SENTENCED TO BE DROWNED 



murdered in cold blood, thrown into the lake, perhaps, as 

 they had hinted, probably with my hands and feet both 

 tied, to drown like a dog ! It was an end too horrible to 

 contemplate. Small w r onder, then, I had chosen a more 

 dignified and less uncomfortable mode of dying. 



But to continue. As the Commandant turned away, 

 presumably to comply with my request, the doctor, saying 

 he for one would stand by me, came over to my side, and 

 I told him the plan that I had formed. Then, loading the 

 two guns and the revolver, I called out that I was ready. 

 Meanwhile, we had already selected a tree, and, running 

 across to it, took up our position before the mob could stop 

 us. But they followed quickly, and, mad with rage at 

 being thus outwitted, would have set on us at once, but 

 happily, the sight of our two gun-barrels pointing directly 

 at their heads, coupled with our threats to shoot the first 

 man who advanced, checked them for the moment. The 

 tree, too, was fortunately a very large one, perhaps three 

 feet in diameter ; hence, by standing back to back, a foot 

 or two apart, the trunk served as a barrier on one side, 

 while each of us commanded not only his front but his 

 right and left as well. They could not, therefore, rush us 

 without losing some of their number, which they were not 

 disposed to do. 



How long we might have succeeded in keeping them in 

 check it is impossible to say, but three hundred to two 

 were fearfully heavy odds, even had we been properly 

 entrenched and armed with modern weapons. It was 

 improbable that we could have held out for any length of 

 time, and must eventually have been overpowered and 

 murdered. Providence, however, had ordained otherwise; 

 for a few minutes later, as the men, having evidently decided 

 on risking an attack, were just about to rush us, a horseman 

 was seen riding down the road. He proved to be an 

 inspector of police on his ordinary round, who, seeing the 

 crowd assembled, had ridden up to make inquiries. 



His arrival created a diversion for a time, and, after 

 being informed of what had taken place, he attempted to 

 reason with the mob. But they were now beyond the 

 influence of argument or persuasion. Mad with the lust 

 of hatred and unsatisfied revenge, they were deaf to his 



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