ous that it's the police, and divil a bit
do I want to be put into limbo for being concerned in the duel," cried
the driver, making preparations to turn his horses.

"Are ye certain that it's the police?" demanded O'Haraty, eagerly.

"Yes, I'm certain; for now I can see over the bushes, and distinguish
their blue coats. Every one for himself, and the devil take the
hindmost. I'm off, sure."

The fellow turned his animals' heads, and started towards the opening,
but a loud threat from O'Haraty caused him to stop for a moment--and
only for a moment.

"Curse ye for a cowardly villain!" yellen the doctor. "If yer don't stop
this instant, I'll drive a piece of cold lead through yer thick skull."

He drew from his breast pocket a rifle pistol as he spoke, and aimed it
at the runaway.

The driver looked over his shoulder, and seemed half inclined to obey,
but the sound of approaching horses stirred him into life. He struck his
animals a smart blow with his whip, and they sprang forward; but as they
did so, the doctor raised his pistol, sighted hastily, and fired.

The fellow's hat fell to the ground, and with a yell of triumph at his
lucky escape, the driver continued on, and in a few minutes would have
been beyond reach; but just at that instant my noble dog--the hound
which I had left under lock and key at Smith's house--bounded towards me
and covered my face with his kisses.

A lucky thought occurred to me; I glanced at Wattles, and saw that he
had fainted from exhaustion and pain, and that it was certain death for
him to be exposed to the hot rays of the sun for any length of time, so
I determined to save him at any hazard.

"Here, Rover," I said, calling to the dog, and pointing to the
retreating carriage, "seize him, good dog--seize him," I shouted.

The animal did not hesitate for an instant. With a mighty bound he
cleared over twenty feet of the distance which separated him from the
object which I had called his attention to, and almost before I could
think, he seized the near horse by the throat, and brought him heavily
to the ground. The driver rose from his seat and plied his whip with
desperate energy, in hopes of beating the dog off, but such was the
agility of Rover that not a blow reached him, and while his attention
was thus occupied, O'Haraty stole forward, grasped the man by the leg,
dragged him to the ground, and commenced to beat him unmercifully,
mingling his blows with such exclamations as--