Year: 1877

feetY And, If so what would he do ?
For the first time since my absence from
the settlement 1 began to feel nervous,
and thought 1t would only be safe to take
out my pistols and have them ready.
felt in my right hand over-coat pocket,
and found nothing; felt in the left
one and found nothing. They had both
been removed, and at Selkirl1's. / was
certain l had them when / returned
there at night.


A horrible suspicion of intended mur-
der and robbery flashed upon me; and
here 1 was stripped of my weapons and
defenceless. The horse was now within
four rods of the motionless figure in the
road, and bearing down rapidly upon
him, shouted to Chevalier, and lashed
him with the end of the reins. He
bounded like bolt up to the man-stop-
ped in his fright, swerved, and was in
stantly seized by the bit, and his head
brought down by the powerful ruffian.
Before had time to think, there was
shout, which distinctly heard your
money, quick ~ and then came two
pistol shots in rapid succession that L
could not have counted two between
them. One ball passed through my hat,
as afterward discovered, within an inch
of my head the other went between
my right arm and my body, cutting the
skin in its passage. Almost at the in
slant Mack gave ferocions growl and
dove under the seat upon which was
sitting. l heard him swapping and growl-
ing, and heard human voice, half suf-
focatad trying to say; "Oh, God! Oh,
God!' and then L thoroughly realized
the situation. The man who had stop
ped me was struggling with Chevalier,
desperately striving to keep his head
down, when happy thought came to
my deliverance, and IquiclSly jerlled the
lines, one after the other. Quick as
thought the noble brute broke from the
ruflian's grasp, and reared straight up
in the air above his head, coming down
again instantly. / saw that the man
waslying motionless beneath Chevalier's
ACCAos Nsh'9 ob ~ NOlu luC, Lut dIll-
NAL flew onward, while lashed him
into greater speed. The growls of Mack
underneath me had ceased, as well as the
cries of the miserable being who was
suffering in his jaws; and in few mo-
ments the glorious dog came out again
and put his bloody paws on my knees,
while he whined at if requesting some
recognition for what he had done. was
terribly excited-I could not help it; ; the
awful trial l had just passed through
was enough to work upon stronger
nerves than mine; but II put my arm
around the noble fellows neck and hug
ged him as if he had been woman. The
last half of the way was passed rather
quicker than the first, and the gallant
Chevalier was covered with sweat when
he stopped at the door of my employers
house. lt


l tumbled in upon my wife and her
parents sitting round the fire, and was
just about speechless from cold and the
reaction of my excitement. L found
voice after while to say that 1 wasn't
hurt at all, and to ask my father-in-law
to look under the seat of the sleigh
What he found there all of you know
by this time. The man was stone dead,
Mack's teeth having torn and mangled
his neck frightfully. Selkirk came to
the settlement the next day, and with
his help the web of villainy was COM
pletely unraveled. Both men had been
to his house the afternoon previous to
my return, but had left an hour before L
came. Both might easily know that I
had large sum of money with me, for
no secret had been made of my business,
and it had been talked over in their
hearing After talking with Mr.. Sell
kirk, remembered for the first time
that 1 had left my overcoat in the sleigh
after coming back to the house that
afternoon. Here, then, was the oppor-
tunity which the intended robbers and
murderers embraced to steal my pistols,
and for one of them to secrete himself
under the sleigh-seat In the woods,
near the scene of the encounter, Mr..
Selkirk found one of their horses, sad
died and bridled and hitched to tree;
and he had no doubt that it had been
ridden there that evening by the man
whom Chevalier killed.


Ca If we except the blessings Of
strength, health, and the testimony of u