spring of a panther, and he stood before his former
slave, his slender frame erect, his face a livid spot in its snow-white
hair, his brilliant eyes flashing with fury.

Gus suddenly lost control of his knees.

His old master transfixed him with his eyes, and in a voice, whose tones
gripped him by the throat, said:

"How dare you?"

The gun fell from the negro's hand, and he dropped to the floor on his
face.

His companion uttered a yell and sprang through the door, rallying the men
as he went:

"Fall back! Fall back! He's killed Gus! Shot him dead wid his eye. He's
conjured him! Git de whole army quick."

They fled to the Commandant.

Gilbert ordered the negroes to their tents and led his whole company of
white regulars to the hotel, arrested Dr. Cameron, and rescued his
fainting trooper, who had been revived and placed under a tree on the
lawn.

The little Captain had a wicked look on his face. He refused to allow the
doctor a moment's delay to leave instructions for his wife, who had gone
to visit a neighbour. He was placed in the guard-house, and a detail of
twenty soldiers stationed around it.

The arrest was made so quickly, not a dozen people in town had heard of
it. As fast as it was known, people poured into the house, one by one, to
express their sympathy. But a greater surprise awaited them.

Within thirty minutes after he had been placed in prison, a Lieutenant
entered, accompanied by a soldier and a negro blacksmith who carried in
his hand two big chains with shackles on each end.

The doctor gazed at the intruders a moment with incredulity, and then, as
the enormity of the outrage dawned on him, he flushed and drew himself
erect, his face livid and rigid.

He clutched his throat with his slender fingers, slowly recovered himself,
glanced at the shackles in the black hands and then at the young
Lieutenant's face, and said slowly, with heaving breast:

"My God! Have you been sent to place these irons on me?"

"Such are my orders, sir," replied the officer, motioning to the negro
smith to approach. He stepped forward, unlocked the padlock, and prepared
the fetters to be placed on his arms and legs. These fetters were of
enormous weight, made of iron rods three quarters of an inch thick and
connected together by chains of like weight.

"This is monstrous!" groaned the doctor, with choking agony, glancing
helplessly about the bare cell for some weapon with which to defend
himself.

Sudden