n case between his knees. I
thought him a trifle off his guard, but said nothing. The road, barely
visible, was rocky, the wagon rattled, and alongside ran a roaring stream.
Suddenly we heard through it all the clinking of a horse's shoes directly
behind, and simultaneously the short, sharp words of authority: "Throw up
your hands!"

With an involuntary jerk at the reins I brought my team to its haunches
and reached for my revolver. Quite needless: with the quickest movement
that I had ever seen in anything but a cat--almost before the words were
out of the horseman's mouth--May had thrown himself backward across the
back of the seat, face upward, and the muzzle of his rifle was within a
yard of the fellow's breast! What further occurred among the three of us
there in the gloom of the forest has, I fancy, never been accurately
related.

Boone May is long dead of yellow fever in Brazil, and I am the Sole
Survivor.

* * * * *

There was a famous _prima donna_ with whom it was my good fortune to cross
the Atlantic to New York. In truth I was charged by a friend of both with
the agreeable duty of caring for her safety and comfort. Madame was
gracious, clever, altogether charming, and before the voyage was two days
old a half-dozen of the men aboard, whom she had permitted me to present,
were heels over head in love with her, as I was myself.

Our competition for her favor did not make us enemies; on the contrary we
were drawn together into something like an offensive and defensive
alliance by a common sorrow--the successful rivalry of a singularly
handsome Italian who sat next her at table. So assiduous was he in his
attentions that my office as the lady's guide, philosopher and friend was
nearly a sinecure, and as to the others, they had hardly one chance a day
to prove their devotion: that enterprising son of Italy dominated the
entire situation. By some diabolical prevision he anticipated Madame's
every need and wish--placed her reclining-chair in the most sheltered
spots on deck, smothered her in layer upon layer of wraps, and conducted
himself, generally, in the most inconsiderate way. Worse still, Madame
accepted his good offices with a shameless grace "which said as plain as
whisper in the ear" that there was a perfect understanding between them.
What made it harder to bear was the fellow's faulty civility to the rest
of us; he seemed hardly aware of our existence.

Our indignati