Year: 1879




overlooking the cliff.


L merely shook my head, ant
turned to watch again, hoping to ge
q shot at the rascal On guard


Bose. LET: TO bis own devices, o
once went to work | heard him fus
sing around the bed for some time
but never looked what he was after
until be spoke


Now, den. for de rope" heard
him say, and in sn instant caught
his meaning.


He had stripped the bed of its GOV
ering, dragged off the heavy tick anG
the stout bempen rope with which
IL was corded"


In five minutes be had drawn the
rope through its many turnings, and
then gathering the coil in his hands,
be drew up the sash and prepared to
take soundings


IL failed to touch bottom but DO
wise disheartened, be seized the cot
ton coverlet and spliced on. This
succeeded, and the cord was drawn
up preparatory TO knotting it in place
of cross pieces.


In the meanwhile the silence with.
out had been broken once. A shriIl,
keen whistle, such as we had heard
before, was given by the man on the
watch, and replied to by some one
seemingly little way off Then
heard footsteps-soft, cat-like ones
on the verauda outside, showing that
the robbers were on the alert at all
Ipoints.


AT length Bose announced the lad
der ready 1t was again lowered
from the window, and the end was
teld and made fast to the bed we had
dragged over for the purpose.


Now, den. Mars Ralph, | go down
fust aud see if um strong enough to
bear Us"


And he was half way out of the
window before could speab


mo, Bose, you shall not,"I 1 an
swered firmly, drawing him back Into
the room. "You must"


The words were lost in the din OF
furious and totally unexpected at
tack upon the door


The dull, heavy strokes Of the ak
were intermingled with the sharp,
quick clatter of the halchet as they
cut away al the barrier, and once 10
a while could hear deep oaths, as
though they had been rendered boub-
ly savage by our resistance


Here, Bose, your pistol Quick !
| whispered, and the heavy charge
went crashing through, followed by
sbrieks and curses of pain and rage


"Now, then, out with you; | will
hold the place." said, rushing back
TO the window. Come, Bose, hurry,
or all will be lost"


The fellow now wished to insist
on my going FIRST; but be saw rhas.
time was wasting and glided dow a
the rope, gradually disappearing in
the heavy shadows.


The fall of one of their number had
caused only momentary lull, and 1
heard them renew the assault with
ten-fold fury.


l dared not FIRE again, for 1 felt
that every bullet would be Deeded
when affairs were more pressing


IL seemed an age before I felt the
signal from below that the rope was
ready for me but it came, and l let
myself down, Dausing an instant as
my eyes gained level with the sill,
to take last look into the room.


As did 80 the door gave way.
and the bloodthirsty demons poured
over the threshold


! knew that l bad no time for de-
liberste movement They would in
stantly discover the mode of escape,
and either cut the rope or else fire
down upon me.


l bad taken the precaution to draw
on my heavy riding gloves, and my
hands, thus protected, did not suffer
as much as might have been ex-
pected.


With my eyes fixed upon the win
dow, l slid rapidly down, and struck
the earth with a jar that wrenehed
every hone in my BODY.


Quick as lightning | was seized by
Bose, dragged some PAGES to one
side, and close against the face OF the
cliff.


Not second too soon, for down
came a volley, tearing up the earth
about the foot Of the rope, where,
moment before, | bad stood.


Thunder, they will escapel After
them, down the rope" yelled a voice
almost inarticulste with rage


And | saw dark form swing out
and begin the descent


Now, Mars Ralph" whispered
Bose. significantly, and with quick
aim / fred at the swaying figure.


Without sound the man released
bis hold, and came down like lump
Of lead, shot through the brain.


Another bad started in hot haste,
and was more than half way out of
the window, when suddenly the
scene above was brilliantly lit up by
the glare of a torch.


Again the warning voice of the
" atchful black called my attention to
The figure now struggling desperate
y to regain the room, and, as before,
[ threw up my pistol, and covering
the exposed side drew the sure trig-
ger.


With convulsive effort the wretch,
springing far out into the empty void,
turned over once, and came down
with q rushing sound upon the jagged
rocks that lay at the foot of the
precipice.


A single look TO see that the win
dow was clear-we knew there could
be no path leading down for a long
distance either way. or they would
never have attempted the rope, and
we plunged into the dense forest that
clothed the mountain side.


We got clear, it ia true bat with
the loss of our animals and baggage i
for the next day, when We returned.
with q party of regulators, We found
the place heap of smouldering ash
es, and no living soul to tell whittier
the robbers had fed.


Ho 70 rua.L tahin Liam nnaaf