The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-09-11
the lifeless corpses will not bear

recital.
The mighty oath which Dick Prater,
forgetful alike of hunger, thirst and
fatigue, ground between his set teeth.
will, [ hope and trust, never be re-
corded against him on high.
While his pony was eagerly shaking
it's thirst, Dick looked about him, hop
ing to find among the scattered debris
some overlooked weapon. with. Heaven
only knows what, wildly-vague plans
for pursuit and vengeance.
But, all in vain. Even the bodies OF
the slain had been plundered of their
revolvers and huntingknives.
AS, sick at heart, Dick turned away,
his foot encountered hard substance
in the short grass. 1t was a very
new aud deliberately -mounted hunting
knife with six-inch blade and ivory
haft, in which was inserted silver
plate bearing the not-unfamiliar name
of Cyrus Manning, Esq. 1.-The ESQ"
settling it's ownership beyond the shad-
ow of a doubt.
Then Dick remembered having once
heard Millionaire Manning declare his
intention of building hunting-lodge
in the wilds of Nebraska, where he
owned a few thousand acres of land
'some day."
Some day had come, and presumably
on his way to the lodge, the train was
attacked, his guide and wagon crew
were massacred, and he himself taken
away a prisoner-perhaps with others.
Dick reverently covered the multi.
lated fragments of humanity with what
was left of the wagon-tilt. Then the
claims of very healthy appetite as
serted themselves Vigorously.
The red men had evidently not been
educated up to canned provisions.
Tins of various comestibles strewed
the ground on every side. Cold
chicken, ham and d dessert of English
plum pudding, with preserved peaches,
made most satisfying meal for a man
who had tasted nearly twenty-foul
hours. And Dick arose from cracker.
box like giant refreshed.
AS he turned his eyes in the twilight
toward more distant range of bluffs
he saw the dark base illumined by q
sudden rudy glow. That it was a
fire-the campfire of the Indians who
had attacked the wagon, was his most
natural conjecture.
Dick was no hero of the Roaring
Bisbe of the Range" order. Far from
it. But he had pluck and determine
ton, and his blood was at a white
heat of wrath by reason of what lay
under the slit wagon-tilt. And with
no very definite purpose in mind he
tethered his pony, after which, initial.
ing as far as possible the stealthy
steps of the old trapper. who has done
duty for so many years in dime ant
half-dime literature, he made his wa!
through the night shadows in the di
rection of the distant campfire.
This proved to be built in a deel
rift of the irregular-shaped bluffs, ant
it was but the reflection that he hat
seen. The tall form of q half-naket
Indian, rifle in hand, standing sentinel
like in the entrance. was unpleasant,
silhouetted against the blaze, which
elfectually precluded a further re
connoissance in that direction.
Now, with the going down of tn
sun, the sky had cleared. And as Dick
crouched behind a clump of sag
brush, watched the sentinel with
thorough sense Of his helplessness t.
do more, the full moon began creepin!
slowly up over the edge of the wild
plain he had traversed but few hour
before.
Higher and higher climbed tn
great oval shield which, to use
strictly original phr ase, "bathed ever.
thing in a food of silvery light
a clump of sage bushes included
But the same moon-rays illuminat
ing the face of the bluff show Dicl
how, concealed from the eagle-eye o
Lo, he might ascend to the top and lool
directly down on the campfire. So
having wormed himself cautiousl,
around a convenient angle, Dick be
gan his upward climb.
Like most things it was far easier 0
accomplishment in theory than il
practice And to accomplish it noise
lessly was most difficult of all, OWN!
to bits of shale and rock that woul,
go rafting down the irregular step
he was climbing.
But Dick finally reached the SUNNI
with "barked" knees and torn cloth
ing. Resting little while to get hi
wind he crawled forward till h
reached a point which should directl,
overlook the camp below
| But to his disappointment sand
stone boulder, dislodged by some con
vulsion of nature, rested almost on tn
verge of the bluff just where he had in
tend to peer over.
| Getting round to one side, Dick fiat
tened himself out on the brow of tn
bluff and, craning his neck forward
looked down.
IN
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IL ,,zMANz lIN, /.