" he cried in English
I'VE will give you quarter"
Surrender? To whom?" I said
tAnd why-why should I surrender
Are o robbers and cutpurses?"
Surrender in the name of the en-
perOr, o fool!" he answered sternly
and roughly.
Il know nothing about the emperor!'
retorted. What EMPEROR"
In h queens name, then!"
cried. and az the flood Is rising" ]
added scornfully, II would advise you
10 go home again."
You would advise, would you? Who
IRE your" he replied in a kind OF
lWrathful curiosity.
rave him no answer. / rave often
since reflected. with a fuller knowledge
of certain facts, that no stranger in
terview ever took place than this short
colloQuy between us: that no stranger
night ever was fought than that which
we contemplated as we stood Their
bathed in the May moonlight with wa
ter all round US and the cold sky above.
A strange fight indeed 1t would have
been between him and me had 1t ever
come to the swords point!
But this was what happened. His
last words had scarcely rung out when
4 INV hnran hpHan tn 0rItVnr iIn2pr me- and
sway backward and forward. l had
just time to take the alarm when the
poor beast ank down and rolled gently
over. leaving be b%estriding its body,
cause of this. l had to disentangle my
self. and that quickly. for the four men
opposite me, seeing me ~disHounted,
plunged with a cry OF triumph into the
water and began to founder across.
Without more ado / stepped forward
to keep the ford.
The foremost and nearest to me was
Clarence. whose horse began. half way
across to swim. 1t was still scrambling
TO regain its footing when 1t came
" across the nostrils. It turned in an
instant on its side. I saw the riders
face CLEAN white In the water. His
ottrrup shOne q moment as the horse
rolled over; then In a second the two
were gone down the stream. 1t was
NAOAA0E ~ S1oAAys ~ AA4SAAyp =
mo. n gone. hurrah! I turned quick
" to the others, who were about land
ang. My blood was fred. and my
yell Of victory. as I dashed at them
scared back two of horses:
turned and scrambled out on
the side from which they had en-
tered. Only one was left-the far
thest from me. He got across indeed,
yet he was the most unlucky of all, for
III. Hn~a.4 - noH111 .0s, n L., 49,.
down heavily on Its head n flung him
1t my very feet.
It was no time for quarter had to
think Of my friends-and while with
one hand I seized the flying rein as the
horse scrambled, trembling, to it's feet.
with the other I lunged twice at the
rider as he half tried to rise. half tried
to grasp at me. The second time l ran
him through. and he screamed shrilly.
in those days I vas young and hot
headed. and I answered only by a shout
Of defiance as ! flung myself into the
saddle md dashed away through the
water after my friends.
Voc victis! I had one enough to
check the pursuit and yet escaped my
self. II I could join the others again,
no guide. but neither had those in
front Of me. and luckily at this point
o row of pollard willows defined the
line between the road and the river.
Keeping this on my right, I made good
way. The horse eemed strong under
me, the water was shallow and p
peared to be growing more SO, and
presently across the waste OF flood 1
discerned before me a dark. solitary
,EOwer. the tower seemingly of a church.,
for It was topped by a stumpy spire.
which daylight would probably have
shown to be of wood.
There was a little dry ground. round
h church. a mere patch in a sea of
water. but my horse rang its hoofs on
At with every sign of Joy and arched
its neck as 1t trotted up to the neigh
borhood Of the church. whinnying with
ang. I was not surprised. came an an
pwerfng neigh. AS I pulled up a man,
his weapon in his hand, came from the
porch. and a woman followed him. 1
called to them gayly. II fancied you
would be here tho moment 1 saw the
shurch!"I said. sliding to the ground.
s"sThank heaven you are safe!" the
duchess answered, and to my astonish-
mont she flung her arms round my
neck and kissed me- What has hap
,pened7' h asked. looking in my eyes,
her own full Of tears.
"Isthink I have stopped them" I an
,sswered, turning suddenly shy. though,
boylike. L had been longing q few min
iutes. before to talk OF my victory. They
lEtried TO and"
! hadsnot sheathed my sword. Mas
tar BERTHE caught my wrist. and lifting
III: blade looked at 1T. 80. sol" he
said nodding. Are you hurt?"
Not touched!!" I answered.. Before
more was said he compelled his wife
20 go back Into the porch. The wind
blew keenly across the open ground,
.end we were all wet and shivering.
When we had fastened up the horses.
I'VE followed her. The door of the
!church was locked. 1t seemed, and the
porch Afforded the best shelter to be
had. Its upper part was of open wood
work n freely admitted the wind. but
lWidt Y projected over these OPEN
ings and over the door, so that at least
II was dry within. BY budding to-
,Gether on the floor against the wind
ward side we got some protection. /
hastily told what had happened.
so Clarence is gone!" My lady's
voice as h said the words trembled,
but not in sorrow or pity. as I judged
i-rather in relief. Her dread and hatl I'd
OF the man We're strange and terrible.
q 10 seemed to me then. Afterward
I learned that something had passed
between them which made almost nat
ural such feelings on her part and
made natural also . bitter resentment
on HIS But OF that no more. You
% t..- L-----s--GE