190 FORTY- FOUR YEARS OF 



then occurred to me that if I yielded they would not stop 

 till they killed me ; when they would say that I died bawl- 

 ing " enough." So I concluded to go on, fight all I could, 

 and sell my life as dearly as possible. 



I let them beat away ; but once in a while I would get 

 a chance at one who would be exposed, and give him a 

 good send. 



In the midst of this struggle, old Mr. Hoffman ran in 

 with a dirk ; and making a furious attack on them, took 

 some of them off, while the others took hold of me, and 

 passed me up, feet foremost, to those on the top of the 

 mill ; who, reaching down, caught me by the feet and legs, 

 and pulled me up by the same road I had fallen down. 



Shannon stood by, and, as I came up, kicked me in the 

 side, leaving not a speck of breath in me. They dragged 

 me off the mill by the legs, and I thought I would feign 

 to be dead. 



I lay a considerable time before I got my breath ; and 

 when I recovered my wind a little I was afraid to breathe, 

 for fear they would fall on me again. After I had drawn 

 two or three breaths, and found that I could rise, I made 

 a sudden bound ; but they saw me move, and kicked and 

 struck me till they hurled me away out of the crowd. 



Meantime, the three McMullens were busy, and the 

 crowd left me to go to them ; for they were too hard for 

 their men. This gave me time to draw a few more good 

 breaths. I rushed in again to assist my three friends ; 

 striking every man in my way, till I got to where they had 

 Thomas down, with a little fellow on him. 



As soon as Tom would throw the man off, they would 

 put him on again. I hit one of the principal ones in the 

 head, and knocked him clear off, when I stooped down to 

 help Tom up. As I took hold of him I was struck by 

 Shannon. 



I do not know whether I fell or not ; but the first thing 



