Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-08-11

beyond which, a long, long DAYS march
away, stands the guarded camp VI com
rade soldiery awaiting their return.
Berr1en studies the scene long and care
fully through his glasses. Intermediate
ridges are not many, but they are sharp
and clearly defined.
Who was it reported that tile ad-
vance saw signal smokes south Of us ut
noon? lie asks.
corporal Waite, sir; he and two Of
the men saw them plainly. ana thev
seemed to be answered off here And
Ellis points miles away to the west.
BerTien ponders moment.
Where away would YOU locate the
agency. sergeant, If sou were going to
take bee line for it.7
"Out off h,ea- sir.
And they crossed that line going into
the yallcy:1
they certainly did, sir, and Look,
majorl look yonder. Another band.
and frolp exactly the same place
4 little bevy Of dark objects darts
suddenly INTO view from behind a cur
tainlike divide and goes skim1ning over
a level stretch toward the lowIands VI
the valley. Berrien's glasses seem glued
to his eyes.
Twenty Of them ia that partyl What
do they seey Whats their hurry. They
would not expose themselves " our
view unless there were urgent need fol-
haste.
The old road comes in from that di-
7-fsfstTr g-Tta
a few hours out from the cantonment.
as you remember. Can anything have
been seen along that road to give rise To
signal smokes
Berrien turns half over and looks
keenly into the sergeant's intelligent
face.
THAT road has been abandoned for
weeks past. Everybody to the east of
us has taken refuge at the railway long
since. Nobody would be coming from
that direction.
IL know that. sfr; but would not any
detachment coming from the agency to
meet rs, for instance, be apt to keep
the road, | understood we were TO
strike for it III the morning ana follow
it in
Again Ben,ien gazes long and earnest
" through the hinoeular. ~They are
certainly heading for that road and
riding at fun speed. How many men
have you at this fronts~ lie quickly
asks.
Just eight, sir, all told, but eight
more are almost within call over on
our left flank. Yonder il the ridge
where my men are posted And Ellis
points to their left rear where Hes the
low crest.
just keep q good lookout here, ser
geant, will move them over this way
and then ride to tile left flank. Ny
horse, orderly" And, thinking deeply
over the matter as he rides. Berrien
spurs into lively canter across an IN
tervening dip ii the prairie. '.Some
mischief ahead, he lnatters. s.They
arc iIor Si,eessl4 ttis tirit valley for IIUtll-
ing, We may have to saddle and yet
over there
Not two hundred yards has he ridden
when from the point which he has Just
quilted there comes a sudden veil of
warning. followed almost instantly bv
two shots in quick succession. Then
bang! bangl another two. and. as he
whirls about. the first object that laeets
his startled gaze j. Ellis handsome black
horse plunging to earth almost 1T the
edge Of a shallow ravine some distance
out ia front Of the butte.
"My God, Sir, cries tile orderly, Ser
geant Ellis is killedr'
Berien's heart bounds. There, face
downward upon the sward, motionloss.
just few feet away from the plunging,
death stricken horse, lies the sergeant,
his carbine dropped from his nerveless
hand. At the same instant red, glitter
ing, bedaUbed with paint, bespangled
with cheap fnery, two young Indian
braves lash their ponies into furious gal
Top is they shoot UP out of the shallow
raviue. and rifles i'll hand, coupsticks
advanced, race lnadly toward the striclz-
ell trooper III eager effort 10 secure the
trophy Of their pFowess, the coveted
scalp Of the fallen foe.
Your carbine. mani yells Berrien to
his orderly Quick. Shoot that lead.
err And putting spurs to his sn0rting
horse, reckless Of the fact that he l.
armed only with revolver and that the
raviue may be full u Indians, tile vet
eran soldier drives full tilt at the charg-
ing braves. He thinks only Of the fact
that one Of his men lies PROSTATE and
helpless before them. They are almost
upon Ellis before Berrien has galloped a
rod. They are within twenty PAGES VI
him when. with shout Of delight, the
major sees him whirl suddenly over,
grasp his carhine, and, all in a second.
the flame leaps from the bronzed muz-
Ele, the foremost warrior drops his
rifle, whirls up clinching, convulsive
hand and topples headforemost out of
the saddle. Scott. the vedette, echoes
with another shot that kicks up the dust
close under the second pony's flashing
heels Its red rider veers in broad circle
TO the right, and in the twinkling of an
eye the feathered war bonnet bows low
over the ponys stretching neck. Ber-
riens bullet whizzes harmlessly above,
and the major himself. borne by tile
rush of his half naddencd steed, dashes
on past Ellis, now kneeling for another
SMUT ttiltt -tJtS Ildcll lhtt tAt tAlNtrA "a "a
little knot of yelling warriors Just
bounding up out Of the gully to the res
cue of their stricken comrade "Bess,
my wife; Winnie are the only words
he has time or thought TO mutter. for
instant death seems inevitable.
But all the old fighting instinct Is up
perInost, and almost il the face of tile
foremost Sioux his revolver blazes its
challenge, and horse and pony meet in
tremendous shock, and the lighter steed
goes tumbling and rolling over the turf.
There Is chorus of yells, shots, soldier
cheers. laundering hoofs. There is a
vision Of glittering steel in front Of his
fves, Of hideous painted face. a sudden
sense Of stumble and stunning fall,
shlin whoop Of triumph, changing in-
stantly into the death cry, and while his
B1ale antagonist goes crashing down,
pony and all, Berrien is conscious Of the
superb leap Of big black charger over
his own prostrate form, Of stentorian
cheer from half dozen trooper throats,
and the next minute Brewster is kneel-
ing By his side, raising the honored gray
head i'll his strong young arms, and the
voice that thundered in battle cry but
an instant agone is trembling now as III
calls for canteen Of water and bids hi