Year: 1875

oeu5 " uTlbk NY morse.


III 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 a lit,
tie 50 that could spring out |
was behind the cask Bhen Dick came
to the door, and chirruped his
breast up to the tub to drink.


"l'll go with you as far as the
forks" 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 a wild and despe-
rate plan entered my brain, but feel
ing for my knife | found that it was
missing, along with the belt to which
1t was attuched. In the sudden jostle
which the falling steed had given me
the glrdle had been snapped and lost
without my knowledge. The horses
OF the three renegades-my own,
which had been retained by the
hOstler at the inn, among them
were hitched on the farther side of
the door where the moonlight, strik-
ing by the end OF the cabin, rested
fully upon them. 1t was suicide 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 dipper full of
liquor which she had mixed. | seized
the only alternative. | sprang light
ly into the wagon, lifted the coffin
lid, and again crawled into the long
narrow prison.


There was no choice. The food
of moonlight had swept so far
towards my hiding place that only
a part OF my body was concealed by
the barrel, and knew that discove-
ry was inevitable, for the mans
horse stood in such a position that
IN order to recover the reins be must
have trodden upon me; and there
was no earthly thing as far as the
eye could reach over the plain, behind
which a man could hide. Alb. but
what if be should readjust bis freight?
Can you think how my heart pumped
away at the thought. You wonder
what my plan could be? | had none,
other than the hope of having only
one man to deal with, if he went on
his way as be calculated. The
three rnftians were mounted and all
were about TO start, when the woman
ran out with some sort of blanket
and muttered something about COW
ering the coffin. The men yelled out
to her to mind her business and let
the thing alone.


She retreated with the cloth, but
she had accomplished her purpose.
In its folds she had concealed a
bowie knife; under It's cover she bad
raised the lid and dropped the weap-
on inside, risking giving me a cut as
1t fell upon me; but in the momenta-
ry noise and confusion | 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 nv posi-
ton was eramped.


The three horsemen spread out,
remarking to each other: "Beat up
the game now speedily before, by
any miracle, he gets into the wooded
belt by Buford's Springs"


They continued to hallUo at each
other for some time; their liberal
potations surmounting their discre-
tion.


"Diek," " they called back as they
w,re driving of, "a cool twelve hun
dred piece: throw out your old
shell and join the hunt"


The driver mumbled something,
but the whisky had thickened his
speech 80 that it was unintelligible
To me.


If he did attempt to move the cof-
fin, | was lost.


They kept within bailing distance
for the length of three or more miles,
Dick smashing the heavy wagon
along at stunning gait; and ! ex-
pected every moment that my shell
would be jestled opt


By and BY there was shout of
70 the right; tally ho," as if the
huntsmen had sighted the quarry.
Nothing but an nRwarrantable guam
tity 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 a
sudden halt, leaped from the seat,
and ran off towards those who we're
hallOoing.


For one instant my heart stopped
beating at the thought of the hazard
| was about to run. The next mo-
ment | sprang,irom the coffin TO the
ground. A few lig htning-like strokes,
and / had severed the traces and the





hold backs of the harness.


The whole scene is wildly pictured
in my mind. The moon-lightcd
prairie, the little ravine towards
which the renegades were dashing, /
the wagon standing in the trail
then the rattling of the falling thills
reached the ears of the party, and
with a wild shout they turned !
toward ME. l was on the horses
back, but boldly defined by the moon-
light. There was the sharp report
Of two rifles, l felt a sting in my
foot, another in my shoulder, but be |
horse was unharmed and the race for /
life began.


There was a ,disheartening disad /.
vantage for me, for | had no saddle,
but / was riding for my life, and /
held my steed between my knees. |
and | took the broad trail with the
fury of a tornado. But the issue
would rest mostly with the horses
knew nothing of those pursuing me,
excepting my own white-faced mare
She could run like an antelope and 1
1ut-wind a hurricane.


On and on and on my steed desper-
ately spurred with the point of my
Knife, bore ahead, actually causing
ne to gasp for breath; and not two
hundred yards in the rear rode my
would be murderers.


On the rolling prairie now, and
nv animal took the decliyities with a
plunge, and the elevations with a