Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-27

probably would be. Poor Maci He had
vet To learn that reputation as an IN
dian fighter l. but az ephemeral and I'M
satisfactory asset rs an adjunct to love
making
Meanwhile the dawn il broadening, tho
grayish pallor at the Orient takes on a
warmer tint and a feeble glow of orange
and CRIMSON steals up towards the heay-
ems The slopes and swales around the
| lonely outpost grow more and more yisi-
/ Bile, the distant ridge more sharply de-
fined against the southern sky. OF TO
I their left, the eastward, the river rolls
| along in a silvery misty CLEAN and their
! comrades, still sheltered under the bluff,
are beginning TO gather around the
! horses and look to the brides and
/ .'cinchas - Now the red blush deepens
/ and extends along the low hill tops across
/ the Platte and tnges the rolling prairie
! to the south and west. 4 few minutes
! more and the glow is strong enough TO
reveal an old but well defined trail lead
/ ing from the distant ridge straight up to
! the little crest where Mclean is lying. 1t
/ seems to follow a sOuthwesterly course
! and is the trail beyond doubt along which
/ the marauders from the reservations have
time and again recrossed with their plum
! der and gained the official shelter of
| those sacred limits.
Why, sir, - says Corporal Common,
| who is lying there beside the young Off
! Ger Last October party came over
/ and scalped two women and three team
/ sters not three miles from the post and
ran off with all their cattle We caught
up with them just across the Niobrara
hand they dropped the mules and
h norses they were driving and made
q run for it We chased and gained on
them every inch Of the way, but they
got to the lines first and then they
| just whirled about and jeered at Us and
! shook the scalpS in our faces and called
every name they could think of in good
I English, too - added the trooper seri-
onsIy, and the lieutenant and rode to
the agency and pointed out two of them
to the agent that very day but he dIdn t
dare arrest them. His life depended on
his standing by them through thick ana
thin. Look, lieutenant, LOcK off
theTe!'
over to the southwest, dimly visible,
three or four shadowy objects ale darling
rapidly over the distant ridge that spans
the horison in that direction For one
moment only they are revealed against
the sky, then can be seen faint as far
away cloud shadows, sweeping down into
the shallow valley and making for the
river above the position of the outpost.
Indians beyond question: The advance
guard of the main body, and the time for
action had come
Instead of riding towards them, how
ever, instead Of approaching the ford by
the most direct line, these scouts are lOp-
ing nortbwdrd from the point where the
trail crosses the ridge and pushing for the
stream, Mclean sees their object with
the quickness Of thought. IT'S not that
they have made Il dry camp during
the night and are in haste to getato water
with their ponies. He knows well that
in several of the ravines and "cOulees
on their line Of march there is abundant
of water at this season of the year. He
knows wei that not until they had crept
up TO and cautiously peered over that
ridge-without showing SO much
as feather OF their war-bon-
nets-wOuld they venture so
boldly down into the 'swale -
He knows well that both in front and
rear they are watching for the coming of
cavalry, and that now they were dashing
over TO the Platte to peer across the
skirting bluffs until satisfied no fOeman
is near. then TO scurry down into the bot
tom TO search for hoof prints. If they
lind the well-Rnown trail Of shOd horses
in column of twOs, it will tell them be-
yond doubt that the troops are already
guarding the ford. ''Confound it!' he
exclaims. ''Why didn t we think of it
last night and come down the other side?
We could just as well have crossed the
Platte on the engineer bridge, and then
they cOuldn I have spotted us. Now it s
too late Run back, corporal, and warn
the captain. I'll stay here and watch
them -
Connor speeds briskly down the slope
and, even as they see him coming, the
men lead their horses into line. Capt.
Terry has one foot in the stirrup rs the
commissioned officer reaches him and
his hand goes up in salute.
Lieut. Mclean 5 compliments, sir, -
Cthe invariable formula in garrison and
not omitted in the field by soldiers as pre-
else rs the corpoTaD. ''Three or four
bucks are galloping over TO the river
above us TO look for our tracks
How far above US, corporal? -
"'Nigh onto a mile, sir.
Sergeant Wallace. Stay here with
the platoon. Mount you six men on the
right and come after me quick as vol
can!' and away goes Capt Terry, full
speed up the valley and heading close
under the bluffs. In q minnie three of
the designated troopers are IN IL bunch ut
his heels, the other three scattered along
the trail From McLean'S post he can
see both parties in the gathering light,
the Indians, slowly and cautiously now,
beginning the ascent To the bluffs, the
captain and his men speeding it to
get first TO the scene Another moment
and he sees Terry spring from his horse,
throw the reins TO q trooper and ran
crouehing up toward the crest, then, on
hands and knees, peep cautiously over,
his hat rs he does So Then |
he signals ''forwaTd 10 his men,
slides backward yard or |
two. runs 10 his horse, mounts |
gallops some four hundred yards further
along the foot of the slopes, then turns, /
rides half way up. and then he and four |
Of the men leap from their saddles, toss |
their reins 10 the two who remain |
and, carbne in hand, run /
up the bluffs ami throw them /
selves prone upon the turf almost at the /
top. Not two hundred yards away from |
them four Sioux warriors with trailing |
war bonnets and brilliant display of paint /
and glitter are "opening out'' as they