us better in every way to have turned it over to the
men we had traded with, and to have come to an understanding with them;
but we were too anxious to win, in the race we had begun.

We had a great scare and narrow escape, at a small inland town where we
stopped just at dusk, intending to remain over night.

While sitting in front of the hotel, about nine o'clock that evening,
several gentlemen scrutinized us very sharply as they passed by. Among
them happened to be an old friend whom we had known at Clyde. He asked
what we had been doing that the authorities had a right to arrest us,
adding that two men were at that very moment looking up an officer for
that purpose.

We gave immediate orders for our horse to be hitched up, and hastily
informed our friend of the facts. He said there must be some reason for
the Findlay authorities wanting us, as they had offered a reward of a
hundred dollars for us, and twenty-five for the horse and buggy.

We started west at a rapid gait.

It was a beautiful moonlight night, and we had not traveled far till we
saw coming after us two men on horseback, riding rapidly. We drove but a
few rods farther when we came to a steep hill, at the bottom of which
was a cross-road extending in both directions through the woods, and a
large bridge crossing a river just west of the road-crossing. We drove
down the embankment and under the bridge into the river, and there
awaited the coming of the two men. They stopped on the bridge, and there
held a consultation We heard one of them say:

"I wonder which way the devils went, anyhow?"

"Well," the other remarked, "they are traveling west, and it's quite
likely they have crossed the bridge."

Just as they were about to start again our horse pawed in the water, and
at once attracted their attention.

[Illustration: A "KICKER AND SQUEALER."]

One of them stopped, and said; "Wait a minute. I heard a noise under the
bridge."

At this they both stopped, and, as we supposed, were about to make an
investigation, when I dropped the reins, and raising my hands to my
mouth, made a noise like the bellowing of a "critter." One of them said:

"Oh, come on. It's nothing but a ---- old cow!"

They then started across the bridge, greatly to our relief and
satisfaction.

After a few moments' delay we returned to the cross-roads, and started
south, traveling but a short distance when we again turned west.

We now began to realize that they were making