Graham guardian., 1922-02-14

lcryes. -
As all days must, this wearlsome
first day came to an end at last, and
with the coming of dusk the lombard
mcnt stopped-with our roof looking
Ike sieve.
But after darkness had settled down
We were made to feel In another way
how acutely helpless we were. We
could see nothing, hear nothing.
Though we knew we were surrounded,
the silence and solitude were unbrOken,
and the strain was greater than that
Of pitched battle. If we were to get
amy sleep at all, a night watch could
re maintained by only one of us at
time; and with our utmost vigilance
Il surprise attack would be the easiest
thing infhe world for BullertOn to pull
off.
There are no night noises in the high
attitudes, unless the wind happens to
lie blowing; no frogs or tree-toadS, no
insects; and the silence was fairly
dcafening-and maddening.
Not wishing to strike a match to de-
jermine the exact end of my watch
period, stuck it out meaning to give
Daddy good measure. So | think 1t
must have been somewhere around ten
o'clock when the collie woke with
start, jumped up, took the kinks out Of
his back with a little whining yawn,
Lpd trotted 10 the dOor--thc one open
ing toward the cabin across the dump
head. Screwing an eye to one of Dad
dy's auger-bored loopholes, tried To
futhom the outer darkness, which was
only degree or so less Egyptian than
that of the shaft-hOuSe interior.
Though ! could see nothing suspi-
cious it was very evident that the dog
could hear something. He had his nose
to the crack under the door and was
growing. quietcd him and listened
Something was going on, either inside
of the cabin or back of 1t; in the dead
silence l could distinguish low muir
mur of voices and, moment later, a
sound like that which would he made
by the cautious opening Of one of the
sliding windows. While ! still had my
eye to the peep-hole a jet of flame
spurted from the dark bulk of the cab.
in and simultaneously a bullet tore
through the Shact house roof The
raiders had captured our OutwurkS.
The report and the bullet cIatter
upnnSnl "a 4
turned he was at my elbow.
Done cropc up ON us. have they,
SOM he said in his usual unruffled
manner. Then: Maybe this Is Just a
sort o. false notion over here. S'pose
you try and get a squint at things over
on the blacksmith-shop side, Stannie."
] stumbled across to the other door,
taking the collie with me- | could see
nothing IN that direction; less than
nothing, since the lean-to shop build
ing cut off what little light the stars
gave. But the black darkness didn't
hamper BarneyS ears or his nose, and
his eagelneSS to get back to the real
battle front was a good proof that
there was as yet nothing stirring OF
our side of things.
Gropi"G my way back to Daddy I
found that lie had one of the WinchcS-
terS and semed ta he trying to fit
ramrod'tO the barrel. When | finally
made ont what he was doing | found
that he had thrust piece of heavy
wire into the gun-harrel and was i'm
paling one of the dynamite cartridges
on its projecting end.
LIT, skyEocket," he chuckIed; then,
with quaint hwmor: "You stand by /,
with Il match, Stannie. and let's see !
goin' to happen. When | I
say the word, you stick your match to
the fuse"
Heavens maybe | didn't enjoy de-
lightful little spasm as | got Il flash !
light mental picture of that old man |
fumbling around with lighted cart .
ridge AT the mnzZle of his gun, trying ,
tn poke cartridge and - gm-barrCl |
hole in the door that couldn't |
possibly have been over two and a
half inches in diamctcr-und in the |
dark, at that! What if he shouldn't be
able to find the hole in time? Or if he
should succeed in finding it and the
rifle bullet should jam on the wire?
Or any one Of dozen ifs that might
fail To rid us of the deadly thing be-
fore it should go off and blow us to
come?
But there was no time to, haggIe
about it, and the whanG Of another
bullet on the iron roof
over our heads Speeded things up.
'DO your do" Daddy muttered; and
| struck Il match. sheltered the tiny
flame Amy followed hands until it
got going good. and then, with Il silent
prayer that Daddy might not miss the
hole stuck the blaze to the frayed end
Of the powder string.