Year: 1868

)RKV,ILLE, S. O
the candle, had made his way to the farther ent
of the loft.


The voice of Walsh was family heard in th'
chamber, shouting back in reply, that he had dis
i covered a musket and cartridge box. s


ssBring them on" cried the excited Captain
we have no time to lose. We will fire this curset
establishment and return into camp before we fal
Into an ambuscade. I think we have given ths
house thorough search. They cannot be herr
now, and will see to it rebels shall never harbol
here again. Hurry out, Nike, oryo viii be singed
like rat in his hole z'..
| At this moment, there was an alarm given, and
soldier of the troop rushing into the chamber,
brought word that by the fash of q falling meteor
armed men were seen moving towards the house


ITO horse, men, and ride for your lives shout
ed the excited and panic-stncken Captain. ''The
rebels are upon US, mount and ride for your lives.


In an instant, the chamber was cleared, and the
clatter of boots and the jangle Of spurs rng upon
the staircase, as the troopers rushed down to put
themselves in position to meet the enemy or to
escape. Walsh, hearing the hurrying to and fro,
soon made his appearance, emerging into the
chamber-now deserted by all, save the wounded
man and the two girls who watched by his side. :


"See, .herel" said he. advancing near The bed,
and thrusting the butt of the muskethe had found,
before the astonished eyes Of the wounded man
s'Look at them two letters, ". G.. cut into the
stock You may feather Captain Trains eye, but
lro,r q, ,oIl =. 20 bod laid oxoo IN hin, thof
Victor Garnet was in that loft when we came up.
Blood I must have, and blood I viii have. Fyou
do not tell me where you have hidden him, you
shall die where you lie, and I shall nuke your
daughters beggars--and worse than beggars-be-
fore morning."


"And if tell you-what then2" demanded the
wounded man, fixing his eye sternly upon the half
savage before him.


''His blood will satisfy all Speak quick, for
your life depends upon it. I have sworn to slay
him and all who stand between him and my ven
geance You need not ask why hate him, and
why / have sworn to bury my knife in his heart
1t is enough, I swear you shall die unless you give
him up"


Colonel Danyers lay silent and meditating. The
rufian before him fancied he was intimidated and
on the point of yielding to the influence of his
threat; but his senses were busted with the move
ments that were going on below. BE lay like one
perplexed and hestating, until he heard the troop
mount and the command given to march, and as
the tramp of the horses announced that The troop
had taken up the line of march, his eye lighted up
and he faced the rufian with an air Of command.


"Down scoundrel and renegade! and beg for
mercy, or I shoot you where you standP' shouted
he, drawing from under his pillow and presenting
a repeater.


Walsh covered for moment, before the calm
and determined eye that met his own. His knife
was half drawn from its sheath, and he crouched
back like tiger suddenly afrighted, while about
to make his leap His eye fell, yet it glared with
the fury of discomftted fend. His left hand
still held the muzzle of the .nusket, the butt Of
which rested upon the floor He dared not make
the attempt to raise it or to shift his hand to his
own pistol, in the belt by his side whilst the re-
peater of the invalid met his eye. The determined
eye and the tone of command of his antagonist,
helpless as he was from his wound, had moral
power that more than compensated for his physic-
al heplessness and disadvantages. Nellie shrek
ed aloud, and her companion, who was at the right
hand of Colonel Danvers, and within a sabre S
length of Walsh, rose as if in alright, and stood
with one hand, resting on the the chair behind, as
if for support.


'There are but two frightened girls and wound
ed man." was the reflection that passed through
the mind of Walsh. 'They are weak and help
less. Only disabled man is in my way. Let me
but overpower or disarm him, az: all is safe"


With all his ferocity and i'll blord, Walsh was a
willy and wary antagonist. Suddenly STOPPING, to
avoid the pistol shot of his antagonist, and dart
ing forward, he thought to cast himself upon the
wounded man who wsuld then lie at his mercy, but
as he made his spring, the female who stood at the
right of the sufferer, made half step backward,
and the hand that seemed resting 30 lightly for
support on the chair, lifted it like toy and crush
ed Walsh to the floor, with blow that fell like a
thunderbolt. His knife flew from his hand, and
his musket fell to the floor. Before he could re-
cover from the stunning effect of the blow, the
knife and musket were placed out of his reach and
the strong hand that had stricken him down, re-
moving the repeater from his belt, stood threaten
ingly over him, one footupon his breast forbidding
him to rise. The veil, which partially shaded the
face of Walsh's feminine antagonist in the strug-
gle, had fallen to the floor. Walsh writhed under
the foot that was pressed down upon him, and
throwing his head back, he gazed up in surprise,
not unmingled with terror, into the face of his an
tagonist As he gazed he seemed to shrink up
before the stern eye that gazed upon him. Des-
pte all Disguise he recognized, in his captor, the
youth for whose blood he was thirstiug and whom
he had vowed to slay, and it added bitterness to
his fear of death, to know it was Victor's hand
that held the pistol threateningly pointed at his
form, and Victor's foot that spurned his breast


'Be quiet p said Victor, in low voice; There
is not hairs breadth between you and death !"


CHAPTER VIII.


While Victor was in his hiding place. standing
at the knot hole that looked into the chamber Of
Colonel Danvers, he was an attentive observer Of
all that occurred before him. No sooner had he
learned it was the intention Of the enemy to fire
the building, than he felt the necessity of extrica-
ting himself from his dilemma without delay.
Silently leaving his post Of observation he made
his way to the other end of the huge loft with the