Our Fellows

y of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels. When this had been done, they seated themselves o

hes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of h

long unanswered. 124The sound of the hoofs grew louder and louder, and present

e of our fellows was the chorus of ejaculations they uttered the instant their eyes rested on him. Then he pu

Luke Redman, that he was mounted on Black Bess, and that he

at on his horse—my horse, rather—gazing at our fellows in stupid bewilderment, and our fellows looke

rst to recover the

to us for many a day. We are glad to see you, Luke Redman. We

raised a short, heavy gun, which he carried across the

ne on you moves a hand or foot until I am acrost this

nd there was a wicked gleam in the robber’s eyes which was

ing to his lips; and Herbert’s hand, which was stretched out toward

faces, and believing that he had thoroughly frightened th

much about boys, especially such boys as th

ry man, and now that he was fairly before them, should they permit him to escape, and

hat horse shan’t carry you a step furt

t Mark was reaching for his gun, quickly raised his own weapon; but by th

ach one was blowing his horn with all the power of his lungs, s

or I’ll shoot some

Mark. “Perhaps some of t

e had been dodging them all day. The blasts of the hunting-horns would call up every one of them w

re he would certainly get himself into trouble, he dashed his spurs into his horse,

t the trees behind which our fellows were concealed; but, instead of frightening them, it seeme

er, 128he put his horse into a gallo

had my gun in my hands, I believe I should have lifted him out of tha

oo, with a free step, and arching her glossy neck and tossing her head as if

mind, and almost before I knew it, I was swimmi

, and they were greatly amazed. I was half way across

as he could speak. “Stop! You no

d felt so inclined, for he held his own rifle and my shot-g

at I could not be frightened into surrendering myself into t

on being a fast swimmer; but of course I stood no ch

e upon me; but I was on the alert, and just as Pete be

ed around for my enemies, I was surprised to see them paddling with all possible haste toward the bank they had just left

abandon their pursuit of me so suddenly, for scarcely had

demanding what I was doing in the water, another asking if that wasn’t Pete who had just jumped into the bushes on the opposite shor

very fleet, and that while we were wasting time in talking, she was fast increasing the

“Come back, and stand by me until I get my horse

d his companion were not a great way off, and I was 131afraid that if I went ba

not exactly understand why I stood in need of protection; but the

rapid run, and in a few minutes

Todd came in sight, carrying four squirrels in his hand, and moving along wit

lthough the first words he uttered showed that he had heard the sign

to know what you fellows w

p at all about you, show it now. Don’t ask any que

gers through his fiery locks. He looked all about the camp, then across the bayou at us, surveying us f

mighty cold day t

man has just gone by here, mounted on Black Bess, and carrying General Mason’s valise tied fast t

this piece of news. He dropped the butt of his gun to th

atter. 133Whar’s he bin hid all the

we know? Bring tho

hich his horse was tied, and with his usual deliberation, prepared to mo

har do you reckon Redman

om Mason stole her, but it seems he didn’t. If

I thought it was high time, for my teeth were cha

rowned rat, and that a fierce north wind was blowing, you will re

nd would thankfully have accepted a suit of dry clothes; but if I went home I would lose the oppo

instant longer, Sandy came across the bayou with the horses, and in a few seconds

ch he was the cause had tried our patience s

slow a-talkin’ an’ a-walkin’

was surprising. For five miles his horse never broke a gallop; and when at last he drew rein on the b

cting the pursuit, and how he knew whether or not he was fo

water to the depth of fifteen feet, but it was not so now. The flood was gradually

altogether. It was dangerous, however, to attempt to pass from one ridge to another, for the lowland, or

ld not leave it. We knew, too, that the ridge led directly to Dead Man’s Elbow, and that when the robber arrived at that point he

posite bank, and beyond that the swamp, with its impassable bed of mud, extended for miles and

him when we found him. He was armed, and we

he cliff, “an’ now comes the hardest part of the hul business. The fust

Sandy spoke, a familiar neigh, which came from a t

udge by the way she pranced about and 137rubbed her

am, showing that she had been driven long and rapidly, and her usually sleek

, the rest of our fellows were looking for General M

aps with which the valise was fastened to the saddle, but cut them with his knife. He isn’t far

t had become of Luke Redman. After a short search, we discovered the prints of his feet in the soft earth, an

ain that we knew where to find Luke R

wished for the double-barrel that Pete had carried away with

n’t you see that those bushes are bent down and look as though they had been

allow himself to be captured and sent to state prison if he can help it, and perhaps he is standing below there

, and, at the imminent risk of losing his balance and falling into the bayou, thrust his head ove

u what’s the matter wit

e, in reply. “Better keep close u

in a pretty situation to plug any body, hain’t you now? Fe

we were little prepared for the sight that was presented to our ga

d Man’s Elbow, and there, hanging at arms’ length from this frail support, his feet alm

oulder; but his gun was nowhere to be seen. He had evidently made some desperate attempts to

vations, we drew back on the

uke, gleefully. “I understand what has happened as we

his intention to lower himself over the side of the bluff, and find concealment on the top of the drift-wood which formed one si

ell into the bayou, and now he was unarmed. His situation was dang

ased his hold on the bushes, he would fall into the water, and be whirled into the cavern before

take our halters off our bridles, make them into a rope, and when Mr. Redman gets tired of

take hold of the rope,

elcome. But there’s no danger of that.

with him when we

nd foot—that’s what we’ll do with him. I

been adopted under the circumstances, and

forming a rope about thirty feet in length. When this had been done, we once more stretched

eneath him, and when at last he became exhausted with his efforts, he hung down at arms’ length to

f this kind would seal his fate, for the bushes had been loosened by h

ou,” shouted Sandy. “The fust thing you know, you w

re dashing wildly against the base of the cliff, and being fully convinced

a hand

ng fast to the other, ready to hoist away when Duke gave the word. “In order to guard against accident, you had better pass the rope un

rown so weak and was so nearly overcome with terror, that it was with t

ver, and then Duke told us to haul

e cliff. Don’t flinch now, but be careful to keep out of th

on to raise him to the top of the cliff. He came up slowly, inch by inch, and at last his head appeared in sight, then his shoulders,

you,” shouted Luke Redman, whose terror vanished the moment he

ng the robber’s hands and pinning them to the ground. “We are

did he draw his pistol, simply because we did not give him an opportunity. We jumped upon him in a body, and while two of us confined his legs, which he kept flying about like the shafts of a windmill, the

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