Year: 1866

peared IN company with the robber, bu


soon recovered themselves, looked at eac


other and grinned broadly Again gaze
4 at the robber, and found the same talkin,
:. expression ir his eyes 1t now struck m
A for the first time that | was in a robber'
. den


v AS this conviction came upon me- | fel
/ for a moment like retreating to the door
> mounting my horse and making the best o


my way from the Place. But this action
:, felt, on reflection, would tend to precitatt
matters for felt if the robbers knew my
! suspicious, they would not allow me tC


leave the place alive. So putting as good


a face upon the affair as could, l pulled
I up chair to the fire, and ordering supper
for both myself and prisoner, proceeded to


dry my saturated garments by the cheerful


llaze.


In a few minutes it was ready--a coarse


and homel y meal, yet tempting to a hun


cry man Having disposed of the edibles,


l demanded to be shown to room. The


landlord led the way, and leaving the pris-


oner in charge of the men below | quickly
followed. | now felt firmly convinced that


by a strange accident, he was in the hands
of his comrades, and would soon be at lib
erty and ready to take summary ven
geance on me for the treatment he had re-
ceived


The rascally looking landlord, having
pointed to my rOom lit a bit of candle, and
proceeded back to the tap-room.


entered the chamber, and after closing
the door and carefully locking it set down
my candle upon wretched table standing
in one corner of the ROOM


The room was yarv moor The walls
were bare, also the floor An old rickety
bedstead occupied one corner of the cham
Der, on which was fiat, hard looking bed,
with very dirty counterpane A cracked
glass hung above the table, and that with
the articles above mentioned was all that
! the room contained.


looked around the apartment in vain for
chair Not finding one, | sat down upon
my bedside to mediate upon my position.
! My first action was to examine my weapons,
consisting of revolver, bowie knife and
small pistol-highly valued as present
which was very useful and was never
known to miss fire These | found to be
all right and then returned them to my
pockets.


| was about to throw myself upon the
bed, as | had no intention of undressing,





flash Of a lamp before my window. | look
ed out and beheld two men entering the
stable and in moment more they appear
ed leading my faithful animal. One of the
parties holding the horse was the robber
whom | had just captured


My suspicious were thus practically dem
Onstrated.


The time for action had now come. What
course chould | pursue? In moment my
mind was made up. | could not get to my
horse without detection md could not leave
my room except by dropping from the win
dow, or passing from it into the tap room
belowdoth Of which places of egress
would render my detection certain. de-
termined therefore, to remain, and holding, |
as ! did, the lives of seven men in my hands, |
made up my mind to sell my own as dearly |
as could. The first thing | did was to |
barricade the door For this purpose used |
the bed, which was easily and silently |
wheeled from its corner Having fixed it |
as firmly in that position as | could Sc
cured the windows and then cast myself |
down upon my hard couch to wait the issue
of events.


The night crept rapidly on Soon the
full round face of the moon come up grad |
ualy in the sky, peeped in at the window,
and cast its broad white reflection upon the |
foor the walls and everything around. 1t
was propitious sign, for my candle was
hickering in the socket. and as the moon
light appeared it fell sputtering from its
place. My room was light as day, and |
thanked God that if | must fight to defend |
myself, | could at least see the persons |
whom had to contend with


One, two and three hours passed away,
and no noise broke the heavy, burdensome |
stiffness of that night of terror | lay rest
less and weary upon the bed, felt that it .
was verging into midnight, and knew if |
was attacked at all it would be at that |
time.


| was about to rise from my bed and walk |
about the floor, when, l heard the stairs
creaking beneath heavy steps then came
pause then suppressed whispering; then
the walking was resumed. In a few min
utes it had reached the door-a hand was
laid gently on the latch-it was turned-a
pressure was made against tit resisted
the hand was taken away and the whis- 7
pering resumed. After a short time heard
another notes.-the inserting of key in the
lock but it was opposed by the kew inside.
IHCy Pulltu IL OuI anu tGu SOu1elHlDg
else. In an instant the lock flew back with
a loud noise, and the door was pushed in.
1t opened about quartz of an inch, and
then struck the bed it was pressed again
the bed still resisted. Disguise was use
less. With loud curses the robbers threw
themselves against the door and forced it
open several inches.


Now or never was the time for action |
sprang on my knees to the side of the bed
next the door and presented my revolver to
the opening and cried


Bulge another inch this way and you
die '


spoke in cool determined tone and
the robbers knew that death was in it, for
they retreated from the door and paused
little way off in whispered conversation.
They seemed at last to arrive at some con-
clusion, for heard one of them run rapidly
down the stairs In little while he re-
turned, and | wondered what they were
about to do.


In moment received a most practical |
answer, for, with one swift and furious blow
with an axe, or other hammer-like instru-
ment, the door was battered in, the splin-
ters flying in all directions.