News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-08-24

Not two hundred yards has he ridden
when from the point which he has just
quilted there comes a sudden yell of
warning, followed almost instantly by
two shots in quick succession. Then
bang! bang! another two, and, as he
whirls about, the first object that meets
his startled gaze is Ellis handsome black
horse plunging to earth almost at the
edge of a shallow ravine some distance
out in front of the butte
"My God, sir" cries the orderly, 'sSer-
geant Ellis is killedr'
Berrien's heart bounds. There, face
downward upon the sward, motionlcss,
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 finery, two young Indian
braves lash their ponies into furious gal
lop as they shoot up out of the shallow
ravine, and rifles in hand, coupsticks
advanced, race madly toward the strick-
en- trooper in eager effort to secure the
trophy of their prowess, the coveted
scalp of the fallen foe.
"Your carbine, manr' yells Berrien to
his orderly. "Quick! Shoot that lead
err And putting spurs to his snorting
horse, reckless of the fact that he is
armed only with revolver and that the
ravine may be full of Indians, the 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
rod. They are within twenty PAGES of
him when, with a shout of delight, the
major sees him whirl suddenly over,
grasp his carbine, and, all in a second,
the flame leaps from the bronzed muz-
zle, 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 pony's stretching neck. Ber-
rien's bullet whizzes harmlessly above,
and the major himself, borne by the
rush of his half maddened steed, dashes
on past Ellis, now kneeling for another
shot, and goes crash into the midst of 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
permost, and almost in the face of the
foremost Sioux his revolver blazes it's
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
eyes, of hideOus painted face, sudden
sense of stumble and stunning fall,
shrill whoop of triumph, changing in
stantly into the death cry, and while his
Brule antagonist goes crashing down,
pony and all, Berrien is conscious of the
superb leap of big black charger over
bis aXp- e-+txSa++ F. 20 ts,allifa>'-,4e - -
and the next minute Brewster IS kmeel-
ing by his side, raising the honored gray
head in his strong young arms, and the
voice that thunderel in battle cry but
an instant agone is trembling now as he
calls for canteen of water and bids his
half stunned commander not to strive to
move.
"We've got two of them, sir, all right"
he whispers, breathless, but well know
ing that to be the best news he can give.
1.-The rest got away and left a bullet hole
in your shoulder"