Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-05-02
ACROSS THE BAY.
BY WILL LISESBEE.

against the sky, while far to the west
the bright waters Of the gulf cleaned
like polished steel through the amber
haze.
Along the rolling upland plain that
cOmpOses the gulf coast two horsemen
were riding leisurely to the south. The
first was a man of about forty-tive, tall
and muscular, whose swarty face and
dark, flashing eyes pronounced him to
be of Spanish descent. His companion
was youth Of seventeen, with bright,
handsome face and clear blue eyes. He
undoubtedly was an American Each
carried a repeating rifle of the most ap-
proved pattern, with belts we'll filled with
cartridges.
The boy was Paul Benton, whose home
was Los Angeles, and who was on visit
to his uncle, Don Miguel De Alma His
sister Elsie, aged fifteen, had accom-
panied him, and they were to spend a
month at the De Alma hacienda, de-
lightful old building, with wide sweep
ing verandas, situated upon gentle slope
three miles inland from the gulf.
The eastern coast of the Gulf of Cali
fornia is indcnted with many inlets which
are almost invariably inclosed by per
pendicuIar cliffs, and upon one of these
small inIets called Ba Chiquito Oittle
Bay, which lies thirty miles north of
where the Rio Altar empties its waters
into the Gulf, stood the De Alma hacienda
Although this is fine grazing country,
it is also one of the best fruit growing
sections IN Mexico, the orange and lemon
crop being very large.
Early in the morning Paul had gone
with his uncle to a little town ten miles
to the north There they had received
the intelligence that a few detached
gangs of Apachcs had been discovered in
the mountains and foothills, and a ranch
man and two herders were reported to
have been massacred by the savages the
night before
Upon hearing this news Don Miguel
had become alarmed, and after purchas-
ing a couple of repeating rifles and a
hundred pounds of cartridges, he and
Paul had set out on their return to the
hacienda.
"Uncle," said Paul "do you really
think the Apaches are in the neighbor-
hood?"
I'm afraid so, " replied the don, land
we must take every precaution to prevent
being surprised by them
But I thought you had little or no
trouble with the Indians in this local
ity"
"SuCh has been the case heretofore,
but the recent Apache outbreak in Ari-
zOna has caused the United States Gov
ernment to take the matter in hand, and
an army which has been garrisoned at
Fort Grant had been sent in pursuit of
the savages. This has resulted in driv-
ING them south into Mexico"
The ground over which the two were
riding was Of light, sandy character,
covered with a short growth of bunch
grass, with here and there strip of bare
sand, out of which rose the giant cacti
like grim scntineIs.
''Look - cried Paul, suddenly point
ing to the east. ''What are those long
sticks over yonder? There! they are
moving"
Don Miguel glanced quickly to the
left, and as he did so an exclamation of
establishment broke from his lips.
"Nhat is it," asked Paul.
-NldGnc>, or II greatly mistaken.
answered the don, in an excited tone.
le~-therc, | see one of their head
dresses. Those sticks you saw are their
1ances which appeared above the hill.
We must ride for our lives"
Quick as flash the two spirited
horses bounded forward, and swept
across the rolling plain, a great
cloud of sand rising in their
wake. But scarcely had they travelled a
hundred yards when, with unearthly
yeIls issuing from their score of savage
tthroats, gang of Apaches spurred their
horses across the hill and came thunder
ING in pursuit.
Though we'll mounted, the fugitives
recognized their great peril, and urged
their horses forward at the top of their
speed. To attempt to hold their own
against such heavy odds III an open fight
would be worse than madness, since the
ApacAes were known to be we'll armed,
and the most desperate of all the savage
tribes IN the West
CHANGING backward, Paul's heart sank
within him Us he saw, through the roll
!ng clouds Of sand, a score of hideous
faces sweeping down the slope in hot
pursuit
Full five miles ahead lay the hacienda