The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-04

ularity right upon the battery at the Eel
ton place. Meantime sharpshooter, with
globe-sighted rifle, was in treetop shoot
ing the gunners at his leisure. The red
bearded officer could not keep cool. He
was no coward, but the situation was un-
bearable.
'Shoot that tree OFF, he Numbered. "The
leading oak on the clif-shoot it off or that
Internal fellow'll kill us ALP
The guns were focused on the tree, and
the shot and shell tore all around it, splin-
tering the rock, tearing up the earth,
and darkening the air, but the rifleman APP
peared not much disturbed; he steadily kept
up his firing. and at almost every shot down
fell an artilleryman.
"We can't stand it, cried the officer with
the red beard, and as he spoke the sergeant
at his side staggered, clawed wildly in the
air, and fell on his face, dead.
Then whirlwind of shot and shell
rushed by, dismounting one of the guns.
At this point of time CHASTITY man, clad
in citizens clothes and bearing a heavy, old
fashioned fint-lock mountain rifle, APP
preached the officer, who recognized him
Instantly.
IT want to fight" gesped this apparition.
"Well, fight and be burned to you,'' thun-
dered the officer. go kill that devil in that
tree over yonder. Go! Kill him as soon as
you please, and as dead as you CAMP
As if in prompt obedience to the order,
Guo bU1duSO Luuu UuIAcu anu WoAU uOWu Guo
hill into the smoke, where the missiles were
rattling like hail. It was place of death,
and he moved like a dead man walking.
In the air overhead thousand sounds, as
of swarming, invisible and rushing spirits,
were mingled together, making vast
throbbing rhythm. Now and then shell
howled like maniac; the swish of the
round shot sometimes was sharpened into a
strange, wheeling, whistle note. Far and
near the pounding of the missile gave to
all other noises and to the whole great bel
lowing and wallowing storm an intense and
awful significance.
The red-bearded officer thought not of
apparition's voice; he feared but one mis-
sile-the bullet of that man in the tree.
The heavy round shot, the long missiles
from the rifle cannon and the humping,
bounding shells were going by in a ftful
way, now tumbling shower of them, then
Anon they came in wisps, painting and pal
pitating as if with rage. But the solemn,
chastity face and shrunken eyes of the tot
tering rifeman kept the captain from
thinking of the storm that beat around
him, and yet, with an overwhelming sense
of deadly danger, he helplessly awaited the
next bullet from the sharpshooter's I'M
erring rifle.
The artilleryman nearest to the captain
turned to him, all grimy with powder and
reeking with sweat. As he spoke his feat
ures gave awful emphasis to his words, and
his voice was husky with horror:
captain" he exclaimed, that there was
| dead man that you sent over yonder. His
| eyes were cold and still and solemn, and
his flesh was corpse-fesh. tell you he was
deadv'
The captain felt chill go up his back.
| Two shells burst overhead with terrible
conclusion. The artilleryman put his
hands convulsively to his ears. There was
| a moments lull.
Eyes. he was dead man-dead," he re-
peated.
The man in the tree fred again, and the
artilleryman, with the last word of his sen.
| tence still on his lips, doubled up his body
| and Law down. He was shot through the
lungs. The captain SHE'D from spent
| round shot that came plunRing past, but
! the thought Of what the soldier had said
and of how white and clammy the appari-
ton had looked did not go out of his mind,
| He passed from gun to gun until he came to
the one that was on the highest ground
! from there he could see across more clearly
I to the tree in which the sharpshooter was
perched.
IF that really was dead man." he NUT
tered, there in the vhirl and turmoil-''i1
he was dead and walking like sleep
| Yalker''-
He shook his red. powder begrimed head
and looked searchin9ly over the ground
forgetting for the moment the dangers OF
his exposed situation. Soon he saw what
his eyes we're in search of. The faltering
strangely emaciated. eadaver-like man waf
zlgzaglng his way with much dlfhcuity
among the scattered trees up the steep
socsy Sa; % rather aeEies of NAl1s. tRal