The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1893-06-29

Jim Drummond rode resolutely out
toward the southern desert. toward
the distant line Of jagged mountains
that spannsd the far horizon. The
false aud fatal blaze at the Picacho
had utterly disappeared, and all was
darkness at the west. The red glow
of the smouldering embers behind
was no longer sufficient to light their
path. Straight array south ward led
the wheel-tracks, first separate and
distinct, but soon blending, as though
one wagon had fallen behind and
followed the trail of the holder leader
in the first. Straight away after
them went the ruck Of hoof tracks,
telling plainly that for time@ at
least the gang had massed and was
prepared to guard its plumber. Stop
to divide it was evident they dared
not, for they had not with them the
implements to break into the safe,
and all their searching and threaten
| ing had failed to extract from the ap
parently dying paymaster any
clue as to what ne had done
with they key. Stick to-
! gether, therefore, they undoubtedly
, would, reasoned the lieutenant, and
all their effort would be to reach
some secure haunt in the Sierras,
and there send back their demand
for ransom. Twenty five thousand
dollars in cash and George Harvey S
precious daughters 1t was, indeed,
a rich haul one that in all the dread
history of the Morales gang had
never been equaled Even had they
failed to secure the safe, the richer
booty was theirs in having seized the
girls. Few people in Arizona, as
Arizona then was constituted, would
make great effort to overhaul a gang
Of robbers whose only victim was
Uncle Sam and his "liveried hire
lings." Nobody in Sonora would
fail to regard them with envious
eyes, but in the deed of rspine that
made them the captors and possess
ors Of those defenseless sisters each
man had put a price upon his head,
a halter round his neck, for Grin
go" and "Greaser,o American and
Mexican alike, would spring to arms
to rescue and avenge.
As the rearmost Of the little party
Of pursuers disappeared in the dark
ness and the wearied pack mules
went jogging sullenly after, urged
on by the goad of their half Mexican
driver, the sergeant left'in charge OF
the detachment at the corral locked
at his watch and noted that it was
half past two o'clock. The dawn
would be creeping on at four.
Wearied as were his men, he did not
permit them all to rest. The
condition of his wounded and the
instructions left him by Lieut..
Drummond made it necessary that
they should have constant attention.
II was sore trouble for him to look
at the old paymaster, whose life
seemed ebbing away, lyiag there so
pitifully, but Feeny lay torpid
breathing, yet seeming to suffer not
at all. Both were III desperate need
Of surgical attendance, but where
could surgeon be fourdf The near
est was at Stoneman, the little can
torment across the Christobal, thir-
ty miles to the east; and though a
gallant fellow had volunteered to
make the ride alone through the
Apache infested pass and carry the
despatch that Drummond had hur-
riedly pencilled, there was nc posi-
bility of doctors reaching them be-
fore the coming night, and the
thought of all they might have to
suffer through the fierce white heat
of the intervening day was one that
gave the sergeant deep concern.
Then, too, who could say whether
the solitary trooper would succeed
in running the gauntlet aud making
his way through; He was reso-
lutte old frontiersman, skilled in In
dian warfare, and we'll aware that
his best chance was in the dark, but
speed as he might the broad light of
day would be on him long
before he could get half
way through the range. The
stage from the west would probably
come along about sunset, but
nothing could be hoped for sooner.
No troops we're nearer than the
Colorado in that direction except
the little signal post at the Picacho.
Corporal Fox and two men had been
sent thither to inquire what the
signal meant, ard it would soon be
time for them TO come riding in with
their report. How he wished Wing
was herel Wing knew something
about everything. He was an
expert veterinarian, something OF a
doctor, knew more of mineralogy
than all the officers put together,
and could speak Spanish better than
any man in the regiment. When it
became necessary to have a signal
station at the peak, and it was
found that no one knew anything
about the business, Wing got one of
the old red manuals, studied the
system, and inside Of a week was
signalling with the expert sent down
from San Francisco.
The interior of the ranch was