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the; sumnv sottth
turned ? Do they still search for the
fugitives ?”
“They are dead. s : re.”
“Dead!” iterated the king,springing
fr. m his throne and grasping the
speaker by the arms. “Did I under
stand the aright? Dead, saidst thou?”
“Ease thy hold, sire, and I will tell
thee all I saw.”
“Speak, then, and do it quickly.”
“Near the spot where both the pur
sued and pursuers must have landed—
for we found the barge still tast in the
sand—lay two of the soldiers str tehed
out upon the sand. They had been
slain by stones. Further on to the
southward we found more of th“m
dead. Two of these, aDo, had been
“From what I have seen, good mas
ter Last night’s affairf were enough,
for when I let the soldiers into the
house so that they should noi batter
down the doors, they ran about like
wild men; and when they left they
assured me that you would never dare
show your face here again.”
UJg Jill
“Xo, it is not, Soldiers have looked
in here upon you this morning, and
t hen they hastened aw*y towards the
king’s palace.”
Again Gio smiled, and drawing the
pike-head from the fire, he drew down
its point heneath his hammer. While
he was »t work bis doors were suddenly
darkened, and on rais’ng his head he
slain wirh stones, and theoth-r two by beheld Prince Phalis and a body of
the sword. The seventh was nowhere
to be found, no* - could we find the least
traces beyond there of the fugitives,
though vse sear bed for over an hour.”
“Then the villain must have had ac
complices,” shouted the king, as he
started nervously across the marble
pavement of his divan.
“Xo, sire,” returned the messenger.
“The soldiers had but one opponent,
for the footprints in the sand were
plain.”
“Think not strange of this, my royal
father,” said Phalis. “Gio is a man not
soldiers.
“Ah, royal prince, I give you a good-
day,” said the armorer, in a half con-
de-cending tone and manner.
“I have come to give you a better
one,” returned Phalis, in a bitter tone.
“You are my prisoner.”
“Aha—say you so ?”
“Dead or alive, you go with me.
Xow which do you prefer ?”
“Oh, alive, by all means,” returned
Gio, as he deliberately dipped the end
of the pike into the water that was
near him, and then watched the vary-
easily overcome. Xot only is he power- ing colors as they came and went upon
the surface of the steel.
“Then prepare to accompany me to
the palace,” said the prince, not a lit
tle surprised at the utter coolness of
the armorer.
“Let me catch this temper first,” re
turned Gio, without raising his eyes
from the pointed steel. “One moment
—hold—blue—ah! that’s it. Xow, sir,
I will be with you in a moment.”
From the armorer’s movements,
Phalis seemed to fear that he was lay
ing some plan for escape, and he drew
his own javelin, and his followers d’d
the same: but Gio thought of no such
thing, for he turned quietly to where
stood his wash-basin, and having per
formed his ablution, he arranged his
apparel, and then informed th« prince
that he was ready to accompany him.
“Abal,” he continued, turning to his
boy, “if I do not return before dark
you may secure the doors and retire ;
but I shall be here early in the morn
ing, at all events.”
“Don’t be too sure of that,’'uttered
the prince, in a meaning tone.
“Remember,” added Gio, without
seeming ro notice the words of Phalis,
ful in the extreme, but he is the best
stone and sword player in Tyre.”
“And who is this Gio?—this man
who puff’s at my authority as though
it were a candle which he might extin
guish ?”
“You know him well, father; the
old armorer of Tyre, and for so long a
friend and follower of youngSrrato.”
“Strato again!” uttered the king,
suddenly starting as be heard the
name.
Over the face of the monarch there
came a still darker cloud, but in a
moment it passed away, and a grim,
savage smile took its place. Two or
three times he strode up and down the
apartment, and then, coming near to
the prince, he uttered !
“By the gods, Pha is, we will cru*h
the viper heneath our f-et. This Gio
is Strato’s friend—Strato stands be
tween us and the daughter of Ivison
Ludim—Gio defies our royal will—
Strato urges him on—Strato shall b^
seized !”
“Good, father,” returned Phalis, with
sparkling eyes. “The pretext is war
rantable. Surely the armorer would
For The Sunny South.]
My Love.
The grass grows green on the broad levee,
And the tangles of Cherokee roses there
With bursting buds hang heavily.
The hovering mock-bird sings in air
Of love’s despair.
Of love’s despair, despair and pain:
Half hidden by the drooqing vine,
I see the young chatelaine,
A gracious presence, sweet and fine;
My love, ah mine!
Mv love, ves mine; yes, mine for aye:
What bars my lips my love to say?
Yet hopeless all I still deny
That love like mine can pass away,
Dead in a day.
Dead in a day? One day, dear heart,
I saw thae smile and loved but thee,
E’en though our ways lie far apart:
As far as heaven from earth and sea,
Thou art from me,
Thou art from me. From me the light
Of hope and youth' forever fled.
Alone I face the gathering night
And humbly bow my greying head:
My youth is dead.
Mv vouth is dead, but love ne’er dies.
My love thou art whate’er thy fate.
I leave thee neatli warm southern skies,
I met thee, love, too poor, to late
To be thy mate.
K. R. Sidney.
SHOD WITH SILENGE.
A TALE OF THE FRONTIER.
By EDWARD S. ELLIS.
Copyright, 1S93, by Edward S. Ellis. All rights
reserved.]
SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS.
Simon Kenton, a hunter, whose deeds along
the Ohio and Kentucky frontier were second
only to those of the great Boone, while thread
ing his way through the depths of the Ken
tucky wilderness 100 years ago. discovered that
in spite of his precautions to cover his trail,
the tierce Shawanoes, who, led by their famous
Panther, were in hot pursuit, had traced him,
With audacious cunning, yet conscious of his
awful peril, the renowned trapper and Indian
tighter dodged behind the trunk of a tree.
The red man had seen him, despite his cunning,
and before long, as we shall see, Kenton was
between two tires.
CHAPTER II—Continued.
not have done this without urging 7 “have all prepared for morning, for I
from some one highe- than himself.
But we must be wary, for young Strato
is the generally beloved of all the
merchants, and’twould be unsafe to
estrange th ir wealth from the royal
support ”
“Leave that to me,” said Mapen, in a
confident lone; “for I will make out a
case against him ot *o firm a mold that
even an Argus could not pick an ob
jection against it.”
Again the king strode across the
divan, and, slopping near the messen
ger, he said :
“You say you found the tracks plain
in the sand ?”
“Yes, sire.”
“And of the two girls ?”
“We did.”
“And could you not trace them ?”
“Only to where they became lost
among the till grass and moss of the
ruins.”
“< »h, that the dog of an armorer
would but once more show his face in
Tyre.’’exclaimed the monarch, striking
his hands together with savage vehe
mence.
“Your majesty,” said one of the sol
diers who had followed the messenger
into 1 he apartment, “I saw the armorer
this morning.”
“How, slave—this morning ?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Where ?”
“In his shop, at w T ork.”
“Now 7 , slave, thou liest! The dog
w'ould not dare thus to beard me.”
“I speak soberly, and i hat which I
know,” confidenily returned the sol
dier.
“And you saw Gio in his shop this
morning ?”
“Mo-.t assuredly I did, sire.”
“Then, cried the king, turning red
and trembling w 7 ith rage, “he shall find
how a king can be revenged. Phalis,
take you a guard and go to the armor
er’s shop. If he be in cipture him and
bring him here. Take javelins with
you, and slay him if he offers the lea-t
resistance. Away now, and let me not
wait long for your return, for till he
be within my power I rest upon sharp,
angry thorns.”
“With quick, eager movements, the
prince prepared for his expedition, and
ere long, at the head of tw T enty men, he
set out.”
Gio had indeed gone to work in his
shop, and as he hammered away upon
his anvil no one coul I have mistrusted
from his manner that aught unusual
had happened. His boy was at the
bellows, and as the bright sparks flew
out from beneath the heavy hammer,
the stout man seeme I t» forget that
any other occupation had called him
lately away from nis forge
“I think you’ll be called for to-day,”
remarked the boy, as Gio placed the
pike-head he was fashioning once more
in o the fire.
“I rxpect so,” quietly returned the
armorer, while a faint smile passed
over his features. “Bur. speak you from
your own reason, Abal, or from what
you have seen ?”
will surely be here.”
“We shall see,” said the prince, as he
made a motion for his men to advam e
and surround the prisoner.
“So we shili,” returned Gio, with an
other of his pecubar smiles. “But
come, sirs, I am r<»ady for the palace.”
Phalis set forward with his prisoner,
but shortly after he entered the street
he began to find that had the armorer
a mind to escape, it would have taken
a greater force than his to have pre
vented, for on all hands the people be
gan to collect, and though they spoke
not openly in words, yet their gestures
plainly evinced that ihey not only
knew that Gio was a prisoner, but that
they would dare even to rescue him
should he give the signal. From house
tops, and from curtained windows,
from behind garden wall and from
half-closed doi-rs, cam* 1 hisses and
groans, and more than once the prince
heard his ow 7 n name used in connec
tion with epithets anything but agree
able.
“Be not al»rmed prince,” said Gio,
as he noticed the manner of Phalis,
“those are nothing but poor subjects of
your father’s crown.”
“But, by’ffiy father’s sceptre,” hissed
the prince, seeming hardly to know at
which to be most exasperated, the
sound that met his ears from the covers
around or the cool effrontery of the
prisoner, “they shall suffer for this.”
Once mi re Gio laughed in his own
peculiar way, but he <poke no further.
Phalis gazed at the working features
of the armorer, and wondered what
feelings could thus move him in view
of the sure fate that awaited him.
[to be continued.]
Bi'Kun in No. 934.
Not Stone, But Adlpocere.
A scientist declares that there never
was, and never can be, such a thing as
a petrified animal body. Petrification
is not a transformation of the original
animal into stone. It is merely the
displacement by mineral substances of
certain organic tissues as they decay.
But it is only the bones which are thus
affected, never the flesh. “Most of the
bodies,” he says, “reported as found
petrified, are examples of a phenome
non long familiar. They have been
transformed not into stone, but into a
substance called ‘adipocere,’ or ‘grave
wax.’ This is a true soap, into which
the corpse of a human being will ordi
narily be metamorphosed if buried in
a graveyard or other place where water
has access to it. This ‘adipocere’ is one
of the most enduring of substances. It
is not subject to decay, and the body
which has assumed this constitution
may preserve its form for many years,
and even for centuries. Nay, for ages,
since evidence on the point lias been
obtained from the othoeeras—a mollusk
that, became extinct millions of years
ago, of large size, and built after the
pattern of the chambered nautilus, but
with a stra'ght shell.”
Like a flash came the knowledge to
Kenton. The three had separated and
were surrounding him. Perhaps they
had already done so.
If that took place nothing could save
him, for he would be exposed to the
fire of at least one of them, no matter
how he crouched and sought to shelter
himself.
Instead of looking in the direct : on
of the spring, Kenton glanced to the
right and left, to learu whether the
Shawanoes had already reached a posi
tion from which to command his own.
The first glance revealed nothing,
but a second showed him the figure ot
an Indian as be darted from behind
one tree to the shelter of another.
He was far over io the right, but
had already advanced so far that he
may be described as almost abreast of
the white man. If the other Shawa
noes, or indeed if one of them, had
succeeded in doing as well, Kenton’s
situation was already hopeless.
Naturally a person in his dilemma
would have kept w 7 a'ch for the next
movement of the enemy of whom he
had just caught a glimpse.
Instead of doing that, the ranger
instantly turned his attention in the
opposite point, holding the rifle ready
for use.
He fancied he saw the serpent-like
eye and the painted edge of a w 7 arrior’s
face beside the trunk of a tree only a
few rods away, as if waiching the
white man and making ready to tire.
Kenton was not mistaken, for while
stealrhily peeping, the muzzle of the
Indian’s gun w r as shoved into view and
leveled at him. The miscreant was
about to fire.
But to do so he must, of necessity,
expo>e a portion of his own head, for
otherwise be could secure no aim.
Eye could hardly note the quickness
with which the rangers rifle was brought
to his shoulder, aimed and discharged
straight at the redskin, who was seek
ing his life.
The shot was unerring. A wild cy
rang through the woods, theShawanoe
flung his arms aloft, and clutching h s
gun, plunged forward from his hiding
place and fell forward on his face as
dead as Julius Caesar.
Kenton knew where one of the oth
ers was, but had no knowledge of the
location of the third.
Ir would not do, however, to attempt
to investigate. This was one of those
occasions when a person must lake
desperate chances, and the ranger took
them.
Crouching low, as a man flings him
self forward on the back of his horse,
he ran with his utmost speed straight
toward the spot where the victim of
liis marksmanship lay.
He reasoned that a second Indian
was not likely to be very near him,
though it was not impossible.
The fugitive showed amazing swift
ness, but had not taken a dozen steps
when be heard a shout, a* d, glancing
over his shoulder, saw both t lie Shaw
anoes in pursuit.
At the Same instant one of them tired
his gun, and despite the flurry and ex-
citemenr. of the moment, Kenton heard
it out a twig in two wit bin a foot of his
face.
“Rayther close,” he reflected, “but as
long as they don’t come any nearer
than that they won’t do any damage.
But there s another gun to be heard
from.”
And while the words were in his
mouth it was heard from. It was the
Panther himself who fired the second
shot and which knocked the coonskin
cap from the head of the fugitive.
I’ll be hanged if you shall have that
exclaimed the ranger, snatching up
the covering, flourishing it aloft, and
giving utterance to a shout of defiance
as he replaced it.
All three guns were now empty, and
had Kenton chosen to do so, he might
have come to a halt and safely reloaded
his own weapon.
In those days, the recharging of a
muzzle-loading, flint-lock rifle was a
higtask compared to the operation of
replenishing the chambers of one of
our modern weapons. Instead of
doing that, Simon Kenton had to re
sort to a startling proceeding.
It has been stated that he ran
directly toward the prostrate body of
the victim of his marksmanship.
The moment after the Panther fired
Kenton reached the rigid figure, and
stooping quickly wrenched the weapon
from the rigid grasp of the dead war
rior, wheeled and brought it to his
shoulder.
Had the chance presented itself he
w r ould have brought down one of his
pursuers. Then, with only the other
left, he would have had it out with
him then and there.
And then, too, the long-standing ac
count between him and the Panther
would have been closed.
But it will be noted that there w«s
much more in this act than in That of
firing the first shot. Wonderfully
agile as was the ranger, hi-» purpose
was read before he couid carry it into
execution. By the time he had
brought the weapon to a level no
target was in sight. The t«o had
darted behind the nearest trees
It looked as if the advantage was
with th** single man, but it was far
from being so. While the w r arriors
stood with their bodies effectually
armored they were reloading.
By and by they would resume their
old tactics of separating, and, despite
his watchfulness and skill, would soon
place him at their mercy.
There was but one thing to do—that
was to continue his flight, but Kenton
was loth to abandon the field without
ano'her shot at his enemies.
Instead, therefore, of wheeling
about and taking to his heels, he
walked backward, with his face to
ward his foes, and grasping the two
guns, w T hich, b^ing cumbersome, made
an awkward burden for him.
Before either of the Shawanoes
could fire he must show a portion of
his own body to the extent of a part
of his head and shoulder. Kenton w r as
on the alert for that opening, and
ready to take instant advantage of it.
In that sweeping glance he cast to
I he rear, at the moment the first shot
was discharged at him, Kenton identi
fied the Panther.
He was on the lefr. and was the one
whom the ranger determined to bring
down, if it was within the range of
possibility.
Whether the chief would be the first
to load aud sight his gun w T ould soon
be seen. That he and his companion
were ramming dow r n the charges was
certain and very soon they w 7 ould be
ready for serious business.
Kenton’s eagerness to rid the fron
tier of this scourge led him to run
more risk than he would have done
under other circumstances.
He continued slowly retreating, on
the alert for the first opening, which
w 7 as not long in coming.
With a thrill of pleasure he noted
that the Panther beat his companion
in recharging his rifle. Kenton saw
the gleaming eye ranging along the
sights and the crooked elbow and a
part of the shoulder.
Dropping his own weapon, so as to
leave his hands unencumbered, he
aimed the strange weapon with light-
ning-Jike suddenness. He knew his
eye was true, and now everything de
pended on who fired first.
The white man was a moment ahead
of the other in pressing the trigger,
but alas: there was no report. When
the former owner of the rifle plunged
to the ground he must have injured it
in some way, for it was useless.
With a furious exclamation Kenton
flung it from him, snatched up his
own, and ducking his head, leaped be
hind shelter before either of the others I
could fire.
At this juncture when it seemed
if matters could be no worse r d as
discover ^
iin
in addition to the two'lndians ir?f!!! at
a third person had come from V nt
where, and had got UirecWv *
him.
It was impossible for
escape one without placing himself 7,
the mercy of the other. “ at
behind
t,le scout to
CHAPTER Irr.
THE YOUNG PIONEEK.
. Wh . a " m ore frightful position can
imagined than that of a man. win an
uni aded gun m his hands, ami
two fierce Indians in front, each ui i
a fully charged weapon, eager to
u |.°n him.foliowed by the JppearaS«
of a third warrior directly behind hh„
als . equally ardent to take part in the
final scene
Such was
the
. . . c . fearf »l dilemma i„
which Simon Kenton was sure he W a'
caught, and numerous as had been the
thrilling encounters in which he had
participat *d, there w r as never anythin*
quite as bad as that. 8
But, and not for the first time in his
life, the great scout and ranger made a
mistake. He heard the sound only a
short distance to the rear which terri
fied him, but he was not the man to
surrender or despair* no matter how-
hopeless the case might seem.
Kneeling on the ground, so as par-
tially to screen his body, he began
hurriedly reloading his rifle, deter
mined to go down, if go he must, with
colnrs flying.
“Hello, Kenton, what’s up ?”
It was not an Indian that asked the
question, but one of his own race. The
amazed ranger paused with the ramrod
projecting from the barrel of his gun,
ready to press the leaden bullet in
place, an«i looked behind him.
No more welcome sight can he con
ceived than ihat which met his gaze.
A young man hardly 20 years of age,but
fully grown and as fine a specimen of
the backwoods athlete as himself, stood
in full view not 20 yards away.
He had heard the shots a few minutes
before and hurried forward to learn the
cause. The action of the ranger proved
thatsomething stirring was going on,
but seeing nothing of the Shawanoes
the youth did not fully comprehend
matters, hence his query.
“Quick! Ashbridge! Get behind
a tree! The varmints are out there.
Without further questioning the
young man instantly obeyed and stood
at bay. Kenton now rose to his feet,
and, keeping the tree between him and
the warriors, hastily finished reload
ing his rifle.
The youth whom he had addressed
as Ashbridge, being somewhat to the
rear and thus further from the Shawa
noes, was prevented from seeing where
they stood.
But for that, doubtless, he would have
received one of the shots i hat were
waiting and on the point of being fired
at Kenton.
But if Ashbridge failed to grasp the
whole situation, the Panther and his
companion were quick to note the
changed conditions.
Instead of holding their places, and
engaging in a contest where ilie
chances are equal, they fled through
the woods with the speed of the wind.
They were gone before even so match
less a marksman as Simon Kenton
could give them a parting shot.
The ranger held his ground until
certain no engmies were near, when he
turned about and strode toward the
young man. w 7 ho stepped from behind
tbe tree and extended his hand.
“I’m powerful glad to see you,” was
the greeting of the elder, “and the
wust thing I ever done you was to
rhink you were one of the varmints
instead of a white man.
“Xo harm was done,” was the cheery
reply of the youth; “did this little
affair amount to anything?”
Kenton in a few words made known
what lias already b^en told the reader.
The lifeless figure a short distance
away told its own impressive story,
and tbe two though familiar with
scenes of violence on the frontier,
gladly moved in the direction ot the
Ohio.
“How comes it, George,” added Ken
ton, addressing h s companion by his
given name, “that you are in these
parts? I didn’t expect to set eyes on
you afore night.” .
“Well, you understand how it i*i
father aud I came down the river last
spring in th** flatboat, landed several
miles below, put up our cabin, cleared
(Continued on paste 16. >
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