Year: 1879

eho i"tpci' hHJW"yf uVS"SN ." ""h
TO be prepared for all contingencies, bar
ring and bolti6g my fort against intru-
ders and sitting up late over the fire. This
WAS Sunday night. On the next Tues
day morning three or four men rode up,
one of whom was the traitor, my former
hungry and naked protege. lie no
longer attempted TO conceal his true
character from me, hut said he and his
comrades we've determined TO clean out
the Chinese camp, and he asked me to
join them In the raid. ] was ON my
guard In answering him, simply saying
would have nothing TO do with rob-
bling the Chinese-that they were my
friends and customers, and i thought
they had best be let alone. With that
he went Off. That same afternoon Ed
wards came In, having re-captured some
Of the horses. He was very tired, and
asked leave to stay with the horses at
my place Till next day. l said nothing
to Edwards of the gang just gone away
or that las / suspected) they had talked
of making raid on the Chinese only TO
throw me Off my guard for twas my
fort on which the attack was undoubt-
edly to be made.


Dusk came on. / sent Edwards,
dead tired, to bed, made great fire In
the tent, and sat by 1t, facing the win
dow. My expected visitor came, the
villain He made believe TO have been
drinking, and put that forward as plea
for asking shelter until the morning.
The instant he was inside / made the
gate fast, driving the big wooden pin
home with an axe. 1 caught gleam
from his eyes as i was doing this
which,"


" But why not have made the gate fast
before he entered Y'' 1 asked


" Because he was safer inside than
| out. A conviction had come over me
that this man was some most desperate
character. His comrades were no doubt
waiting near, and his plan had been qui-
city to open the gate to them"


+" Had you no arms but your rifle ?'


/ wanted none, for we understood
each other, my rifle and I. This villain
understood us too. 1 don't think, either
that he liked to see Edwards sleeping in
the tent. The lad was not good for
much, but still, he was somebody. 1t
would now be contest of skill between
the fellow and me. He was waiting his
opportunity, and so was /. He sat on
one side the hearth, on the other side,
our eyes fixed on one another.


"You guess, dare say, that / have
quick ear, for you know what my tenn
perament is--all sensitive consciousness.
My good hearing had been cultivated,
too, by listening for the Indians. BY
and by detected a very stealthy move
ment outside the fort, and then faint
chirrup, such as a young squirrel might
make. Up sprang the man, but COW
cred him with my rife, cooked. He saw
the movement, showed his teeth and
drew out pistol, but not before / had
ordered him to throw down his arms or
die. He hesitated: he saw that In my
eye and aspect which made him quail -
While held the rifle levelled and my
finger on the trigger he threw down his
arms-pistol and knife-with a dreadful
oath. / had the best of him, and he
knew it, for before he could have put
his pistol into form OF rushed on me
with his knife the ball from my rifle
would have been In him. His language
was awful-and we are not nice In that
respect, you know, in California = the
foam lay upon his lips. He demanded
to be let out Of the house, denouncing
me as a robber and a murderer. To all
his rawlings had but one answer-to be
quiet and obey me and he should live /;
dare to disobey me and he should de-
He sat there, cowed, on the opposite side
of the fire, not daring to make even a
doubtful motion. Then told him what
1 knew-that had heard what he was
and what he meant to- do. With that he
broke down utterly, or pretended to do
so-cried like child declaring that now
he knew my pluck, and / had been the
first man ever to get the better OF him,
he loved me like a brother. All the
same, love or no love, he had to sit
where he was, and l in front of him
with my rifle on my knees. There was
long night before us /: he could have NO
liberty in it, and the restraint was ter
rible to him. One moment he laughed
uneasily, the next cursed, the next cried
1t was strange experience, was it not /.
m