Year: 1877

bung-hole, the plug having been Gislodged IN
the upsetting of the cask, saw the furious
return of the three renegades.


There was good deal of loud talking, and
explanations, and oaths, and stirring up of
hot nectar, and rough remarks about the cis-
tern in the corner; but Dick and the woman
both seemed sore about that matter, and the
man peremptorily refused to join the hunt
because of the coffin. ....


swell, you're going our way piece" said
Wolf; "likely enough you'll have the fun of
seeing US wing the turkey"


The conversation, distressingly personal,
was made acutely so by Dick asking


"Is there water enough out there, Jen, to
drink my horse?' 49,. .,sr:..lr.


"I'll see" she returned, moving slowly over
the door-sill, and then leaping to the cask
she lifted out the tub and tipped my prison
over little 80 that I could spring out. l
was behind the cask when Dick came to the
door, and chirruped his beast up to the tub
to drink.


"I'll go with you as far as the forks" he
said, as two of them came out with the coffin
and slid it into the body of the wagon. They
then stepped back, probably to call the others.


At that moment, wild and desperate plan
entered my brain, but feeling for my knife |
found that it was missing, along with the belt
to which it was attached. In the sudden
jostle which the falling steed had given me,
the girdle had been snapped and lost without
my knowledge: The horses of the three rem.
egades-my own, which had been retained
by the hostler of the inn, among them-were
hitched on the farther side of the door, where
the moonlight, striking by the end Of the
cabin, rested fully upon them. 1t was sui
eide to attempt seizing one of them but as
the woman, with some purpose in her mind,
sang out to the men to come back and get the
last dpper full Of liquor which she had mix.
ed, I seized the only alternative sprang
lightly into the wagon, lifted the coffin lid,
and again crawled into the long, narrow
prison. -
: There was no choice. The flood of moon.
light had swept 80 far toward my hiding.
place, that only part of my body was con-
cealed by the barrel, and / knew that dis
covery was inevitable, for the mans horse
stood in such position that in order to re-
cover the reins, he must have trodden upon
me and there was no earthly thing, as far as
the eye could reach over the plain, behind
which man could hide. All, but what if
he should re-adjust his freight? Can you
think how my heart jumped away at the
thought You wonder what my plan could
bep | had none, other than the hope of hav-
ing only one man to deal with, if he went on
the way he calculated. The three rutfians
were mounted and all were about to start,
when the woman ran out with some sort of a
blanket and muttered something about COW
ering the coffin. The man yelled out to her
to mind her business and let the thing alone.
She retreated with the cloth, but she had ac-
complished her purpose. In its folds she had
concealed bowie knife under its cover she
had raised the lid and dropped the weapon
inside, riskiDg giving me cut as it fell upon
me but in the momentary noise and confu-
sion had got the weapon in my hand, and
with its point raised the heavy lid of the
rough box the fraction of an inch, so that
breathing was easy, if my position was
cramped.


The three horsemen spread out, remarking
to each other: BEAT up the game now speed
lily before, by any miracle, he gets into the
wooded belt by Butord's Springs" They
continued to hulloo at each other for some
time; their liberal potations surmounting
their discretion.


"Dick," they called back, as they were
driving off, "a cool twelve hundred apiece; !;
throw out your old shell and join the hunt" ;"


The driver mumbled something, but the
whisky had thickened his speech so that it
was unintelIigible to me. Ifhe did attempt to
move the coffin, I was lost They kept with
in hailing distance for the length of some
three or more miles, Dick rushed the heavy
wagon along at a stunning gait; and | expect
ed every moment that my shell would be
jostled out. By and by, there was shout
off to the right; tally no" as if the hunts
men had sighted the quarry. Nothing but an
unwarrantable amount of liquor could have
influenced them to conduct themselves as they
did, for no sooner had they called out from
the right, than Dick came to sudden halt,
leaped from the seat, and ran off toward those
who we're hallooing.


For an instant my heart stopped beating at
the thought of the hazard which was about
to run. The next moment l sprang from the
coffin to the ground. A few lightning'like
strokes, and had severed the traces, and the
hold-backs of the harness.


The whole scene is vividly pictured in my
mind. The moon.lighted prairie, the little
ravine toward which the renegades were dash
ing, the wagon standing in the trail-then the
rafting of the falling thills reached the ears
of the party, and, with wild shout, they
turned toward me. was on the horses back,
but boldly defined by the moonlight There
was the sharp report Of two rifles. | felt a
sting in my foot another in my shoulder, but
the horse was unharmed and the race for life
began. There was dsheartening disadvap
tage for me, for had no saddle, but was RI
ding for my life, and held my steed between
my knees, and took the broad trail with the
fury of tornado. But the issue would rest
mostly with the horses. l knew nothing Of
the one which rode knew ling of those
that were pursuing me, excepting my own
white faced mare. She could run like an an.
telope, and out-wind hurricane On and on
andon my steed, desperately spurred with the
point of my knife, bore ahead, actually oaus
ing me to gasp for breath and not two hun.
dred yards in the rear rode my would.be MUIR
derers.


On the rolling prairie now, and my animal
took the declivities with plunge, and the ele'
vations with sure, fierce strde-across the
brawling ford-but crack came another rifle
echo, and again a stream of fire seemed to
strike my shoulder. They were closing in
closing up. / could now make out only two
horsemen following. One of these had dis
charged his rifle at me, the other knew was
held in rest for them to come just few yards
nearer.


A momentery dizziness Topped me over
upon my horses neck The ruffians yelled