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W The Robbers of The following story is founded “everyone in this part of the country at Markham Swamp." The story was first published in 1886. a continued story in The Liberal. Synopsis 05 Story Thus Far: Forty years ago, in a small village near the town-of Little York lived the heroine of our storytwith her father. It is the iiitention of Miss Aster’s father to have her marry their neiit door neighbor, Mr. Ham, 3 vulgar sorilof person, in order to'un- ite the two farms. However, a reâ€" fined college bred young gentleman from the city Mr. Roland Gray, visits Miss Aster’s home and accidentally meets Mr. Ham. The two become en- emies from the time of the first meet- ing. due of course to the attentions of the other towards Miss Aster. Mr. Ham, as well as Aster’s father treat Mr. Gray in a fvery insolent manner, and as a result he leaves the house determined to make Ham pay for .his behaviour. Gray immed- iately seeks an old'Eton school fel- low, Frank Harland, and asks his aid in the matter. On the following morning Harland visits Mr. Ham at his farm at Oatlands and informs him that Mr. Gray wishes to meet 'in a duel eitheriby sword or pistol, and to make terms for such. To hide his cowardice Ham makes all kinds of excuses why he can‘t enter a‘cambat of honor with one such as Mr. Gray but when Harland proves to him Gray‘s decendency from an earl in the British peerage, he gives his consent for the meetihg reluctantly. Ham chooses J‘abez Drummond, a friend, for his sec nd and on the fol- \lowing morning all four meet at Sleepy Gulch, as mall hollow run- ning at right angles to the Don. They find'it necessary to relieve Mr. Ham of a great deal of clothing which'he has donned as a means of protection, and after. much forcible persuasion the two men take their ground. At the count of three the pistol shots ring out resulting in the severe wounding of Mr. Ham. While the medical man is attending to the but ers Who are just approaching scene on horseback. They fire he keeps going until his horse is shot from underneath him. Then he dis- appears in a dense dark wood and when he is sure he is quite safe from his pursuers he dressed his own wound and from sheer exhaustion falls as- leep. When. he awakens. it is not Astor’s Sweet Voicé, which he had heard in his dreams, that comes to his ears but the baying of blood- hounds. Now Read On:â€" “Merciful God! what chance have I with bloodhounds in this wood?’ Ro- land exclaimed as be arose. Then he set out as fast as he could in the same direction which he had pursued during the morning. He was well aware that the hounds had ‘been brought into the. wood at the point where he had entered it; and that they were now fast upon his track. Reflecting upon his hunting exper- iences he concluded that the cries which he could now hear whenever he paused, were little more than half a mile behind him. ‘A man fleeing through such a wood as this hhd little need of speed with only human pursuers upon his track. But with 'a pack of bloodhounds hold- ing the tra‘fl, and that keep well in advance of their folloivers, is was ‘ far otherwise. ‘ary to follow the haying pack; ‘ and pursuit could thus be maintained at a pace fully as swift as the flight. But Roland was weak from the loss of blood, and from hunger which the scant supply of beech-nuts, and the bitter rowanberriesii only in a small measure allayed; so it was very plain that his capture was only a question of time. But the labyrinth of forest aisles now began to grow dimmer, and a throb of hope came into his heart as he thought of the coming darkness. Yet in this wilderness the dogs would know their game. and there was no escape by clam'bering :1 tree! Meanwhile he redoubled his exertion, now slightly altering his course. When it was fairly dark he emerged from the wood upon the road by which he had made his flight in the morning. ‘Thank God. Here, the dogs, among so many other scents. must miss mine.’ He perceived to his great joy that there was not a star in the heavens; nor was there to be seen any of the dusky yellow in the south-east which marks the rising of the harvest moon. ‘ The wind was blowing from the south-west and the fugitives could sce that large masses of darl cloud were rolling before the wind. and gathering to leeward like mighty army. which halts its forcc~ ,hinisolf by taking; part in Ii Al lit‘lVi' ‘1)1':\QS, Tlli‘ to brc‘nnro for the bath. storm was brewing. and there wouh in‘ no light from the mmn. Provi deuce indeed had been kind to Rolnrl giving in the morning tho shelter of His forest“: s;iiicil.i:u'_\'. and now 73::- him Mr. Gray has to flee from the oil‘ic- It was only necess» 031-5 Markham Swamp on fact and as the author aptly said who is not deaf has heard of the gang It will run as I kindly'shadow of His clouds. He had lost the sound of his pur- suers, and concluded that they must Ihave either returned for the night, or sped the opposite way. He had not gone far, when he was startled by the sharp whinny of a horse. His first upon consideration he resolved to re- 'connoitre. Approaching cautiously [he found that the cause of his alarm was one horse only, tied to a tree which grew by the roadside. His isight having become accustomed to the'darkness he was soon able to asâ€" sure himself that no human being Was nigh. Proceeding then to the animal, which he found saddledâ€"it belonged, no doubt to one of the pur- suers who had left it there while in the woods with the houndsâ€"he l rode away. This was indeed a god- send! He had not proceeded far ~ when he saw a horseman approaching. The stranger stopped and pulled rein. V ‘Hullo, Oswald; that you? I ithought you should never comc.’ lJudge the consternation to discover "n the voice of the speaker that of Aster’s' father, the man who was the cause of all the wee and mischief. When his emotion passed he could have smitten the misguided man to the earth? Disguising his voice thor- ioughly, for he was an accomplished 'mimic, he replied: ‘This is not Mr. Oswald. I am from York. Rode by the Yonge Street Road. I bear a special dis- lpatch from the Government to the magistrate at Markham respecting steps to be, taken for the apprehenâ€" sion. Good-bye, sir. I am in haste.’ Before the other could reply Roland was trotting away briskly. After an hours sharp riding he slackened his pace and allowed his horse to Walk along the road. The land dipped here slightly and the fugitive judged that he must be in the neighborhood of River Rouge, and not far from Markham. and as far as he could judge through the dark. it appeared draggled and intermixed with larch and cedar. It was lonesome spot; and Roland mar- swamp that concealed so many mys- teries, and filled all the country-side with alarm. While he was thus mus- ing a figure sprang out of the bush and seized his bridle; at the same' moment the shining! barrel of a pisv tol gleamed in his eyes. ‘Surrender, fugitive duelistl’ a 'v powerful ‘voice shouted. ‘ ‘Dismount.’ Roland did so; but move which way he would the wea- pon still glittered in his face. As we have seen Roland had resolved that lthere would' be no more spilling of Iblood, else his courage and dexterity might have enabled him to cope even with his daring captor. He was as- tonished to see but one person pres- ent, and looked around him for the others. But as his searching gaze could reveal‘ nothing but the sturdy figure at hi side, and the gloom wrapped trees at the roadside, he be- igan to reproach himself bitterly for not having been more alert. It was bitter to think that after all the ex- citement, strain and strategy of the morning, it should fall to his lot to be trapped in this way in the dark- ' ness of the night. b He began to wonder that his com- ipanion gave no whistle or other call for help, but remained silently stand- ing upon the road, one hand upon lthe horse’s bridle, the other holding the menacing pistol. At last the captor spoke. ‘Know who I am‘.” ‘A Queen‘s ofi‘icer.’ ‘Ha, ha, hal’ And the man's ‘ugh the solitudes of the wood. ' ‘No! I am not a Queen’s officer; but I am captain of the sturdy men who have made yonder bush a ter- 1 ror to the Province of Upper Canada. I have heard about the duel and the fall of Ham. of at least one worthless cur, and this is why I have waited for your coming to ofi'er you, for the present. {the security of our dense bush and, ‘ treacherous bogs: i Roland hesitated. The fellow seem- icd to speak the truth; therefore what ~hud he to four with respect to his He had some :non- ‘cy and a watch; this the highweymun lcould have had by now for thr- ask- Yet these men bore the repute personal safety. ‘llowi‘vor. he need no: Ihiiw f of the band had onci‘cd l‘ds". main .i. Aclc ‘ asylum: and :xs' .1 place bccumc llll'.‘l';l';l'|.|.‘ l‘c flee from it. 'l'es: I wil accept 3min; offer.‘ impulse was to avoid the beast; but , tightened the girths, mounted undi The forest seemed to grow thicker, , velled to himself if this could be the ‘ strong cruel voice sounded far thro- You have rid the world ' ing. flof atrocious criminals to whom Wory lsort of lawlessness was ‘ ' i ‘Good. I take your word. Walk at my side, keeping close; for the path is narrow.‘ So saying the two movâ€" ed onward, the roblicr leadingK Rolâ€" and’s horse. K CHAPTER V. i The Robbers of Markham Swamp. ' After proceeding several paCes the robber chief tied his horse to a tree, and then bidding Roland follow made his way through the dark and silent 'masses of the wood. Several times our hero, despite his experiences of forest travel, was tripped up by tree shores, or a tangle of underbrush; and once his 1forehead struck aisturdy limb with [such force that he became’for several iseconds stupefied. The voice of the highwayman recalled him. ‘Hallo, Master Duellist, are you try- ing to escape me? * ‘I gave my word,’ replied Roland. ‘touching that matter. But I am not 'experienced in such travel as this.’ ‘No,’ sneered the robber, ‘you her- loes of the city and level field are {mighty as travellers upon the open roadf ‘Your opinion as to that gives me no concern,’ our hero replied. ‘Bui; I have eaten nothing since yesterday save some beech‘muts and a few row- ‘anâ€"berries. Beside I have lost much “ blood.’ ‘Are you wounded?’ l FIRST in‘ 9 a i i ‘ : i i COND 2 â€"Name and address of on the back of each ph 3â€"All entries should be damage in the mails. 4â€"lt is not necessary to type or purposes . as original photograph The I.il:.~crul Printing: avsardorl prizes or not .»In every community, there ar ,_ If you have a good distinct photo, ‘ by 5inches or larger, either snapshots or time exposures, ' or gloss finish, mounted or unmount each photo submit ted your name an Pictures not hearing this information wi Contest Closes September 30th gloss finishes 5â€"Pl10i0gl‘it1‘hs‘ 0f photographs are 1â€"Photos any size may be entered, but the best size is . Smaller pictures are 1 I ,Yoq , Roland informed him. ‘VV'hei‘e'?’ ‘Is it bleeding still?’ He. likewise informed him upon that point. ‘I see you are not such a calf after all;’ and then Roland heard him mut- ter something about ‘an acquisition to the band.’ The words made the matâ€" ter clear enough now to our hero. This ruffian had not saved him be- cause he had shot Ham. but because he wanted an addition to his force. Knowing that there was a price upâ€" on Roland‘s head, he belicvcd that he would find little difficulty in bending him to his infamous ends. .‘Here; let us take your hand. We shall never reach home at this rate.’ It was with something akin to shud- der that Roland felt the touch of his guide’s hand but the arrangement was successful, and the two got over the ground at a rapid pace. Every maze and tree in that dismal swamp seemed to be known to the guide; and he swerved to right and loft,»~sometim- es so seemed as if he were retracing his stepsâ€"â€"\vith such astonishing swift- 'ness as to completely bewildcr ‘l'lel‘O. 0‘11‘ ‘I wonder,’ observed Roland, 'that ithe law does not reach you here by gthe aid of hloodhounds; they filled my benefit.’ ‘.'.-n-’n5.-i‘ ’«i‘ '1 p. . -~" 1. changing his COUTI‘C that 1tibuxom lass with yellow hair and blue .‘They tried that twice, but it didn't turn out profitable,’ replied the rub- ber. ‘llow did you elude them'.” ‘Why we simply posted ourselves at convenient points and caught the in- truding idiots. Out of 4 pack of twelve only one got out of the swamp alive.’ ‘Havc the constabulary cvor sought you here?’ ‘Oh, frequently. Once they .i'erc permitted to roam about through the swamp without molestation. They found nothing for all their searching but a shed built on the lake’s edge, and evidently used by fishing parties. They then returned and declared that the swamp being infested was all fudge. A couple of years passed, during which many a bloated butcher and cattle dealer was reliever] of his purse; and a few who were foolish enough to dispute about the0 coin lwere despoiled of more than their money. A girl also disappeared; a eyes, about whom half the country bumpkins had gone nearly wild.’ Our hero shuddered at the recital; but the robber heeded not the emo- tion. only persons living in the jolly en the money, and cracked the few \“ Let us preserve w ile we may, in' photographs, deVelopement and-history of the County.” _â€"____________â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"-â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" M ________________________â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"-â€"--â€" numb-skulls; so they resolved, in the words of the newspapers of Muddy York, to “clean out the odious nest.” ‘A force of twenty constables, with about an equal number of citizens, turned out and approached the swamp. The force here \iumbered ten in all. Ah! but we were a sturdy band then, Well, as I have said, they came, the intrusive damned fools, to the swamp and scattered their forces about. They found nothing; and this is the only fact they ascertained: that when they assembled at Reynold's Inn, of the force of.twcniy one that entered the They waited till the morrow for their mis- swamp, nine returned. sing comrades, but they came not. though there was no wind among the leaves. Yet not a cry was heard, and when murders are done the peo- ple say “you hear shrill screams." Neither was a pistol shot heiird, or so much as the clang of a dagger. Ah! but it was the sport to see how discreetly the thing was managed! I see young man, you Would like to find out the modes. Well, history not ,infrequently repeats itself in this dark wood; and I have little doubt ‘Then came indisputable pro»: that that you-will have an opportunity of discovering how we accomplish our the womb With dogs this ‘W‘mlng for swamp could have stolen the girl, tak- ends, and why the silence. (To Be Continued) the growth, PRIZEâ€":FIVE DOLLARS IN CASH 1 WHAT WE WANT‘ ' ’ John’s Church, Heise Hill Cemetery, etc. recall the history of York. 4 inches by 5 inches, or larger. difficult to reproduce in print. contestant and exact descrip- tion of the scene illustrated must be clearly written oto submitted. carefully wrapped to amid Any finishes mount photos. may be submitted. although black and white. ferro- are best for reproduction just as acceptable 5. Gâ€"All l‘hOIOEII‘zIphs sulunitlod become the property of Limited. whether edâ€"send them in. 11 be disqualified Remember that interest a photograph of a photograph will as readily as photograph provided qualify just County of York. JUDGES The judges in the photograph contest will v be;â€" Mr. Au]. Galbraith Photographer, Rewtonbrook Father Kelly, Richmond Hill Mr. L. L. fichols. School Victoria Square. The Jud decisions SECOND PRIZE-â€"-THREE DOLLARS IN CASH THIRD PRIZE---TWO DOLLARS IN CASH ‘ if ‘ Also three additional prizes of ONE DOLLAR EACH. PURPOSE oFCONTEST' The help of our readers is sought by the Liberal in conjunction with Mr. E. A. James assemblmg a collection of photographs of points of historic interest in the county of York. _ .What we want are good pictures of historic sites in the County 6f York Sites such as Col. Moodie’s grave, the Eckhardts homestead and Sharon’s Temple, St. W , e houses, schools, churches, mllls, halls and scenes that or a collection of such photos, preferably 4 inches in black-and-White, ferrotype Mark clearly on the back ,of (I address and description of the place pictured. if it has an historic . an original it applies to the Principal Public wiil be final.