Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-05
FOES IN AMBUSH. By Capt. CHARLES KING, U. 8. A.
tCopyriGht, 1898, by Charles King.l
 CHAPTER X,

l CT daybreGk had now to be abandoned, as Drummor.d explained, because here was a man who could not stand the l journey. Surely there would not be many hours before the relief party from Stoneman, following their trail, would come speeding to the rescue, bringing to the wounded the needed surgical skill and attention, bringing to the Harvey girls their devoted father. The only question in the young lieutenant $ mind as the sun rose, a burning, daz- zling disk, over the distant mountains to the east was, Which will be first to reach us, friends or foes?
 Wearied and shattered though he was and replete as the night had been with anxiety and vigil, Drummond climbed the goat track that led to the sentry s perch feeling full of hope and pluck and | fight. He and his men had divided the night into watches, one being awake l and astir, not even permitting himself to sit moment, while the others slept. l The fact that he wSs able to send back | to the caves, have an ambulance hitch ed in and driven down to where Wing lay wounded, and to bear him slowly, carefully, back to shelter, reaching the caves without further molestation be- fore darkness set in. had served to con- | vince the young commander that he | could count on reasonable security for the night. Unless they know their prey to be puny and we'll nigh defenseless, l Apachcs make no assault in the dark l ness. and so, with the coming of the dawn, he had about him fit for service | n Inf fro Sf | them seasoned mountain fighters. His main anxiety now was for Wing, whose wound was severe. the bullet having | gone clear through, just grazing the | bone, and who, despite the fact that | Fanny Harvey early in the night had | every now and then crept nOiselessly in | to cool his fev2red head, seemed strange | ly affected mentally, seemed unnatu- | rally Tightly and wandering, seemed oppressed or excited alternately in 8 way that baffied Drummond complete ly, for no explanation was plausible. | Two or three times during the night he had been heard moaning, and yet the moment DrummOnd or, as once hap pened, Miss Harvey hastened to his side he declared it was nothing. II must have been Gozing and imagined the pain was greater than it was. ; Awake and conscious, SO stout soldier as he would be the last to give way to childish exhibitions of suffering, yet twice DrummOnd knew him to be awake despite his protestation of doz- ing, and he did not at all like it that Wing should bury his face in his arms, hiding it from all. What could have occurred to change this buoyant, joyous, high spirited trooper all on d sudden into signing. meaning, wOmanish fel- low: Surely Tot wound of which, however painful, any soldier might be proud.
 Somewhere along toward 1 o'clock, when it was again Patterson's watch, and Drummond arose from his blanket after q refreshing sleep of nearly two hours and he and his faithful sentry were standing just outside the mouth of the cave. they distinctly heard the same moan of distress.
 Is there nothing we can do to ease the sergeant, sir:' whispered Patter- son. This makes the second time I have heard him grooming, and it's so unlike him.
 
 he would use one if we had. He de- clares there is no intense pain.
 Well. first of. sir. thought he was dreaming but he was wide awake, and Miss Harvey came in only d moment after got to him. Could those devils poison bullet as they do their arrows, and could that make hlm go into fever so soOn:'
 Il hardly think so, but why did you say dreaming:'
 Because once it was mother he called, and again-just now-I thought he said mother.
 The lleutenant turned, looking straight at his soldierlv subordinate.
 By love, Patterson, 70 did -
 There was q little stir across the canyon. Moreno was edging about un- easily and beginning to mutter bias phenly at his bonds.
 That fellow begged very hard to be moved down into that wolf hole of place where the Mexican women are, lieutenant, with those two bunged up bandits -o take care of Nice time we'd have. sir, if the three of them was able to move. The boys make short work of them now, the way they re feeling. I went in and took q look at these two fellows. One of 'em is goncr, sure. but they re dead game. both of 'em. Neither one has a word to say"
 No" answered Drummond, they refused to give their names to me-said it was no earthly consequence what nlmo wo put over their graves; tho right s,t of fellows would be along after awhile and do them all the honor they cared for. How were the Moreno women behaving:'
 The girl was asleep, should judge, sir. The old hag was rocking to and fro, grooming to herself until one of the two-the live one. 1 should call him-hurled curse at her in Span ish and told her to dry up or he'd kill her. All q bluff, for he can't move Q peg"
 Watch them we'll, Patterson, all the same Hush!"
 Again from within tho deep shelter of the rocky cave came the low moan of anguish:
 Mother mother! if you knew -
 Here, Patterson, I cant stand this. I'm going in to him. And picking up the dim lantern which he had taken from the Harvey wagon Drummond stole in on tiptoe and knelt again be- side his wounded comrade.'
 Wing! sergeant! Look up, man. Speak to me. You must be in distress, mental or bodily. Do let me help you ill some way
 For a moment no reply whatever. Wings face was hidden. Then he looked gently upward.
 Lieutenant, I'm ashamed to be giv- ing yon so much trouble. Please go and lie down again, sir; you're worse hurt