The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-06-29

ger the palms not IuT away.
1t was very early morning, and the
light was dim yet, but there was suffi-
cient to make even far sight easy.
Dyck shaded his forehead with his
hand.
"It's not one Of our people, Michael.
It's a stranger"
As the rider came on he was stopped
by two Of the drivers OF the estate.
Dyck and Michael saw him hold up
a letter, and a moment later he was
on his way to Dyck. ~galloplng hard.
Arrived, he dropped to the ground
and saluted Dyck.
"a letter from Salem, SIR" he said,
and handed 1t over to Dyck.
Dyck nodded, broke the seal Of the
letter and read 1t quickly. Then he
nodded again and babe the man eat
a hearty breakfast and return with
him on one Of the Enniskillen horses,
as his own would be exhausted.
Were going down to help protect
Salem. my man." said Dyck.
The nan grinned. That's good"
he answered. They knew naught of
the rising when l left. But the gov
ernor was there yesterday, and he'd
protect u.s."
Nonsense, fellow, the governor
would go straight to Spanish Town
where he belongs, when there Is
trouble. That much he knows Of his
duty, I'll say"
When the man had gone, Dyck
turned to his servant. Michael" he
said, "the news in the letter came
from Darius Boland. He says the
governor told him he had orders from
England to cOnfine me here at En-
nisklllen, and he meant to do It
Well, we'll see how he does 1t. If he
sends his marshals to me, we'll make
Gadarene swine Of them"
There was a smile at his lips, but 1t
was cOntemptuOus, and the lines of
his forehead told of resolve. "Mi-
chael," he added, "we'l hunt Lord
Mallow with the hounds of our good
fortune, for this war Is our war. They
can't win it without me. and they
shan't. Without the hounds 1t may
be a two years WARMTH the hounds
1t can't go beyond a week or So"
"If the hounds get here, sir! But
II they don't?"
Dyck laid his hand upon the sword
at his side. 'If they don't get here,
Michael. still the war will be ours,
for we understand fighting, and how to
do 1t, and the governor does not. Con-
fine me here, will he? Well, IL he
does, he'll be a better man than 1
have ever known him, Michael. No,
he'll not confine me here. In a few
hours | shall be at Salem, to do what
he could not do, and would not If he
could. His love is as deep as water
on n roof no deeper. He'll think first
of himself, and afterward Of the own
err Of Salem or any other"
Some hours later Dyck Calhoun.
with his six horsemen, was within a
mile or so of Salem. They had ridden
hard in the heat and were tired, but
there was high spirit In the men, for
they were behind q trusted leader. as
they knew full well-a man who ate
little, but who did not disdain a bottle
of Madeira or q glass of brandy, and
who made good every step Of the way
he went-watchful, alert, careful, de-
termined. They trusted him and they
cared little what his past had been.
Somehow, in spite of the criminal
record with which Dyck Calhoun's life
was stained, they had a respect for
him they did not have for Lord Nal
low. Dyck's life in Jamaica was clean /;
and his progress as a planter had been
free from black spots. He even kept
no mistress, and none had ever known
him to have to do with women, black,
brown or white. He had never gone
a-Maying, as the saying was, and his
only weakness or fault-if il was a
fault-was q fondness for the bottle Of
good wine, which was eve open on his
table, and for tobacco in the smoking
leaf. Today he smoked necessarily
and carefully. He threw no loose ends
Of burning tobacco from cigar or pipe
into the loose dry leaves and stiff-cut
ground. Yet they knew the small
clouds that floated away from his
head did not check his observation.
That was proved beyond peradventure
when they were within sight of the
homestead of Salem on an upland well
wooded. 1t was In apparently happy
circumstances, for they could see no
commotlon about the homestead they
saw men with muskets, evidently keep
ing guard-yet too openly keeping
guard, as they all thought, and so
some said to each other.
Presently Dyck refined in his horse,
and stretched out n hand TO detain
them. Each man listened attentively
and watched the wood ahead Of them.
for II was clear Dyck suspected dan
ger there. For a moment there seemed
doubt in Dyck's mind what to do, but
when it was up he had decided.
ride slow for Salem" he said. Its
Maroons there In the bush. They are
waiting for night. They won't attack
US now. They're In a~mbush-of that
I'm sure. If they want to capture Sa-
lem, they'll not give alarm by firing on