The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-09
CHAPTER IX-Continued.


gorge, he himself spurred away to gath
er in all stragglers within reach, so as
to re-enforce the little garrison at the
caves in the event of attack from tho
Apaches. To his practiced eye no ves-
tige of doubt remained as to the char
acter and purpose of the signal smokes.
Not a moment was to be lost. Within
that very hour perhaps unseen Indians
would come skulkiDg, spying, "snak-
ing" upon their refuge, would be able
infallibly to determine the number and
character of its occupants, and If their
own force were considerable and that
of the garrison weak God alone could
help those innocent women.
When last noted, the westward signal
was putting slowly up into the cloudless
sky from point in the range perhaps
six miles below Patterson's station in
the rocks. The three wearied troopers,
dragging slowly back from the chase,
could be seen coming up the valley prob
ably four miles away, some distance.
therefore, ahead of the supposed position
of the foe. Wing we'll knew with what
goatlike agility the mountain Indians
could speed along from rock to rock and
still keep under cover, and every man
who had served month in Arizona
could have predicted that if Indians in
any force were within days march of
those three stragglers ambush and death
would be their fate, perhaps even when
within view of their longed for goal.
That they had not seen the sign, that
~f fl,a {. l..
ence of Apaches in the range, was man.
ifest simply because they rode close
along under the foot hills, often over
the bowlder strewn outskirts of the
falda, and, though still far from them,
such was Wings anxiety for their safe
ty that he rode furiously along, signal
ing with his left hand as though to
Say: Keep out! Keep to your right!
Don't go so close to the rocks!'
In this way, urging Dick to his speed
and never thinking of his own safety,
intent only on saving his comrades
from possible death, believing, too,
that no Apache could yet have worked
his way SO far up the range, Wing was
riding, straight as the crow flies, from
the little oasis at the mouth of the
canyon toward tho ambling laggards to
the south. His course led him along
within 100 yards of many bowlder or
"suwarrow, though his path itself was
unobstructed. The sun had gone west
ering, and he was in the shadow. Pres
emily, however, as Dick painted painful
iy, heavily, up a very gentle slope, and
the sergeant came upon the low crest of
a moundlike upheaval, he saw some
100 yards ahead broad bay of sun
. light stretching in from the glaring sea
I to the east, and glancing to his right
noted that there was depression in the
range-something like broad cleft in
the mountains possibly pass through
to the broader desert on the other side.
He gave it little thought, however.
There, only mile or so away now,
came his fellow troopers, two in front,
another tagging some distance behind,
riding sleepily toward him and danger
ously close to q number of sheltering
rocks. Intent only on them and still
wishing to attract their attention, he
it off to the left, but with no apparent
result. Confound them Were they
sound asleep? Could they never be
made to seer Poor Dick was able now
only to strike feeble canter, so utterly
was he used up, and just when Wing,
BOOKING only to the front, was thinking
that he might rs well discontinue the
spur and let his poor horse rest, they
labored forth from the sheltering shade
full ,,rc,, tbn 20, ,t-,,t- ct,,,ttf co,,I Tho,,
while the sergeant's eyes were tempo
rarily blinded by the glare, there came
from the rocks to his right sudden
fash and report. He felt at the same
Instant stinginS pang in the leg. He
had just time to grasp his own carbine
and to attempt to swing off when the
second shot echoed loudly from tho
rocks. He felt poor Dick start and
swerve; he felt him going headlong, and
the next thing he knew ho was vainly
striving to peer into the face of the
evening sun from over the quivering
body of his faithful friend, unable for
the moment to see tho faintest sign Of
an enemy, and then the blood came
yelling through the little hole in his
worn cavalry trousers, midway between
the hip bone and the knee, and he
knew he had received serious perhaps
desperate wound.
For tho moment, therefore, he could
do nothing moro but look for succor.
A glance down the desert told him his
fellows were at last rudely awakened.
True to the practice of the craft, the
instant fire was opened from tho rocks
each man had put spurs to his horse
and dashed away to safer distance
with such speed as was possible with
their jaded mounts, each trooper warily
scanning tho dark line of the foot hills
in search of the foe and striving as he
rode to unfasten the flap that held his
carbine, in tho fashion of the day,
athwart tho pommel of his saddle, and
now, oircling farther out upon the
plain, in wide sweep, with carbines
advanced they were Fastening to tho