The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-31

| my words, for a faint color and a look of relief came into the girls wan face.
 Save her! I would have encountered an army in her cause.
 1 was too anxious that we should make safe landing to pay much at | tention to Payton at present. 1 in | spected the ground beneath us and saw, as we got nearer, that we were | likely to come down in a marsh. But | there was solid ground, brush covered, | near, and by desperate exertions, | throwing all my weight to one side, | succeeded in swaying the parachute toward the drier land, so that finally we struck in very good place, the 1 basket alighting with but a slight shock in clump of low. leafy bushes. I had hardly assisted Miss Grayman and the maid out of the tangle when there was splash in the water close parachute. I heard one of his men swear horribly at the fix in which they found themselves, for the water, with soft mud under it, must have been three feet deep.
 In moment I thought of trying to take them at disadvantage, shooting them down before they could e1tricate themselves. But could not see their exact location, and. looking around, my eye lighted upon pile of great rocks which rose above the brushwood 1ot more than thirty rods from where we stood.
 Come" I said, taking Miss Gray mans hand; i've shall be safer on those roeks''
 She was trembling like leaf, and the maid could hardly stand.
 Miss Grayman," I said, putting all my heart into my words, ''you must please have confidence in me. l have left your father in the aero, and I hope that he, with plenty of help, will be able soon to reach us. In the mean time trust in me. would give up my life to protect you, and I know that can protect you. am an officer in the service of the United States govern ment, and the secretary of the treas ury himself is with your father in the aero You know that we have de- stroyed Paytons Chameleon, and he himself will soon be in our hands,
 During this speech had been hurry ing them toward the rocks, for I heard the laundering of Payton and his men in the marsh and knew that they were fast extricating themselves. My words Grayman. She glanced at me with the first cheerful look that had seen upon her face.
 "What is your name, please?"
 sI am Lieutenant John Allan of the revenue service and in command of the expedition fitted out by Secretary Grantham for your rescue"
 Lieutenant Allan" she replied, "you have performed an act of splendid dar- ing. May God reward you for it.
 My heart thumped against my ribs, but I made no attempt to reply. h. stead I quickened our steps. In few minutes more we had reached the rocks
 There was a clear space around them, and they were rough and precipitous. "An excellent fertilization" I said to myself.
 The highest point may have been forty feet above the surrounding plain I immediately scrambled up, drawing the girls after me- When we reached the top we found a slight depression in which we could conceal ourselves from the eyes of any person below, while from the rim could command o6o, c,id 7,lo Miss Grayman and Susan where they were perfectly protected and then, pis- tol in hand, crept to the edge and carefully looked over in the direction Of the marsh.
 Afar off saw the Osprey speeding away on the course that had given her and which they had evidently been unable to control. The Chameleon still hung tattered overhead, slowly circling. I had scarcely raised my | head little higher when I caught sight of Payton in the brush, calling and gesticulating to his men, who soon came into sight behind him. They were all dripping and bedaubed with mud, and a more savage looking trio I never beheld. To my dismay I saw that they all carried rifles.
 I had no weapon but my automatic pistol, which contained ten shots, be sides twenty in my belt. It was a slight preparation for a siege, but had the advantage of the natural for tifcation of the rocks.
 And now a new cause of anxiety presented itself. It was evident that , the Chameleon was gradually being brought to earth. I saw signals ex- changed between her and Paytou. His men on the Chameleon had seen us, and saw from their motions that they were pointing us out.
 He knew how to manage his cam- paign. He sent his two men around to the northeast and northwest sides, while he himself guarded the south. Then we were surrounded.
 The question now was. How large a reinforcement would Payton receive when his aero succeeded in landing :! Miss Gayman thought five had fallen. In that case our enemies would num- Der only five in all, and Payton's ac- cession of force would be two men. Still, it would be terrible odds. since they had guns and I only a pistol.
 The open ground around us was suf ficiently broad to require several min IItes for runDer to cross it. MN