The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1922-05-05

seemed like hours and was probably
only a few minutes, we were momen-
tarily expecting another crash. 1t did
not come; but In due course of time
we heard a stir outside and then
I voices, and one of the voices, which
was not Bunerton's said: I'm bet
that cartridge smoked 'em out good an
| plenty, cap'n. Gimme tn ak, Tom. till
we bust open the door an have a
+ squint at en-
! Just at that moment a submerging
/ wave Of depression surged over me
and showed me down so deep that
think possibly If Fullerton had called
out and demanded our surrender L
should have been tempted to tell him
that I was not so much of a hog as
not to know when I had enough. But
the old man squeezed In beside me IN
der the arched boiler plate was made
Of better fiber; he was game TO the
last hair in his beard With a Wild
Indian yell, he hunched his Winchester
into position and fired once, twice,
thrice, at the door, as rapidly as he
could pump the reloading lever.
A SCATTERING fusillade was the reply
only result was to set the air of our
prison fortress to buzzing as if a
swarm Of angry bees had been turned
loose on US. After this, the raiders
withdrew, SO we Judged at all events,
the silence of the dark hour before
daybreak shut down upon US again,
and once more we had space in which
to gather our minds" as Daddy put
IL.
It may be a dastardly confession of
weakness TO admit it, but am free to
say that the prolonged struggle was
gradually undermining my nerve. If
Fullerton had made up his mind TO
write off the loss of the mine buildings
and machinery, it was a battle lost for
us. 1t could be only a question of q
little time, and enough daylight to en-
able the bOmbers to throw straight,
until we should be buried in the wreck
of the shafthouse and hoist-and with
out the privilege of dying in q good,
Old-fashioned, stand-up fight
All of this l hastily pointed out to
Daddy Hiram, adding that, for Jeanie's
sake, If for no better reason, he ought |
to take his chance of staying upon
earth. AS long as L live 1 shall |
always have a high respect for the |
wrath of a mild-mannered man. The |
old prOspector was fairly Berserk. |
mad. foaming at the mouth, and short |
of dragging him out by main strength |
there was no way of making him let !
go
mo, sir; l done promised your
gran'paw at I'd stand by for him, and |
he paid me money for dom Ii. When |
them hellions get this here mine, |
they're gOin' to dig a hole sOmewheres |
and bury me afterward," was all l |
could get out of him.
We were not given very much more
time for discussion, or for anything
else. The first faint CRAVING dawn was
coming, and with the partial tighten
ing of the inner gloom, we craned our
necks-like a doubIe-headed turtle
peering out of its shetland got a
glimpse of the damage done by the in
Itial thunderbOIt. We saw 1t without
any trouble: a great hole torn in the
sheetiron roof directly over the hoist
and shaft mouth Knowing the use
and effect of explosives pretty well,
Daddy said that the bomb had gone off
had exploded before 1t
had fairly lighted upon the roof
IF it hadn't-if it had been layin'
On the roof when 1t went olive
wouldn't be lookin' up at that hole