Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 74: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

. THE PURSUIT AND RESULT. 67 However, he put spurs to his animal and dashed off. The wild yells of his pursuers told him that his en- emies felt sure of their prey. ‘“This is most unfortunate,’’ he said to himself. ‘‘T fear I shall have a long run for it now, unless they get in range and bring me or the horse down. It is fortunate they are without carbines. ”’ | For ten minutes more things were pretty evenly balanced. Half a mile ahead was a cross road, and Royal fan- cied he saw a detachment of cavalry coming down in that direction. If friends, he was safe; if the enemy, of course the game was up. But now it was apparent that the Confederates in the rear were gaining upon him. Crack! A pistol-ball whizzed by his head. ‘CA! he exclaimed, ‘‘I must take a hand at this myself. I fancy my reputation as an expert will stand me in well now..”’ With these words he drew his heavy revolver from the holster, and turning in his saddle, took deliberate aim at his leading pursuer. Crack! The horseman threw up one hand convulsively, reeled in his saddle, and fell to the road, shot through the head. ‘One!’ muttered the captain, grimly. A fearful yell attested the fierce anger of the Con- federates in the rear. | | Crack! crack! crack! 3 They were in deadly earnest now. But not a bullet reached its mark. Again Chetwood drew a rapid bead on the troop. Again a jet of smoke spurted out of the deadly tube. And again a Southerner dropped to the road, this time sorely wounded. cS GComicboo (eloy