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

Ten o'clock on klazing Arizona
morning. The hot sun is pouring down
upon the Jagged front of "A range Of
heights where occasional clumps of pine
and cedar, scrub oak and juniper, SEEM
ed the only vegetable products hardy
enough to Withstand the alterations Of
intense heat by day and moderate cold
by night, or to find sufficient sustenance
to eke out a living on SO barren soil.
Out to the eastward, stretching away
to an opposite range, lies a sandy des-
ert dotted at wide intervals with little
black punches of scrub mesquite"
and blessed with only one redeeming
patch of foliage, the copse of willows
and cottonwood here at the mouth of
rock ribbed defile where little brook,
rising heaven knows how or where
among the heights to the west, comes
frothing and tdnbling down through
the wlndings of the gorge only to bury
itself in the burning sands beyond the
shade. So narrow and tortuous is the
canyon, so precipi.ous its sides, as to
prove conclusively Sat by no slow proc
ess, but by some sudden spasm of ma
ture, was it rent in the face of the
range. And here in its depths, just
around one of the sharpest bends, honey
combed out of the solid rock, are half a
dozen deep lateral assures and caya
where the sunbeams never penetrate
where tho air is reasonably cool and
still, whero on this scorching May morn
ing, far away from home and relatives,
two young girls are sheltered by the
natural roofs and walls against the fiery
sunshine and by little band Of reso-
Lutte men against the fury OF the
Apaches.
Down in the roomiest Of the caves
Fanny and Ruth Harvey are listening
in dread anxiety to the sounds of savage
warfare echoing from crag to crag
along the range, while every moment
or two the elder turns to moisten the
cloth she holds to wounded troopers
burning, tossing head. Sergeant Wing
is fevered indeed by this time, raging
with misery at thought Of his helpless
ness and the scant numbers of the de-
fense. 1t is bitter pill for the soldier
to swallow, this of lying in hospital
when every man is needed at the front.
At 0 o'clock this morning veteran In
dian fighter, crouching in his sheltered
lookout above the caves and scanning
with practiced eye tho frowning front
Of the range, declared that not an
Apache was to be seen or heard within
rifle shot, yet was in no wise surprised
when, few minutes later, as he hap
pened to show his head above the rocky
parapet, there came tipping dozen
bullets about his ears, and tho cliffs
fairly cracked with the sudden flash
of rifles hidden up to that instant ON
every side. Indians who can creep
upon wagon train or emigrant camp
in the midst of an open and unsheltered
plain find absolutely no difficulty in
surrounding unsuspected and unseen
bivouac in the mountains. Inexperi-
enced officers or men would have been
picked off long before the opening of
the general attack, but the Apaches
themselves are tho first to know that
they have veteran troopers to deal with,
for up to this moment only one has
shown himself at all. At fivo minutes
after 0 o'clock Lieutenant Drummond,
glancing exultingly around upon his lit
Ito band of fighters, had blessed tho
foresight of Pasqual Morales and his
gang that they had so thoroughly forti-
fed their lair against sudden assault.
Three on the southern, two on the north
ern brink of-the gorge and behind i'm
penetrablc shelter. and two moro in re-
serve in the canyon, his puny garrison
was in position and had replied with
such spirit and promptitude to tho
Apgche Htrack TINT only az rare inter-
walls now is a shot necessary, except
when for the purpose of drawing the
enemy and locating his position hat
is poked up on the muzzle OF a carbine.
The assailants' fire. too. is still. but
that, as Drummond's men we'll know,
means only look out for other devil
want |"