The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-06-15


held Feeny's hand while another man
came up behind and mashed" him
with the butt Of his pistol, and that
this fellow in soldier clothes was the
man who afterward shot Feeny as he
was trying to crawl away.
Drummond looked around at the man
incredulous almost derisive. The story
was improbable, too much so to deserve
even faint attention. Just then Mel.
necke came back and, precise as ever,
stood attention and saluted.
Herr lieutenant, Private Bland IL
not with my party ct all, SIR
ibid you leave him back with the
packs?"
mo, sir; the men say he wasn't with
us all night. He rode ahead with the
lieutenant until we came to Corporal
Donovan's body"
"He's not been with me SINCE" ex-
claimed the lieutenant. Sergeant Lee,
nsk if any of the men have seen him."
Lee was gone but moment, then
came back with grave face and troubled
eyes, bringing with him young troop
er who was serving his first enlistment.
"Prfvate Goss, here, has queer story
to tell, SIR"
What do You know What have
you SEEM" asked Drummond.
"Why, sir, right after Sergeant Lee
caught sight of the fire and sung out
that it was Moreno's l was back about
couple of rods looking for my canteen.
I was that startled when they found
/ Corporal Donovan dead that dropped
it, and all of a sudden somebody comes
out past me leading his horse, and
asked him what he had lost, and he said
his pipe and passed me by, and i
thought nothing more about it-only
no sooner did he get out into the dark
where 1 couldn't see him than heard
all of sudden horse start at full gal
lop right over in this direction, and
now think of it it must have been
Bland, for it was him that passed me,
sir-sneaking out like"
Drummond sprang to his feet.
"What say you to this, sergeant? Do
you believe-do you think it possible
that Bland has deserted and Joined
these outlaws?'
II don't know what to think, sir,
but haven't forgotten what Feeny
said of him."
"What was that?"
"That he had too smooth tongue to
have led a rough and honest life; that
if he was Texan as he claimed Texas
people had learned to talk different
lingo since he was stationed among
them with the old Second cavalry before
there at Lowell when the adjutant ac-
cepted those letters from former officers
Of the regiment as genuine. Bland
would never show them to Feeny. Said
he had sent 'em all to his home in
Texas. That was what made bad blood
between them"
"By heaveni and now to think that
one of our troop-C troop-should
have been engaged in this outrage!
But we'll get them, men," said Drum
mond, Strengthening up to his full
height and raising his gauntleted hand
in air. 'They can't go fast or far
with those wagons such night as this.
They'll strike the foot hills before
they've gone 10 miles, then they'll
have to go slow. Well catch them be-
fore the sun is up, and, by the God of
heaven, if Bland is with them, I'll
string him to the highest tree we can
find"
"There's more than him that'll be
strung up" growled a grizzled old
trooper in an undertone. "The gang
that murdered Pat Donovan will find
scant mercy in this crowd"
AYE, ave." said another, land
there's more than Pat Donovan to be
scored off. Look yonder." For at the
instant one of the packers came leading
into the corral resisting mule, at sight
of whose burden many of the horses
started in fear. 1t was the lifeless body
of Donovan's companion, the soldier who
had escaped the assassin's bullet when
Patsy fell only to be overtaken and cut
down half way to Moreno's.
cts the bloodiest night I've known
even in Arizona, said Lee to his young
leader. "The paymaster and Mr.. Har-
vey about as good as dead, old Feeny
dying, most like, the clerk and Mullan
duQ 5OIuc OtuoI tIOOpCI VI tho CoSOiI
burned to ashes in that hell hole there,
and Donovan and this last one-some
of our fellows think it is Flynn, from f
troop-shot to death. It's worse than
Apache, lieutenant, and there'll be no
use trying to restrain our fellows when
we catch the blackguards.
A quarter Of an hour later, leaving
half dozen soldiers under an expert
enced sergeant to guard the packs, the
wounded and the noncombatants at the
smoldering ruins of the ranch, with
barely score of seasoned troopers at
his back, Lieutenant Jim Drummond
rode resolutely out toward the southern
desert, toward the distant line of jagged
mountains that spanned the far hori-
zon. The false and fatal blaze at the
Picacho had utterly disappeared, and
all was darkness at the west. The red
glow Of the smoldering embers behind
was no longer sufficient to light their
path. Straight away southwark led
the wheeltracks, first separate and dis
tinct, but soon blending, as though one