Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1924-04-26
had awakened him. sus be though. II


a heavy shower, but the rain had
ceased now, and it seemed not far
from the dawn. The stars were brill
liant In a cloudless sky.
Far away Winton heard an indie
Unable murmuring sound as Of num-
Der Of voices. 1t dwinded and grew
/ again, and suddenly swelled into =
tumult. which seemed to spread along
the ridge of the fields. There was no
mistakiHg its portent. Somewhere a
riot had broken out
And suddenly the night was clOven
| by column of fire that shot upward,
Illuminating a smoky cloud that
drifted slowly across the stars.
Winton thrust on his clothes hur-
riedly and ran out of the room toward
Burnss cottage. He knocked hard on
the door
"Sheilar he called. "Sheilag"
He heard her answer. She came to
the other side Of the door, and he
begged her to dress hastily and come
out TO him. He waited through ago
nizing moments. The tumult was grow
ing. 1t was sprel ding from compound
to compound
Then there arose within his own
compound a terrific babel, so sudden
ly and Unexpectedly that it seemed as
If by preconcerted agreement. And
all at once the enclosure was filled
with a mob of yelling savages. Before
them man, dressed in European
clothes, went flying for his life
"Sheila =" called Winton desperately.
| She opened the door and stood be-
fore him dressed, with her unbound
hair hanging down her back There
YVES no need to explain anything She
ran to him and chung to him.
Winton hurried her toward the cot
tage 1t did not seem much of
refuge, but at least he had his re-
volver there, and on both sides of him
the sayages were approaching, with
the evident intention of attacking the
building
They were seen. The yells were re-
doubled. A spear whlzzing through
the air buried itself in the ground at
Winton's feet just as he reached his
door.
He pushed Sheila inside, ran to his
table, and grabbed his revolver, load
Ing it hurriedly and thrusting two or
three handfuls of cartridges into his
pocket. Then he ran back to receive
| the fugitive, of whose presence he had
been subconsciously aware although
his mind had been filed with Sheila.
He recognized Sam and greeted him.
Sam sank down on the floor, painting
and sweating. His foremost pursuer
was not twenty feet distant Winton
aimed methodically and fired.
The man flung up his arms and fell
with a scream. The mob behind which
had been streaming on in a disorder.
~ mass, stopped short Winton fired
again and another native dropped.
The sayages. disconnected, bolted, re-
formed, and began to spread out about
the cottage. A few had spears, but
| there were, of course, no firearms
among them, and the majority were
armed with nothing more formidable
than knobkerries, the native shillalah.
Sam in turn dragged Winton inside
and bolted the door. They faced each
! other.
"What is IT, Sam7"
ITS a rebellion" gasped the negro.
They've broken out all along the
! fields. l heard the uproar and went
into the compound l thought our boys
would cooperate. after our social"
"Never mind that, Sam. Yours was
a brsve act"
mo, sir" gasped Sam. az was sure
moral suasion-appeal to human broth
| erhood-no primitive instincts in our
men-was mistaken"
Yes, your theory didn't work. Now
We've got to save Miss Seaton-Mlss
Davis here"
They've killed Josephs, sir"
WHAT" cried Winton in horror
Sam began to shake. "They stuck
a spear right through his body, sir.
He had gone in alone, They nearly
got me. We're all as good as dead"
Nonsense answered Winton. try
to convince himself that the outbreak
was one Of those sporadic riots that
occurred periodically in the COM
pounds, and had no connection with
the threatened rising Of the tribes. He
looked at Sheiia, who smiled bravely
and laid her hands on his arms and
/ looked UP at him.
I'm not afraid. Winton," she said.
Wen have help soon-we must
said Winton with conviction.
But the yelis increased again, and
there came another rush for the door.
Winton opened it suddenly and dis
/ charged his revolver. Screams fol-
lowed and a panicky retreat. He bolt
ed it again and recharged the weapon
tTO BE Continued