Year: 1878

heard them piling brush in the rear
Of the cabin, where there was appar-
emily no window or loophole through
which he could fire. In the stiffness
of the autumn night he heard the
scratch Of match. There followed
a cracking sound az the flames spread
over the dry wood. Then there was
great roar, and the Ere leaped upto
the roof Of the cabin, while the air
within began to grow hot, and blind
ing smoke poured through the crew.
ces between the logs.


This was the work of six of the
vigilantes The other five had mean
while taken post behRd trees and
fences in the front, ready to fire at
Mr.. Gibbs when the house grew too
hot to hold him. There they waited,
each man with his rife levelled.


Mr. Gibbs all this time had not
been idle. Long before the fire had
spread over the bushes, he had torn
the plug from long disused loop
hole, cut for just such an emergency
as this into the rear wall. Telling
his terrified children to lie down on
the floor, and ordering his wife to
load his three rifles as fast as he fired,
Mr.. Gibbs began his desperate fight.
Through the loophole, himself unseen,
he could see the six vigilantes who
had fred the brush, watching their
work few yards distant The light
of the burning brush threw their fig
ures in relief against the darkness
that formed the background. They
saw nothing till the barrel of Mr.
Glbbs's rifle cleaned from the loop
hole. A light puff of wind drove the
smoke away, for an instant. A flash
followed from the cleaning barrel,
and bullet pierced the brain Of one
of the Booth brothers. There was
another Cash and the second Booth
fell mortally wounded. Snatching
the third rifle from the nlmble hands
of his wife, who had already reloaded
the first, Mr.. Gibbs again took aim.


The first shot had come upon the
vigilantes like lightning from clear
| sky. Seeing no window in the rear
( of the ranch, they had imagined
themselves perfectly safe. Panic
stricken, the four started to run. A
ball brought down a third victim:
When n4Aa<rs.zAslasasz>y5 SNarSS gov atO""o
the corner, they found they had been
exchanging the fEag gfanat on the cab
I ms side there was a window through
which Mr. Gibbs fired his fourth shot,
sending ball through the outstretch-
ed musket arm Of fourth man break
ing the bone.


Sol" said Mr. Gibbs, criticising
his failure to score a center, 81 must
keep COOL" Then he saw the five
who had been lying IN wait for him
start up from their hiding place. A
ball buried itself in the log against
which he was leaning as he spoke. 1t
was the first gun of the enemy.
Changing his aim, Mr.. Gibbs compos
edly stopped till the foremost of
these FIVE came within the light Of
the fire, now blazing high above the
cabins roof Then anoth her vigilante
fell dead. Before the shot could be
returned, Mr.. Gibbs placed rife
ball in the right shoulder OF q second
of the advancing tour.


The three that were left began to
waver A seventh shot for Mr..
Gibbs, Mrs. Gibbs having reloaded
the first rifle for the second time,
brought down its vigilante with ball
in the hip, and turning the wavering
advance into decided retreat. AS
| they ran, Mr.. Gibbs carried the war
into Africa. One against four, as not
counting the wounded, the odds still
exis' ed, he sailed forth from the
shelter Of his burning cabin, and fired
a rarting shot at the retreating foe.
For the first time he missed. The
ball glanced off the stock ofthe rifle
which the rearmost carried and did
no harm. Thus, leaving their dead
and " ounded behind them, tn enemy
vanished in the darkness.


But Mr.. Gibbs knew that their dis
Appearance was not tor long. BY the
time the cabin was burned, and he
was shelterIess he foresaw that every
RAJ Gilman within the radius of a mile
4 would be in the field against him,
each, of the four he had killed having
host OF friends. Not waiting to form
a definite plan, he hurried his wife
over to the neighboring ranch of his