THE COLONEI/S STORY. 125 



come in, love !' and he took some forty or fifty cartridges 

 which she had brought in the skirt of her dressing-gownd. 

 Notwithstanding the peril of our situation, I could but not 

 gaze a moment on the white and statue-looking limbs of 

 this brave and beautiful girl. ' Go, love, tell John to bring 

 the Captain's gun-case from his chamber ; and do you, 

 Emily, watch from the end window, and if you perceive any 

 movement that side, apprize us of it here. Now, my boys, 

 be cool I'll give my best horse to him who shoots the first 

 man. You have a good supply of ammunition, could we 

 but coax the scoundrels from their shelter and I'll try a 

 ruse. 9 The old gentleman took the idiot's spit, placed a 

 coat upon it, while Henry and I chose a position at either 

 side of the broken window. Mr. Morden raised the garment 

 to the breach ; it was indistinctly seen from without ; three 



bullets perforated it, and it fell. ' He's down, by !' 



roared a robber, exultingly. ' Now, Murphy, now's your 

 time ; ' smash in the door with the sledge !' Instantly a 

 huge ruffian sprang from behind a gable, and his rush was 

 so sudden that he struck twice with shattering force. We 

 heard the hinges give we saw the door yielding and at 

 that critical moment young Morden' s gun missed fire ! 

 ' Curses light upon the hand that loaded it !' he cried as he 

 caught up an axe and placed himself determinately before 

 the door, which we expected to be momentarily driven in. 

 Murphy, perceiving the tremendous effects of his blows, 

 called to his comrades to ' be ready.' He stood about five 

 yards from me the sledge was raised above his head and 

 that blow would have shivered the door to atoms. I drew the 

 trigger the charge, a heavy one of duck- shot, passed like a 

 six-pound bullet through the ruffian's body, and he dropped a 

 dead man upon the threshold. ' Captain Dwyer/ said Mr. 

 Morden, calmly, ' the horse is yours f 



" I had now received my own double gun, and gave the 

 musket I had used so successfully to Henry Morden. The 

 death of the ruffian with the sledge brought on a heavy fire, 

 from his comrades. Between the volleys they summoned 

 us to surrender, with fearful denunciations of vengeance if 

 we resisted longer. We were within a few yards of each 

 other, and during the intervals of the firing, they poured 

 out threats, and we sent back defiance. ' Morden, you old 

 scoundrel !' exclaimed the captain of the gang, ' in five 



