“Betcha forty dollars they ain’t here.”
Then the room seemed to fill up with men. One of them grasped me by the
throat. I am not used to such treatment, don’t you know, so I struck him
viciously. I know he swore.
Then I heard Willie Suggs scream, and my blood turned cold. The blood of
my ancestors boiled in my veins, and I fought—a little. I dimly heard a
voice saying—
“This is one pair of horse-thieves that won’t cost the tax-payers
anything.”
* * * * *
It suddenly struck me that there had been a mistake made, but the rope
around my neck prevented me from exposing their error. I had one free
arm, and it suddenly struck me that I might attract their attention by
using my gun.
Gasping for breath, I drew my gun and pressed the trigger. I heard a
voice swear in my ear; some one crashed into me and then I fired once
more. I heard some one yell—
“Where did that —— fool get a gun?”
I tried to tell him, but just then I appeared to be yanked upside down
and felt myself being dragged across the floor and out into the night.
Men were running around, and I may also add that I have never heard so
much profanity before. Dimly I heard a man say:
“Put ’em both on that sorrel! Rattle your hocks! That —— gun has woke
everybody up!”
I felt myself lifted on to a horse, which was surging and snorting, and
then some ropes seemed to grasp my ankles.
The pressure on my throat was relieved. I reached out with my hands and
grasped a man who seemed to be sitting in front of me. Just then I heard
a yell:
“Hit the grit! Here they come!”
Some one struck the horse, a man yelled a curse, and a gun was fired.
Several horses seemed to crash into us, and then began a strange voyage
in the dark, accompanied by yells and the sound of pistol-shots.
At the first sudden movement of our horse my nose came in sharp contact
with the back of my companion’s head. I give you my word of honor that
if I ever have occasion to strike a man it will not be on the nose.
For a few moments I did not take much heed. I know that I lost my
customary poise. In fact, the erratic movements of that horse
disconcerted me greatly. From where I sat it was impossible to judge
which way we were going, because the horse did not seem to have any
definite objective point.
I feel sure that if it were not for the confining ropes I would have
escaped. As it was there was just enough slack to cause me discomfort.
I caught a glimpse of the lighted street as we passed through. Men were
running and shouting, trying no doubt to attract my attention, but
whether they did or not I really can’t say, as the party in front of me
seemed to delight in swaying back and bruising my sore nose.
I started to call his attention to this matter, but he hit me again and
drove the words from my lips.
Then we left the city behind. I was holding both hands before my nose as
a protection from the brute in front of me, when suddenly the horse gave
an extra severe lunge, and I seemed to feel nothing under me except
vacant atmosphere.
Then came a terrific crash, which completely squelched me, if I may use
that word. I do not know how long I lay there, but it seemed years. A
great weight seemed to press down upon my chest, which interfered with
my respiration.
I tried to struggle to a sitting position, but was unable to move. Then
I said aloud—
“Orville Wellington Chatterton, I greatly fear that your usefulness to
mankind is over.”
“Ditto for William Burton Suggs,” said a voice weakly, and the weight
seemed to slide from my chest.
“Willie!” I gasped. “Are you here?”
“Well,” he replied, and his voice fairly croaked, “it is a debatable
point, Orville. I am here in spirit, but there is a serious doubt in my
mind as to the flesh. Are you hurt?”
“I am not,” I replied with difficulty. “Either I am uninjured or I am
completely paralyzed.”
I moved my legs and immediately discovered that it was not paralysis. My
nose was swollen to twice its natural size, and one of my eyes appeared
quite useless. I asked Willie where our horse had gone, and he said that
he did not know, but that it may have gone straight up. I told him that
horses were not capable of going straight up, and he said, very
vehemently, that this was an entirely capable horse.
“It did quite well in that respect with our weight on its back,” said
Willie, “so I can see no reason why it could not accomplish its purpose
after we were no longer astride its back.”