Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-04

nj mt was split with the below Of a
gun, and the valley roared with It's
echoes.
Grunting testified q hit. but from
other parts Of the crops wild STAN.
pede bore witness that the pig was
there in goodly number. But, so pres.
emily, It seemed. were the Berbers.
Crash, bang. crash. went the black
powder in the guns, and the pebbles.
| the leaden slugs, and the crude iron
bullets with which they were loaded
whistled and sang through the corn
stalks. a.f..
! A Berber at the coolest OF times
goes on the easy principle that no man
, Is hit unless 1t Is written that he
, should be hit, and so he Is always Q
dangerous shooting companion. But
when good lively pig are on the move
in thick cover, then the Berber is per.
son particularly to be avoided. He
shoots with enthusiasm at everything
that moves or rustles. and SO long a.
his xun does not burst. he Is apt to
20 On shooting, once he Is warmed up
to It, as long as his ammunition holds
out.s & H., ~ @
(, "By James," snapped Captain Kettle
aangrily, IT those careless scoundrels
don't look out they'll be plastering me
next The trouble IL where to move
out of their way They're shooting
all round the compass."
| He crossed out Of the corn patch he
, was in toward another which seemed
less disturbed. But as he stepped out
into the path, Wild boar at the same
instant seized the opportunity to dart
across it, An unseen sportsman. H.
itle farther off was on the watch and
pulled a prompt trigger: The gun
blazed and roared The assorted
pellets whistled past the end OF the
! pigs tail, and drilled holes in the
skirts of Captain Kettles jellab, and
the sailor heard the plop OF cork as
the sportsman onergd' his powder-horn
to pour out fresh charge. ,.a :v
The Winchester 'itche' in CaDtain
Kettles hands, and. that BerheE missed
Paradise by a narrower margin than
he guessed . But in g. flash came the
reflection. 'He doesn't know I'm me.
He thought it was one Of his own pals
he was blazing into. and If l. kick
against the custom of the country and
waste time with side scrap, shall
be neglecting the owners work I'm
paid. for. and neglecting Miss Dnbhs.
ought" heNtold himself with sigh.
"to be kicked for forgetting thcr"
things even for a moment"
Once again the stalks of the corn
gave him harborage. aud three times
more those .deyilpossessed swine
charged in his direction and were
pursued by whistling showers of pot
leg. But the luck Of the adventurous
stood by him, and by no contrivance
| Of his own. the. little sailor came
through the metallic showers un.
scratched.
| At last the sportsmen either fired
away all their powder, or decided that
the zig had escaped. and in noisy chat
tering bands went away homeward
down the valley. Captain Kettle fol
lowed disgustedly in their wake. IF
, that's sport in this country" he told
himself. I'D prefer good plain war.
! It's safer Now wonder If can keen
along at the heels of these ducks till
~ get close up home, and then slip
/ in through the front door while they
are swapping lies about the bag.
/ But as they We mt on down the valley
and the great black mass OF the for
tress rock loomed higher and bigger
against the Milky Way. even Captain
Kettles brazen self-assurance began
to be streaked with hesitation. This
was not some cluster Of tumble-down
buts. belonging to handful OF robbers.
and perched on IN easy crag that
hird.s-nesting boy could scale. Dis
like for Sidi Mahommed Bergash had
made him believe that the man Dragged
when he told about his ancestral
stronghold. and here when 1t came to
the point. the fellow had told a good
deal less than the truth.
IT was fortress indeed. and mea-
! surfing thoughtfully with his eye. Ket-
tie reckoned that 1t might well be
packed with as manv as eight or ten
thousand reoDle. The sailor was q
man OF brazen courage, but he was no
madran: he had ordinary prudence;
and he saw that to march Into this
grent hive OF enemies would end his
,,rsefflness. This must be case Tor
strategy. and for the present he must
keen.c,o Of tho fortress walls. till he
ifnew more abort the lay Of the land
ard its possibilities.
When thev came, M to the rock. the
Berbe--, bore Oft to the right, working
m a steep rise Of the ground to where
the causaway care ont on to the edge
~ thu sprr. Kot'l, left them when
they turned. and went himself to the
left. s,cening close in to the edge OF
tho uttle scrne OF fallen fragments
that frineed the loot Of the rock. and
cranin~ his neck backward so as TO
take in every foot, OF the face.
uos.did not in the least exnect 10
find a row OF crevices or lehges by
which he could climb to the TOP; by
this time he WAS very thoroughly i'm
pressed by the accuracy with which
tho saint and his predecessors In the
saintsbin had kept ND their defenses;
hit he had. as I have pointed out be.
fore, a very clever eve for the detai!
OF a countryside. and SO he examined
It automatically and stored up mental
notes Of what he saw without effort.
In this manner. then. he made
complete circnit OF the rock as far as
tire other side Of the entrance cause
waySand so far noted nothing Of any
interest. and having also found no
|ti,ling.place for himself. he turned
hack again TO make fresh examine