The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-01-01
Tho SO ut'S Last Shot.

1t was 10 o'clock in the morning. The
honcybces are darling over the prairie IN
search of the sweet fl,wcrs, butterflies float
Oh lazy wings, and birds are singing their
sweetest songs. 1t is a scene OF deepest
peace Away TO the right is the Little Bear
Range of mOuntains-to the loft the prairie
ocean extcnds as lar rs the eye can reach.
Ton miles ahead is a grove OF cottonwoods
ana a spling-behind the thirty half naked
savages on horseback
Here is frontier scout as the pivot on
which the scen.ry swings. On his way
from fort to fort lth despatches his trail
has been struck by war party OF pawnccs,
and they have hung to it since dark last
night, following II across the levels and
over the swells ut slow but ncvcr-e lending
gallop. They knew that he was full hun.
dred miles from help, and they knew that
his bloody scalp would add another to their
trophies;
scout as he looked back at dnsk and saw
them coming at a slow gallop over his trail.
They could not have ovcrtakcn HIM in u
dash of two miles, but in II gallop Of fifty
they would tire him out.
At I'm easy gallop of five miles an hour
the mustang forged ahead through the long
ind weary night, changing his pace only
when the rider got down and ran beside linn.
Two miles behind him, riding thirty
abreast and covering front of half mile,
followed the implacablc foe, gaining IL little,
but ever confident.
When the sun came up from his prairie
bed not savage was missing. The scout
turned in his saddle and counted them,
looked ahead Tor landmarks and coolly said;
10, ohnN a l.
but you will die game" .aa
The mustang was almost blown. For the
last half hour he had labored heavily, and
had almost been held up by The bits.
''The grove would have been the samc,"
said the scout as he drew up and dismount-
ed.
The Indians were two miles away. In
ten minutes " would be within rifle
shot.
"Good-bye, old pard-I must do it," said
head and drew his knife across The faithful
equinc's throat. M
He wanted q brcast-work, and here he
had it. Two minutes were time enough to
cut bride and saddle to pieces, and then he
mounted the body of his dead friend and
calmly waited the approach of the Indiads
prairie iae as he EaSS 'sS b5renghtto kad
been strange chase. They had suddenly
| disappeared on his trail without a sound,
seeming to rise out of some tissure in the
| flower covered prairie. Not once through
the long night had the scout heard from
them except as he dropped from the saddle
and placed Iii 8 ear to The ground. But fol
the steady thudl thuC! of the horses feet
/ a itrlt al Ia Ia ha1s
| that he was being pursued by shadows.
| "Sixlcen bullets III this Winchester and
six in the revolver" soliloquizcd the scout
as the Indians were within mile Of tho
spot Did they mean to ride him downs
Each rider was bent over his horsc's neck,
and each horse kept the pace he had tol
hours. s#
"My scalp Is worth the scalp Of ton In
dlans" SAID tho scout as he raised his rifle,
"but mcbbc can't get over six or seven.
Straight at him rode the line of thirty
redskins until he raised his rifle for shot
Then the band divided right and left ant
Enclosed him In circle. Not shout from
any tongue. 1t might have been called i,
still hunt.
The line was out of riAc-shot at first, bu
| 1t gradually worked nearer and nearer, ant
at last the report of the scouts rifle broke
the stiffness OF the morning.
"Twenty-nine leftl" he SAID as he threw
out the empty shell.
Not shot came from the Indians in re-
ply. Every warrior threw himself on the
opposite side of his horse, and the hard,
ponies followed the circle at q steady gal
IOp.
"rwenty- lefL!" said the scout as liz
fred again.
No shout or shot In reply, but the circle
was growing narrower. aaF