as a pilot consults his compass to be certain of
his bearings.

Suddenly, to my unspeakable mortification, I
saw him, as if he were struck by a sudden
afterthought, throw down his cards, rise from his seat,
and walk with unequal steps towards the
prisoners, evidently to inspect them. How if he
should discover their filed chains! It was a
moment of intense suspense to me. But he came
back to his seat again, apparently satisfied.
"Squire," said Dave, approaching me at this
juncture, "yon darned skunk won't play nor
drink no more, nohow." I looked at my watch.
To my dismay it was half-past one; there was
only half an hour to spare before the sheriff
would arrive.

The time had come when it was necessary to
play my last card.

"Dave," I whispered, "there is only one
thing to be done. Pick a quarrel with the doctor
and disable him; but remember you must use no
weapons."

"All right," replied my cool Texian partisan;
adding, admiringly, "what smart head fixins you
have got, squire, surely! Why ain't you a land
jobber? You'd make a fortin at it down our way."

A few minutes after this, a "difficulty"
occurred between the late pair of card-players,
arising from a discussion on the last game. It
ended in Dave picking up the doctor by his
waistband, before he could draw knife or pistol,
carrying him in spite of his struggles to the door,
and hurling him violently down stairs. This
performance achieved, I had the effrontery to
go and pick up the fallen man, and condole with
him on his misfortune. Though terribly shaken,
he was not seriously injured. As I had
foreseen, he declined to go up into the room again,
but with hideous imprecations against Dave,
limped off home.

Shortly after his departure, all the guards
were asleep, or shamming sleep. Two o'clock—
time up! To the minute, I heard the forcing
of the lower door. Then I heard stealthy
steps ascending the stairs, and suddenly the
door of our room was sent in with a crash, and a
dozen policemen leaped upon and disarmed us
before one of us could draw a weapon in defence.
The sheriff of San Francisco then stood forth.

"M'Kenzie and Holmes," he said, addressing
the prisoners, "come forward!"

The persons addressed sprang to their feet.
Their chains fell from them to the ground, and
they hastened towards the sheriff, who gave them
into the custody of his men.

"And now, gentlemen," he said, turning to
us, "I wish you good morning. Tell your
committee that M'Kay and his men have done
their duty. Bring on the prisoners, boys, to the
jail; hurry!"

Taken by surprise and disarmed, what were
we five disconsolate members of the V. C. to
do? Simply, all that we could do, to save our
reputations. This was not much, and consisted
in rushing to the engine-house near at hand and
tolling the Vigilance bell, never rung save in cases
of executions or fires. In a few minutes the
whole city was alarmed, and turned out. Scores
of half-dressed Vigilance men, weapons in hand,
poured into the committee-rooms, but they came
too late. M'Kay and his party, having gained
the protection of the jail, were safe.

This affair caused a great sensation. Never
before had the V.C. met with such a check.
They were furious. Luckily for us they did
not suspect treachery, and were satisfied with
expelling us all from their ranks, except the
doctor. I need not say that to Dave and myself
this was no calamity.

I wish my story ended happily here, like the
old story-books. But, as these miserable
details are unfortunately true, I am compelled
to add, that the efforts made to save the
prisoners, eventually proved futile, owing to
the treachery or the carelessness of the police.
The V.C., smarting under their defeat,
determined to recapture their prisoners, and
recover their lost prestige, at any hazard. About
three weeks after the night I have described, all
the prisoners of the state jail were attending
prayers in the chapel one Sunday afternoon. In
the midst of the service, a forlorn hope, sworn to
succeed or die, organised by the V.C., and
composed of some half-dozen young fellows armed
to the teeth, burst into the chapel. As there
was, by a suspicious coincidence, only one jailer
present, they instantly seized on M'Kenzie and
Holmes, and bore them, away without resistance.
A light waggon with a team of six blood
horses was ready waiting in the street, and,
flinging their miserable victims into it, the
desperadoes drove at full gallop through the city to
the Vigilance rooms, about three-quarters of a
mile distant. As the most effectual means of
putting their prey beyond all chance of
recapture, it was determined at a hurried consultation
of the V.C. to hang the men at once. And so, on
the calm summer afternoon of that day sacred
to God's service, the deep tones of the
Vigilance bell tolled forth its deadly warning.

Wedged in an immense crowd, I stood before
the committee-rooms, and looked on at the
tragedy I had risked my life to prevent. I
dare not give the details of what I saw.
Enough that the wretched creatures were put
to death in the most shocking manner, and that
every wanton atrocity and shameful indignity
that the worst passions of man could invent
were heaped upon them.

At the completion, in March, of
SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON'S NEW WORK,
A STRANGE STORY
Will be commenced
A NEW NOVEL, BY MR. WILKIE COLLINS