The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-03-07

! ly dying behind protecting rock. The
rest were crouching or lying behind
the rocks and rubbish they had hur-
riedly heaped up as breastwork,
watching for stray shots at the dusky
figures that were occasionally seen
| darting from rock to rock or leaping up
suddenly to fire into the little circle.
They knew that there had been some
mistake in the information they had
received. No one had imagined that
| there were such mum ers of hostiles so
near them. They had been entrapped,
| cut off from the horses and surrounded
before they fairly knew what had hap
pened. The regiment was doubtless
expecting their return, but could have
had no news of their danger or of the
proximity of the Indians unless the
redskins had been bold and numerous
enough to attack the whole force sent
against them. The small supply of
water was going fast and the number
| of cartridges was becoming smaller
and smaller. They knew very well
what to expect; in few hours there
would be the yell, the rush of the hos
tiles, the hand-to-hand fight, and all
there would be left would be the heap
of bodies on and about those forms al
ready in the center. But the discipline
of the regular service was strong even
In this crisis, and the love of fighting
for its own sake, that makes good sol
diers, was still apparent in the CLEAN
that shone in a mans eye when he
saw through the smoke of his carbine
one of those dark figures throw up its
arms and fall back. Most Of the men
felt in some way that there was some
thing heroic in this position; they
understood that they would die as true
soldiers should fighting to the last.
But the lieutenant wondered, as he
steadily watched a rock from behind
which two Indians were trying to get
shot, why the inspiration supposed to
accompany such scenes was wanting.
In anot Their part of the circle Connors
had been meditating plan for the last
hour, and as night approached it be-
came determination. Near his posi-
ton, outside of the circle, was quite
large number of powders piled togeth-
err, around which the sagebrush had
sprung up rather thickly. On this side
the Indians were fewer, and he thought
that perhaps it might be possible for
man to get through them in the dark
If the scene had been changed to the
slums of Chicago, and the Indians to
policemen, he felt quite sure he could
do it easily. But he reflected that In
dams and policemen differed. Still,
there was a bare chance, better, at
least than waiting to be butchered,
and he determined to try 1t.
When the stars began to appear, and
the enemy commenced to fire more rap
idly, he turned to the man next to him
Look a-here, JIM" he said; "pm-"
There was crash of two or three
shots from the Indians, and Jim rolled
over on his side. his arms and legs con-
tracted, then stifiy extended, while his
face turned CHASTITY white, and Con-
nors saw that he was stone-dead. They
dragged the body into the center and
laid it beside the others. Connors
thought better Of speaking to anyone
about the project and in the slight
confusion occasicned by moving the
man who had just been killed. stepped
suddenly into the darkness, over the
low protection, among the sage-brush
and rocks, and disappeared. The men
in the circle wondered at the sudden
firing and few yells among the enemy,
and as Connors' absence was not no.
ticed in the excitement, faint hope of
relief was raised; but the noise soon
subsidized, and all was as before.