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Show 382 RICHARD UURDIS. dispersion of the rest. I cnrc nothing for the pitiful rascals that follow - lrt them go." Dut snelL was not my thought. rl'hcrc wns one of these piti-ful rn:-<cals whom it brought the scarlet to my check to think on. l3rotbcr though 110 wns, he was the murderer of ·william Carrington, and I had sworn, nnd ncitlJcr he nor Pickett conld escnpc, according to my oath. But of this I said nothing to Colonel Grafton. I was rcsoh·cd that J ohn Uurdis should perish, but that he should perish namelessly. There was a family pride still working in my Lrcnst, t.lult counselled me to be silent in respect to him. \\~ c proceeded in our arnmgcmcnts. "There arc two fellows, belonging to this chtn," saitl Grafton, "that lodge, if I recollect rightly what you said, some two miles below me." "Yes, at a place callcU 'the Trap· Hole,' if you know such a spot; it was described to me so that l could find it easily, but I know nothi11g of it." "I know it well--it's an old hiding·placc; but I hnd not thought the hoYel was inllabitcd. These fellows must be sc· cured to-nigllt at an early hour. They nrc spies upon us, I doubt not, and will report everything that happens, if they sec anything unusual. Certainly, it is our policy to clear our own course as well and speedily as possible; and as soon as our men come, which will be by do.rk or before, we will set forth as secretly as we may, to take them into custo(ly. This, as you have the signs which they acknowledge, can be done '' ithout 1·isk. You shall go before, and set them at rest, while we sur· round the house and t:d-.:c them smlclculy. They will hardly lift weapon when they sre our force; :md, om:e in our po~ses· sion, we will take a lesson from the book of )laster\\' cLber, and rope them down in the woo!ls, with a hnndfu1 of moss iu their mouths to keep them from nnnccessary revclntions." Such, so far, was our contcmplatl'd l)lan. lt was the mo&t direct of any, and, indeed, we hardly had a choice of cxpcdi· cnts. 'l'o come upon our enemy by surprise, or in force, was all that we could do, having so little time allowed us for prep· aration of any sort. It was fortunate that we had a nu1n like Grafton to manage - a man so well esteemed by the friends ~e l ed, and so worthy in all respects of the confidence they put tn } , RTRATAGF.MS. 383 nm. As the hour drew . 1 to assemble, he rose 8 1~lg 1' and the look0d-for guests began fie stood, and sC'emcdul~Cnor to l ite paternal situation in wllich citizen. lie revealed so s~tpprcss the father in the man and . ep:n ntely to encl f l . as 1t now s.tood, upon which the' IH\c\ 1 0 liS guests the afl'air then subm1tted the new ·c .. Y. b~en summonecltogethcr, services, as a friend an~ ;l~~.l~~:~~~ whu.:~t he mnJc upon tlteir they proclaimed themselves ~~~~~~ ~~te alike. ·witlt one voice mon enemy, and with di/Ticult ,'1:/. o go f01Yt against the cOm. ting the nssn.ult i challgin,... th~ 1 ct.e t rest.rnl~1ed from precipita. '!'his rashness was forlt~latcl lOlll , ~ .mlClntght from the dawn. l 1 b y o' enulecl - thotwh it ll scarce y 1ave ecn thought rnsbncss, if nll the mo cou c ~essed an eqnal knowledge with Colonel Grafton en had posm which _the outlaws hMbored. To quiet the m' of the placo among b~s guests, he led them ont after clark il~rc lm))et:tOus our previous rcsoh·c, to tnke tllfl t ' f 11 ' obctltC'nco to III" ] , .\\O c owsnt"tltcT .. o e, am' I may say, in brief tint l J.tp· in making them prisoners J·ust' ns <. w~ sdueccc(ecl to a. tittle . . • "e ta arranged it S !Jnsc '~ns llevcr more complete. "\Vc roped th('Hl t · . ur· m a thJckct of the woods, filled their moutl .tl o saplmgs a 1 tl f 1 · lS WI 1 green moss nc le arms o w llCh we dcBpoilccl them enabled tl b ' ter to meet their comrades ' us 1e et· |