The moment he did, he sprang out of the crowd, and darted
off for the woods at the top of his speed. A hundred men followed him,
with cries of 'Mount, head him off!' 'Five dollars ter th' man thet
kotches him!' 'Take him, dead or alive!'
Amid the universal excitement and confusion that followed, Larkin walked
rapidly away with Hallet.
'You can heat the kettle, boys; Mulock can't run,' cried Joe, from the
platform. 'But you must give him a fair trial.
'We'll do thet, never ye fear!' echoed a dozen voices.
'I nominate his friend, Mr. Gaston, for judge,' said Joe.
'Gaston it is!' Gaston it is!' 'Mount the bench, Mr. Gaston!' shouted a
hundred 'natives.'
Gaston got upon the auction stand, and said:
'I'll serve, gentlemen; but, before we select jurors, the sale must go
on. Miss Preston is not sold yet.'
'All right! all right! Hurry up, Mr. Hammerman!' shouted the crowd.
The auctioneer took his place:
'A thousand dollars is bid for this young lady. Going--gone--_gone_, to
Mr. Joseph Preston.'
Selma put her arms about Joe's neck, and, in broken tones, said: 'My
brother! my dear brother!' Then she laid her head on his shoulder, and
wept--wept unrestrainedly.
Who can fathom the untold misery she had endured within those two hours?
CHAPTER XXVI.
The impromptu judge took his seat on the bench, and the excited
multitude once more subsided into quiet. In about fifteen minutes a
tumult arose in a remote quarter of the ground, and Mulock and his
pursuers appeared in sight, shouting, screaming, and swearing in a
decidedly boisterous manner.
Pages:
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41