32 WITH GUN AND GUIDE 



sleeping cabin, including Larkin's seven barreled rifle 

 and my shotgun, and these it will be seen played 

 quite a part in the now swiftly moving drama. The 

 prisoners were morose, and had little or nothing to say 

 beyond making threats as to what would happen to us 

 when they received their liberty ; and I the man who 

 had sworn out the warrant would meet with their most 

 summary vengeance. To relieve the tension, Larkin 

 tried his hand at telling stories and engrossed their 

 attention and ours too for several hours. 



At about ten o'clock one of the men said that his 

 folks lived in the county town and as he was known 

 there to everybody, he would like permission to change 

 his working clothes for a " Sunday-go-to-meeting suit." 

 He informed us that one of the men knew where his 

 clothing, shirts, collars, etc., were kept, and would get 

 them and bring them to him if we would give the man 

 permission to come in. We thought this to be a 

 reasonable request. The man was sent for, and he 

 turned out to be the fifth man whom the youth had 

 advised us to arrest. It was, of course, necessary to 

 take off the prisoner's handcuffs to enable him to 

 undress and dress again. When this operation was 

 completed, the handcuffs were replaced. He then 

 remembered that he had a " diamond " stud which he 

 would like to put in his shirt front. This made an- 

 other trip for his confederate for so he turned out to 

 be to the other cabin for the " diamond." 



