Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-27

detachment, 1t naturally results that 1 greater freedom of intercourse and speech is developed between the com mander and some, at least, of his party than would ever be the case in years of garrison life; and so it happened that for the moment Drummond forgot the commander in the man.
 "It is most extraordinary, he said, 'that just when paymaster is anxious to keep secret the date and route of his coming tho whole thing is heralded ahead. We have no telegraph and yet three dayS ago we knew that Major Hummer was starting on his first trip. He ought to haye been at Ceralvo's last night. By Jupiteri suppose he was and had but Q small cscortf What elso could that signal fro mean? Here! get those men out to the front now at once; we must push ahead for all we're worth.
 And so at midnight, with steeds painting and jaded. with the pass and the Picacho only four miles ahead, the little detachment was tripping noise lessly through the darkness, and, all alert and eager, Drummond was riding midway between his scouts and the mann body so that no sound close at hand might distract his attention from halls or signals farther out, Suddenly he heard an exclamation ahead, the snort of n frightened horse, then some untitled objurgations, a rider urging reluctant steed to approach some suspicious ob- ject, and, spurring his own spirited charger forward, Mir. Drummond came presently upon the corporal just dis mounting in the darkness and striving to lead his boon companion, whom he could not drive, up to some dark object lying on the plain. This, too, failed. A low whistle, however, brought one of the other scouts trotting in to tho res cue.
 Hold him a minute, Burke" said the corporal, handing up the reins. There's something out here this brute shied at and I cant get him near it again. With that he pushed out to the front while the others listened ex- pectant. A moment later a match was struck, and presently burned brightly in the black and breathless night. Then came the startled cry:
 My God, lieutenant, it's Corporal Donovan and his horso-both dead"
 And even there Mir. Drummond noted that Bland was about the first of the column to come hurrying forward to the scene.
 Ten minutes investigation threw but little light upon the tragedy. Some stumps of candles were found in the saddlebags and packs, and with these the men secured the plain for signs. Spreading well out from the center, they closely examined the sandy level. From the north came the trail of two cavalry horses, shod alike, both at the lope. 10th .draggy and weary. From the point where lay Donovan and his steed thcro was but one horse track. Whirling sharply around, the rider had | sent his mount Gt n laundering gallop l back across tho valley; then 100 yards | away, in long curve, he had refined him to the southeast. The troopers who followed the hoof marks out about an eighth of mile declared that, un- wounded. 10th horso and rider were making tEc best of their way toward Moreno's ranch. Farther search, not | 50 yards to the front, revealed the fact that at tho edge of little depression and behind some cactus bushes three human forms had been lying prone, and from this point probably had sped tho deadly bullet.
 "Apachos, by God!" muttered one l of the men.
 "Apaches, your grandmother" was the sergeant's fierce reply. Will you never learn sense, Moore? When did Apachcs take to wearing store clothes and heeled bocts? There's no Apache | Sv, fl,iS Gcr,fN-Nnnf Nnl- hnrN sir nI here. Move out farther, some of you fellows, and see where they hid their l horses. Corporal Donovan was with c troop down the Gila last week, sir. | They were to meet and escort tho pay master most like. It's my belief he | was one of the guard and that the am bulance has been jumped this very night. These are road agents, not | Apaches, and God knows what s hap pened if they've got away with Patsy. Sure ho was ono of the nerviest men in the whole troop, sir.
 Drummond listened, every nerve a-tingle, even while with hurried hands he cut open the shirt at tho brawnY or faintest sign of life. Useless. The shot hole under the left eye told plainly that the leaden missile had torn its way through tho brain and that death must have been instan- taneous. The soldiers arms and ac-
 couterments, the horses equipments,
 were gone. The bodies lay unmuti-
 lated. Tho story was plain. Separated
 in some way from the detachment, Don-
 ovan and his companion had probably
 sighted the signal blazing at the pass
 and come riding hard to reach tho spot,
 when the unseen foo crouching across