News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-08-31

ed to their girths in the powdery snow,
AT last Brewster noted that here and
| there far in the northwestern skies the
stars were beginning to peep; the clouds
were driving away, the dawn was nigh,
the hurricane abating. Broader and
brighter the daylight stole over the
storm swept prairie, streaked here and
there with feecy, winding veins, and
when at last the sun arose in its un.
clouded splendor the gale had died away
to mere ghost of its furious self, and
they rubbed the icy fringe from their
battered eyelids and gazed long and
wistfully up and down that shallow
winding valley, all heaped and tumbled
with the driven snow, and saw not Q
sign of those whom they had rushed tc
save.
Never f+r an instant did Brewster re
lax his efforts. Giving each of his mer
pull at the flask, he selected little
Murphy as about the most compact and
certainly the lightest of the trio, and
bade him make his way to camp and
tell the colonel that up to sunrise nc
vestige of the lost ones had been found,
and suggest that additional parties be
sent out at once.
"Tel somebody to bring my field
glass" he added, as Murphy was about
to ride away. "If | had dreamed we
would have found nothing of the ambu-
lance until this time, never should
have left it. Good luck to you now,
corporal. Ride as lively as you can"
Murphy turned promptly away, spur
red his unwilling horse through the ice
into the black and racing waters of the
Wolf and was presently following a lit
tie break in the north side which led by
a more gradual ascent to the prairie be-
yond.
"Now, men, one of you ride back to-
ward the party at the ford, poke into
every ravine to your left-they're all full
of snow; it may be the ambulance is so
deep in the drift they could hear no
sound. If you find anything, the faint
est trace, ride up on the prairie and
circle your horse to the left. Morse,
you come with me-"
"Beg pardon, lieutenant, think Muir
ply sees something now," said Morse,
indicating the farther shore with a nod
of his fur covered head. Whirling Gag
erly about, Brewster was surprised to see
his little Irishman, hundred yards or
so away, crouching low on his horses
back, still in the ravine and up to his
girth in snow, and peering cautiously
eastward, his eyes just level with the
bank. Then he was plainly seen to sig
nal. In an instant Brewster and his men
were plunging into the rapid stream,
crushing the ice that slirted the shores
and bounding out upon the frozen
ground beyond. Again Murphy held
forth a hand-a warning gesture, not a
beckoning one. keep down, keep
down." he signaled, and wondering, the
little party of troopers cautiously fol
lowed into the ravine.
"What do you see?'' queried Brewster
eager and agitated.
Upon my soul, sir. wish / knew
but it's more like Indians than anything
1 can think of
Indians? where away?" And with
wild fear at heart Brewster gazed ovel
the bank in the direction indicated.
Indians, and coming this way, sir, OF
u III u lNAuCAAOObg AhhlACACo 4hOlSGs u
man who had served in the Twelfth for
many year.
"What on earth can they be doing SO
far south of the agency? You don't
think any of the hostiles have got down
this way?"
They're all hostiles, sir, when there's
Dnly three or four ag'in them. 1t don't
matter whether these are from the
agency or the Bad Lands now, if they
can catch white man a-napping, and
something has brought them out here"
"My God, mani you don't suppose
they've heard of the ambulancep
"They hear things quicker than we
do, lieutenant. Day or night, calm or
storm, those fellows can all around beat
us in getting news"
"And they are coming from the north
east, lieutenant" chimed in Murphy.
"That means if they are from the viii
lagos near the agency they've circled
around our people"
Breathless the little party watched the
coming dots. The stream bore to the
northeast after deep bend about half
a mile away. and ON the farther bank,
moving nearly parallel with the valley,
about dozen dark objects could be seen
moving at rapid lope, the springing, tire
less gait of the Indian pony. Ponies they
were unquestionably, and each with his
rider. Every moment brought them
nearer and nearer, until, as they spread
out in extended order across the level
surface, it was possible to count their
number, eleven; possible to note that
every now and then some one of the
number in front or ON the fanks would
rein in suddenly and circle around and
stop, as though examining tracks upon
the prairie.
at is not possible the ambulance can
have got so far over as that" muttered
Brewster. ''It is not possible that they
can have heard of it in all that fearful
storm. Why. Morse, it's madness to
think of itl''
81 don't know how far the team may
have been driven out that way, sir, but
the blizzard came from the northwest,
from their left front; it beat across their
path all the way and mules won't face
it, and if it isn't the ambulance they're
after, what can it be?'
my God, if we only knew where it
wasp groaned Brewster. "Come what
may, men, we've got to stand 'twixt it
and those scoundrels. Here, Murphy,
lively now, slip back down into the val
ley and ride for all you're worth to the
ford and bring those fellows back with
you, every man of them. Tell them to
keep under the bank and ride like hell
Off with you, now" And this time there
was no recall; Murphy was out of sight
in flash.
Nearer and nearer rode the savage
horsemen, now about mile away.
Already Morse and his silent comrade
had swung their carbines out of their
leathern buckets, thrust cartridge in
the chamber and loosened others in the
woven thimbles. Brewster never for an
instant quit his gaze, but his hand had
stolen back and loosed the flap of the
holster at his hip. The movements of
the Indians had puzzled him; they were
riding not ms though moving on some
point already determined, but rather as
if searching. feeling their way. Every
now and then, too, some of their num-
ber cantered to the edge of the bank and
seemed to scrutinize the valley.
"Snowdrifts are too deep and plenti-
full in there, around that bend, sir.
That's why they're up ON the prairie"
TO BE CONTINUED.
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