Saved By A Coffin

t Biding hard and fast, almost ns for ' dear life, along the wilds of the vast and i lone Western prairie, I found myself, to my intense astonishment, entering upon j a straggling settlement, and pulled up to ! reeonnoitre and consider. That I had miased my way was all too plain ; for, on [ the course that I ought to have come, there was not a oabin or a single settler. Somewhere or otter I had got out of the riglit track and into the wrong one. Almost any traveler in the border sections would have beeu rejoiced to thus stumble imexpectedly upon a place where fyod and shelter might be obtained. At another time I should have been so myself. Not now. In the breast-pocket of my closely-buttoned coat I carried five j thousand fonr hundred and niiiety odd dollars in greenbacks. It was during our time of war. This money had been given mto my charge to cari-y it without stopping, anl by the most unfrequented route, to Fort L , and place it in the hands of Col. Southnrd, wlio was waiting for it. "Get türough at your best speed," said the Major General to me when I was on the point of starting. ' ' The money has been long due, and Col. Southard is showing some irascible temper over it. Should you scent danger en route ride in a careless manner, as though you had nothing about you. Be very cautious. " " Is it known that this money is going to him ï" I a ked. "It is not generally known. Some few, of course, inevitably know it - the mail agent and a clerk or two. Still, I don't see that we need fear treachery from them ; I think you will be all safe. " But here I was, having lost my route, and not knowing whether I was safe or not- at least, whether the money would be. And, now that I had blundered on to the verge of this scanty settlement, what must be my course ? Should I halt for refreshment, as any ordinary traveler would, or should I ride straight through without stopping ? The latter course might of itself excite suspieion. So, pushing on to the house of entertainment with the most careless air I could assume, I got off my horse. If treachery had been at work I was, no doubt, being watched for on this route as on others, and should need all my cunning toescape - if escape were indeed possible. There were only two men in the bar-room when I entered, the landlord and the hostler. I ordered supper and sat down. Two travelers next rode up and ordered drink. One of them went with the hostler, the other threw himself down on a bench outside and bogan lilling a huge pipe'. Strolling cai'elessly about the room, I managed to glance from the window. My heart leaped into my throat, for in the man seated there I recognized Bill Wolf, one of the most desperate characters that ever fig-ured in the annals of border rufflanism. Yes, it wns certainly he, and no other. There was the huge red mnstache, the thick, hairy throat, and the shoulders hnnclied up around his he;ul, suggesting the shape of a mammoth clam - and there was the voice with a deep-down intonation, like the plop, plop, ploj-) of water hurriedly leaving a jug. I sat down again and went through the form of eating my supper; but whatever appetite I might have feit, on my entrance into the inn, had vanished now. The discovery that this dangerous man, Bill Wolf, was at my elbow, ñlled me with suspieion and dire apprehension. His being there might be all chance; but - I did not believe it to be. Presently the men came in together, and ordered supper. Mine was flnished, rxmI now was my chance to leave. Paying my score, and saying a general good evening, I crossed the dim, smoky barroom. They took no notice of me whdtever, not oven returning my good night, only tlie landlord looked furtively af ter me. My spirits rose; I lioped my fears had misled me and that I shoul'd get safely away. It looked quite duskish outside, bnt he liostler was flitting about the atable with his lnntern, which emitted bnt a little more effulgent light than a white bean would havo done; he broright out my steed, and I trotted away. The moon - a little past the f uil - would soon riso; and I pushed along at a smart trot, so as to get well out upon the plains and into the right trail before that time. I was feeling infinitely relieved at my providential escape from contact with the desperate characters which I had left at tho settlement, when my acute, trained, everalert ears deteeted tlie sound of swift riding. In wliat direction? From behind me ? Yes, for the mildly-floating breeze blew from that quarter. The face of the prairie in this secfcion was a little rolling, but not eo as to afford any shel ter, and not a shrub or busli dotted the expanse for miles. I drew up my horse one moment to listen. On they carne. No chance travclcrs ever rodo like that. It meant pursuit. I gave my stoed a lnsh and he broke into a convulsive gait, hove his body up with one or two pluiiges, stumbled, going down froni bis knees to bis nose, and pitebed me litarally heels over bead. For an instant I was paralyzed with obtonisbment, wondering whát could have taken my tmsty and good horse ; tb e next, I seiaed the bit to fetcb up the fallen animal, for there was no time to lose. But what was the matter witb the horse? He had a white spot on his face, and tbis white seemed to come off on my hand as I toucbed him. A wet, slimy, sticky substance, bearing a remarkable resemblance to whitewash. Witb my heart in my mouth, I stooped to feel his white legs and feet. Yes, tbey were whitewashed, too. The trappings bad boen taken off my own horse at the inn, and transferred to tbis worthless animal, wbicb had been whitewashed over to imítate mine. This discovery brougbt an appalling interpretation of the oncoming horsemen. I gave the horse the wbip as soon as bis unstable legs were well under bim, and sent bim scouring on abead ; while I ran off on foot to the right, making for a little hollow that I saw in the distance. Tbis proved to be a shíillow, dry ravine ; and lieiv, to my profound astonishment, I discovered a low cabin, or hut, about the dimensions of an ordinary country logcabin. Dashingupto tbis, for it was out my only hope oí' shelter. I gave a rapid succession of knocks. A shrinking, pale and cowering woman opened the door. "What is it?" was her first question, noticing my breathless baste. Had I taken a moment'B reflection, I migbt not have given the tfüe explanation as I pushed in by her. In all probability this secret hut belonged to my enemies. The moon was coming up dry and red in the east. "Istbere any chance to bide bere? My horse bas throWn me, and I believe a party of dcsperadoes are close up with me." She mechanically closed the door bebind me before I had fiiiished my explanation. " No, no ; tbere is no place," she gasped, her car eatching the sound of the coming horsemen. "Tbis is all tbere is ; tbis one room. " My eyes had been seeking for a piece of fumiture, or else that I might lie '. ceaied in - all in vain. Buddenly they rested on a dark object in the far corner. "But tbis ?-- what's this ?" I exclaimcd, : making a msh for it. "It's a coffin," was her quick : sponse. "But tiiere'sno otberchnnee' - they are turning up to the dooi". Get in." I bad barely time to place myself in tbis receptacle for the dead, wben a boarse voice tbat I bad now too good cause to know, tbat of Bill Wolf, was heard outside. His heavy wbip struck i the door. " Here, you Dick ! - Is Dick bere ?" The woman threw her apron over lier head and opened the door. " Where's Dick?" "Helias not come back!" returned the woman. "Oh, not . vet ! Jenny, havo J'C heard a horse go by yondeï ?" ' ' Yes, jüst but now. I looked out, thinking one of ye migbt be coming. Seemed to have a small man on it." " Driving on like the devil - eh ?" "Going fast," she answered. " You ', might, perbaps, bear its track still," sbe addcd, passing out and pulling the door ' to. "Listen !" But Bill Wolf must have been of a : picious nature. I heard bim leap from ; his horse. For the life of me I could : not help pushing up the coffin lid by a i hair's breadtb, and looking tbrough the chink. A fire was burning on the stone hearth. Bill Wolf had a hand on each : door-post. His brutal bead was tbrust 1 inside the room, peering about. : " What's that ?" he questioned. And ; my beart stood still, for I knew he spoke : of my retreat. " It is Staffer's coffin," sbe answered " Blue Rex lef t it here for Dick to take over to-night." " Stuff !" ejaculated Wolf', ' ously. "A coffin for the likes of him ! ■ As Staffer made his own bed, so let him lie on it. " " The boys wisb it," said she, " and Dick promised. " " Dick be shot ! He ought to beberé. Are you sure he is not in ? You've not got him in biding 'anywhere ?" Wolf, all suspicion, went up to tbr rain barrel, and I heard him shake it. I suppose he thougbt " Dick " migbt have taken refuge in the water ; then be carne to the door and looked in again. Satisfled, be tumed away, and mounted bis horse. "Are you in pursuit of the man gone by ?" ask'ed the woman in a timid, careless tone. "Ay. But wbat's it to you if we are ? He can't have gone far either, on that animal." Riding away in search of me and of what I carrifid. Wolf clattered oft'. The woman watcbod him join two comrades, wbo bal waitod at a little distance; then sbe came in, and barred the door. I was out of the coffin in a trice. " Wíiat shall I do ? what shall I do? " gasped the womaa. " Theywill beback in twenty minutes ; for I believe that your bdrse is yet in siglit ; and my husband is also bable to come at any moment. " " Your husband migbt perhaps shelter me. He - " "Him!" she empbasized it in dcspairing tones. "Ho is Bill Wolf 's brotber. I suppose you have managed to affront some of tbem. And they give no quarter. " I looked around in despair, To go out was to meet this Dick'; to stay in meant discovery, probably deatb. The coffin wns no longer available, for Dick was coming for it. "It is deatb for you, any way," sbe moaned. " I bear the rattle of Dick's axle-wbeels ah-eady. " "Stay, there's the rain barrel ontside," Haid I, in desperation. " They've tried that once, they may not look in it again. And before yóu would be able to spea-k a sentenoe, the water was dasbed out of the eask, stealing down into the arid soil, and I was in the barrel, and the woman dropping a tub half filled witb water in at the top as a cover. Sbe bad barely time to re-enter the house, the door of whieh fortunately opened on the side away from the moon, when a rattling vebicle drew up at the door, and I heard a voice raving and swearfng at the woman i'or something done, or undone ; and then i'rom the bunghole, the plug liaving been dislodged in the upsetting of the cask, I saw the furious return of the three other renegados. Hearing Dick's wbeels tbey must have turned back. As to the steed thcy supposed I was on, they knew they oould catch that up at any time, whatever tho delay. Tliere ensued a good deal of loud talking, explanntions, and oaths. A jomm oí' hot nectar was prepared, and they all went in to partake of it. Dick refused to join in the hunt af ter me, on account of' haring to take the cofiiii to its destination. "Any way, we are bound on the same track," cried Wolf, "so you may have the pleasurc of seeing us wing the turkey. Five or six thonsand dollars. It's a prize we don't get a chance of every day. " "Won't oíd Southnrd swear when he finds the money don't reach him, and he doesn't know why !" A shouting laugh. Dick's voice was heard as it died away. "Is there water enough out there, Jenny, to drink my horse. " ï'll see," she returned, moving slowly over the sill. And then, lcaping to the cask, she lifted out the tub and tipped my barrel over a little so that I could spring out. " Hide where best yon can," sho whispered. The best place, the ouly place seemed to be the dork corner between the cabin wall irnd the barrel. Dick came out, and led his horse up to the tub to drink. Then, turning the wagon endways, he went indoors, brought out the coffin with the help of one of the others, and slid it into the vehicle. Bill Wolf came out next. " I've made another jug of nectar," en lied out the woman. And at the tempting words they all went back to the cnbm. I beÜeve the woman did it to give me time, At that moment a Wild and desperate plan entered my brain; trilt, feeling for my knife, I fotlnd that it was missing, along with the belt to which it was attached. In the sudden jostle which the steed had given me, the girdle had been snapped and lost without my knowledge. The horses of the three renegades - my owi), which liad been retained by the hostler at the inn, among them - were hitched on the farther side of the door, where the moonlight, striking by the end of the cabin, restcd fully upon them. It was suicide to attemp't seizing one of them - my own, as I had hoped so do - and riding off; so I embraced the only alternative. Creeping into the wagon, I lifted the coffin-lid, and again lay down in the long, narrow prison. There was 110 choice. The flood of moonlight had swept so far toward my hiding-place that only a part of iny body was concealed by the bal-rel, and I knew that discovery was inevitable, for the man's horse stood in such a position that, in order to recover the reins, he must have trodden upon me; and there was no earthly thing, as far is the eye could reach over the plain, behind which a man could hide. Ah, but what if he should re-adjust his freight? Can you think how rny heart beat away at the thought? You wonder what my plan could be ? I had none; other thah the hope of having only nne man to deal with, if Dick parted witii the rest and went alone. He had said he would go with them as far as the "Forks;" after which, as I comprehended, his way would lie one road and theirs another. The three others mouuted, and all were about to start, when the woman ran out with some sort of a blanket, and muttered something about covering the coffin. Dick yelled out to her to mind her own business and let the thing alone. But she succeeded in accomplishing her purpose. Disposing the blanket ncross the coffin, as he was beginning to drive away, she confcrived to lift its lid and drop inside a bowie-knife. You may be sure I seized it henrtily, and gave her a blessing, too, poor thing; and the first use I made of it was to lodge the lid np just a fraction. 80 that my breathing was easy, though my position was cramped. " We'll beat up the game speedily aow," said the horsemen one to another, the quantity of whisky they had imbibed, in the shape of " neotar," somewhat impeding their utterance. " He can't by any miracle have got yet into the wooded belt by Burford Springs." " Horse couldn't take him there." " Dick," they called back, as they were riding on, " a cool twelve hundred apiee ! Tbrow out your old shell and join the uiuit." The driver mumbled some foreign answer, as if the nectar were clouding his uuderstanding, and whippeduphis horse. If he did attempt to moye the coffin, I was lost. They kept within hailing distance for the length of three or more miles, Dick smashing the heavy wagon along at a stenming pace ; and I expected that the coffin would be jostled out. By-and-by, there was a sudden shout ; aloud "taily-ho," as if the huntsman had sighted his quarry. It came f rom tlic right. Nothing but an unwarrantable amount of liquor oould have infiuenced them to conduct themselves as they did and to make this noise. The probability was that not a soul (save the one they fancied they were pursuing) wns within miles and miles, but men bound on these raids are cautious. Ivo sooner was the noise heard than my dri ver came to a halt. Listening for a moment, he tlirew the reins across the horse, leaped down, and started oft'towards his i'riends. Perhaps the temptation of tlie money (that they might then be dividmg) was too much i'or him. For one instant my heart stopped beating at thought of the hazard whicli I was about to run. The next moment I sprang from the coffin to the grouiid. A few lightning-like strokes, and I had severed tlie traces and the rade bands of the harness. The whole scène is vividly pictured in my mind now. The lighted prairie, the slopiug ravine towards which the renegades had been dashing, and the wagon standing in tlie trail. I momited one of the horses and urged him onward. All might have been wel], had not tlie quick ears of the men caught the echo o) his footsteps. Looking round, they saw me niaking off - and I tliink must have known me, for I was lighted up by the bright moonlight. With 11 wild shout, they came on in pursuit. There was the sharp report of two riíles. I fclt a sting iu my fixit, another in my shoulder ; bu the horse was unliarmed, and the race f 01 life began. There was one dinheai-toning disad viintage i'or me : I had no saddle ; but was riding for my life, and I held mj steed between my kneea, and took the broad trail with the fury of a tornado The issue would rest chiefly with the horses. I knew nothing of the one wbiol I rode ; I knew nothing of those tha were pursuing me, excepting my own white-i'aced horse. He could run Hke ai antelope, and outwind a htirricane, On, and on, and on, my steed, desper ately spurred with the point of the knife bore ahead, actually causing me to gas] for breath; and not 200 yards in the rea rode those would-be assaasins. Ou the rolling prairie now; and my animal took the deelivities with a plungo, and the clcvation with a sure, flerce stride. Across the brawling ford now- brut crack carne another rifle echo, and again a stream of fire seemed to strike my shoulder. They were closing in - Honing up. I could now mako out only two horsemen following. One of these had discharged his rifle at me ; the other I supposcd was keeping his in reserve imtil he should be a few yards nearer. I laiew not whc re I was, how fa-r I had come, or how far I had to go ; bnt I did think and hope I must bo nearing civilization and Ooi. Southard's camp. Could I keep up this pace . Would the horse f uil me ? Away and away went we ; I in front, they behind. A momentary dizziness threw me forward on my horse's neck. Whether I should have yielded to the faintness, I know not ; but a distant sound struck on my ear, and brought me up. Oh, it was good, that sound ! - but I was not sure yet, I brote into the wild, long, fierce yell of the border rangers, and sped on 'again ; but my horse had that peculiar twist now and then in his gait that told me he was faltering. Again that echo réaohetl me, swellifig out on the rising wind, and my heart leaped up. It was the shrill music of the fife, and the rumble of the drums of the infantry; who were probably retuming to camp trom some expedition to Fort L . Again I sent out that long, wild, Border cry, and I knew by the quicker breathing of the ñfe and the rapid pulsing of the drum, that the soldiers had heard, and were coming to my resclte, A parting shot flred at random, and my two pursücrs tumed; they could not face the soldiers. But one of them, at least, wns not done with. I called my horse with a peculiar whistle that he knew. I repeated and repeated it; and then I heard him come crashing again in pursuit, while his rider shouted and lashed him, and tried to pull him round the other way. For a brief space of time, "Wolf , for he it was, wrestled with the animal, lashed, goaded, roarcd at him; but my incessant, jerky whistlecall kept his mind and head toward me. AVolf only gave up the fruitless struggle and leaped from his back, when a squad of infantry dashed over a billowy swell of the prairie. "It is Wolf," I panted, as they bore down. " Go in pnrsuit of him; I arn all right now." No neüd to Ütge them. A price was set on Wolf'S Iicnil, as they kuew, for he was the most dangerous and desperate outlaw of. the time. I just saw some of them fly off - while the plain seemed to be risiiig and falling about me, and then quietly faiuted; partly with fatigue and excitement, chiefly with loss of blood. And when my eyes opened again, they feil on Mr. AVolf - a prisoner. Our men had brought him in to receive his deserts. As for myself, I was saved, and the moiiey albo. "It was a near touch, Captain," observetl one of the men to me, "andl hould not have liked the coffin at all. " But it was the coflin that saved my life.