Year: 1863

dener sitting the side Of his bed He wore red worsted
ght cap checked shirt, and flannel jacket his ron-gray
ace 1nged with grzzedbeard looked undsmaycd
as II ne had been his pulpit preaching table was by the
side OF his bed and Immediately front of him. on large deal


was an open Bible cpse to which observed to hor
lo neap OF gunpowder large enough to blow up castle
candle was burning the table the old fellow held steel in
one hand large flint in the other We all three complete
y paraysed The Wild iron faced determined look of the odd
Gardener the CANDLE hnt and STEEL and the great heap
powder absolutely froze ood and made of ALL
The gardener saw the impression he had made on u.s.


What do you want to rob and murder exclaimed he You
had better join with prayer miserable that you all
are Repent and you may be saved will
Ryder first recovered his speech


Please to hear me- Mr. Gardener feel that have
doing wrong and may depart will make reparaton and
give you all the money we have in our pockets


We laid our purses on the table before him.


The Lord has delivered you into hands revealed
to me in dream We shall all soon be in another world Pray
Let pray" And down he fell upon his knees close the
table with the candle burning and the ugly flint and steel
in his hand he prayed and prayed thought his prayer would
end AT last he appeared exhausted He stopped and
eyed the purses and then empd of them out on the table
He appeared surprised and thought graed at the agness
of its contents We thought had leave to retire. but to
dismay, the old Gardener said


Now we will praise God by singing the Hundrcdh Psalm


This was agony ALL After the PSALM the old took
up the second purse and while he examining its contents
Ryder who close behind Tom and myself whispered soft


have unastened the door, when you hear move make
rush.


The Old Gardener hen pouring out the contents of the second
purse, exclaimed


why there IS almost enough to build our house God Let
see what the third contains.


He took up the third purse.


Now! whispered Ryder, make a rush.


We did So the moment heard the old fellow ham
mer1ng away with his flint and steel We expected to be instant
y blown into fragments The front door flew open before us
the next step ourselves the garden The night
ptcy dark We rushed bny through the nursery ground
scrambled through brambs and prc shrubs heads
against trees then forced ourselves through thick set hedge AT
last with scratched faces torn hands and attered clothes
mbed bank into the high road This was but The work
of few minutes IF faces could have been 1T would
have been thought from horror stricken countenances that
instead having from prayer had been pursued by old
Nick himself


We fell upon bank by side of the road There we laid
without speaking word; one Of us groaned WITH the ia- a
nghtgang of miners who were returning from he WORK. car
rying as with them dark nights lanterns Their
hands, percevng three persons fall from the hedge on 70 e
hank and thinking that accident had happened to our


ance They raised their lighted lanterns to our bacened ana
scratched The sight presented was more han ucent
to ghen any person strong mind 1t was too much Tor the
moor supersous miners who Immediately scampered osome
towards the mine others towards the towns ast as eu ana
bcr eos would carry them Each Of left portion OF his
slim and clothes sticking on the and branches through
which we ha scrambled Our horses soon ound and we
gaopped to yders residence Lights were anu
at down We were black ragged and dirty we looked at each
other and in spite of our miserable adventure roared with
laughter . IN n4 f tl,s odvont,,re e blown
and we are found out Cornwall will be too hot for US Tor the next
seven years made pretty sight OF It, Here we are
as black three Intervals we have lost our money oe s
to pretend pray for two long hours before great hep o gun
nowder with lighted candle splitting and hzzng close 70 e
powder while that wdookng ugly redcpped orute


with his horrible flint and Steel threatened US all Win an ne
ate MASSAGE into eternity Oh how wish some tiger or bear
bd taken fancy to him when he lay wounded the field OF
battle but nothing in nature could stomach such an sy
ster even shark would been disgused with such meal
And our money orsooh must go build Methodist meeting
houses Bah truly horrible The fellow has played the
old soldier with vengeance, anu we ou o0 INV
stock of the whole country ~
We washed ourselves sat down to good supper Good
cheer and good wine gave better sgnt thh we oouu
ably have expected Young spirits soon recover ther ea


The affair however was ended Reports were spread that
three men, disguised black demons, with hoIns ana t ha


entered the cottage of the Od Gardener who had not only terri
fed them had frightened them out OF goou sum u
which he intended to devote the building OF new Metnoost
meeting house 1t was given out tnae on e onome
the odd Gardener intended preach sermon ana
solicit subscriptions for meeting house. when ne Wouu Iee
he Yemarkabe manner which he had been provdenta as
sisted with funds for the building. Cur mortncatoh was coh


t Tom whose hatred Of Methodsm most intense sore
he would blow up the meeting as soon as y wa"
curiosity however excited, ana we ali 1hies
boar orr adventure of the night related by the va uueeE
n coud contrye to be present without beng susPecCcu


Sunday evening arrived The meeting was cln y
sufocation and with the dim llghts ourlhs m - Wy @ ht b
no difficulty in concealing ourselves Inc Seloh was
% statement Of orr adventure related most minutey and CIR
ustantay in the old mans quaint homeiy ana humorous
phraseology This evening ne seemed n @ owed with degh
J satisfaction 4 never said he saw black faces pray With
Greater apparent devotion have some douot ne W
;f their Draver were quite heavenWard Ihey some


tnrned their faces towards the door, but lifting OF the n
and steel kept them quiet ~ hl - =. -


e then added with knowing shake OF e heaa aa a eA


Iorh nt they had smet powder IKE the eld soioe
- car,o 70 rob No no. it large heapaye, argt
ongh to frchen brave old General Chve hfnseh lhe ca
was lighted thehintand ready LOU may bt b


100 bean of apparent gunpowder was-lt was my stock
nv, whole years stock of leek-seed. -


conoreration somewhat irreverenty aughed ever
, A ,ast bouted: many clapped then hands was iod


stunefed at the announcement oue at hse coula
sunnress nv laughter .,:.. - lof 4bs srooat
W. Subscribed to tie fund.- to avoid suspcon ana elt tne meet


@ b sermon we Joined each other but could not speak
we could barely chuckle Leekseed ana 'h0h 81
ter. -, 4horrb not exactly to our taste. It has