The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-02-18

AHNANAG W HILL ne GOulU ltA
endure ii. Worst of all, he was In a
way where there is no turning. He
must go on. He had begun to know
that he was suspected. The conduct
OF the scout, Solomon Binkus, had
suggested that he knew what was
passing. Arnold had seen the aides Of
washington as they came In. The
chief could not be far behind them. He
dreaded to stand before him. Com
pared to the torture now beginning for
this man, the fate Of Bill Scott On
Rock creek in the wilderness, had
been q mercy.
Soon after sunrise came a solitary
horSeman, wearied by long travel, with
a message from Colonel jameson to
Arnold. A man had been captured
near TarrytOwn with important dOcu-
ments on his person. He had con-
fessed that he was Adjutant General
Andre of Sir Henry ClintOn's army.
The worst had come to pass. Now
treason! disgraceI the gihbet!
Arnold was sitting at breakfast. he
arose, put the message in his pocket
and went out of the room. The Vul-
ture lay down the river awaiting or
ders. The traitor walked hurriedly
to the boat landing. Solomon was
there. It had been his custom when
IN camp to go down to the landing
every morning with his spy glass and
survey the river. Only one bOatman
was at the dock.
Colonel Binkus, will you helr this
man to take me down to the British
shipT" Arnold asked. II have an en-
gngement with its commander and am
half an hour late"
Solomon had had much curiosity
about that ship. He wished to see the
man who had gone into the bush and
then to Smiths with Arnold.
"Sart'n," Solomon answered.
They got into a small barge with
the general in the cushioned real seat,
his flag in hand.
They came up to the Vulture and
made fast at its landing stage where
an officer waited to receive the gen
eral. The latter assembled to the deck.
In a moment a voice called from
above:
General Arnold's boatmen may
come aboard"
A British warship was a thing OF
great interest to Solomon. Once
aboard he began to look about him at
the shining guns and their gear and
the tackle and the men. He looked for
Arnold, but he was not in sight.
Among the crew, then busy on the
deck, Solomon saw the Tory desper
ado "SlOps,' one time Of the Ohio
river country, with his black pipe in
his mouth. Stops. paused In his haul
ing and reeying to shake a fist al
Solomon. They were heavng the an
cl;Or. The sails were running up. The
ship had begun TO move. What wal
the meaning Of this? Solomon stepped
70 the ships side. The stair had beer
kove up and made fast. The barge was
not 20 be seen.
"They will put you all ashore be
i9w," an officer said to him.
SolOmUn knew too much about Ar
mold to like the look Of this. Tht
officer went forward. Solomon steppe,
70 the opening in the deck rail, no
ret closed, through which he had conn
aboard. While he was looking dow
at the water, some ten feet below,
group Of sailors came to fill in. Hi
arm was roughly seized. Solomon
stepped back. Before him stood tn
man Stops. An insulting word frOr
the latter, a quick blow from Solomon
and Stops went through the gate on
into the air and downward. The scOU
knew it was no time to tarry.
"a night hawk couldn't dive n
quicker ner what l DONE" were hi
words to the men who picked him VI
He vas speaking of that half secOn
of the tweHty-fOurth of Septembe
1880. His brief account Of it was car,
fully put down by an officer: Il struC
not twenty feet from Stops, which
: seer him jes' comm up when l too
water. This ere Of slOop that ha
: Overhauled us gOin' down were mig
= Hadn't no mGre'n come up than / fe
Stops knife rip into my leg. / new
: had no practice in that ere knife wOr
"Tain't fer decent folks, but my {
Dan Skinner is allus on my belt. He
4 chose the weapons an so | fetched ,,
out. Had to er die. We fit a mimi
; thar in the water. All the while !
had that d-n black pipe in his mout
l We're hacked up a leetle, hut he e
z a big leak in him an all of a sudde
L he wasn't thar. He'd gOn I,stru,
out with OF Dan skinner 'twIxt II
e teeth. Then / see your line M
grabbed it. Whar's the British sh.
nOWf"
Z Way below Stony pint an a IA
d wind in her sails the skipper n
d swered.
e Bound fer New York" said Sol
mon sOrrOwfuIly. They'd a took n
with 'em If I hadn't "a jumped. p
e me over to Jasper's dock. / got to S,
J. Washington quick"