Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-09-13

trouhle9 N'Ast Fellows expecting
Plainly they were MOI. Tbev haa M
scouts out ahead. only a sol,asran ria1
ing about hundred yards N aava,re
q me main body. The officer IN can,.
ilahd OF this force was n Norinr MAJ
~ osaraiess aud seemingly not morc thnn
q "a. In appearance and IN tbc
,sa.eless grace with which he sal Ma
morse ne reminded me Of a fayorite
vousln OF mine, who was at that tlme
IN tofrests cavalry, and. as / i'm
~ $50 SAVING four or five Yankees
ior breakfast every morning.
As the Vanguard rassea the ionl
OF the ambush onA Of the Texans,
horses nelghed. My heart fumped Ia
my throat for l thought the I'D, was
up the surprise would fail. It,came
mar turning out thai way The vounr
oHloer halted his men, and was about
20 leAd them across tho nat 10 the
plaee whence the sound had come.
wren apother' and older officer rode
iurward from the main body ana fn
a loud voice demanded 10 know me
reason Of the halt. The Younger one
pointed o. the woods. ana saEd some
thlng 10 reply-I d,d not catch tho
words. 1t was easy enotgh to hear NE
older one. He seemed angry win tie
younsster who looked like a COUSIN.
ana hated him FOR II on the Instant
Forward. sir!' he ordered The Young
man saluted and rode on with his
squaar9n' Looking over toward the
Wooas could see the Texans getting
Jeady. ReVolvers were drawn. and
every eye was on the road ia front.
They reminded me OF our big gray
cat when about TO spring upon an un-
suspecting bird.
~ few minutes. elapsed-it seerned
hours TO me. as / chung to the forl, OF
the hlackgum and watched the scene.
open-mouthed and staring. II / mad
mad amy sense 1t would have told me
70 get down and hustle to place
where no stray bullets could find mo.
but, being boy. ] had no sense--only
an abnurmally developed curiosity,
me main column had reached the
front Of the ambush Ii was evident
that the ride had been long and weari-
some that day. The men looked faded
and the horses wefe grimy with sweat
and dust,
All at once there came chorus OF
yells from the brush and the palmetta s
shook and swayed from the impact OF
charging h1rsemen, Than. followed the
crack crack crack, OF scores of ro-
volvers, and in The twinkhng Of an eye
the Texans We're upon the foe, II was
case of mix and hdnd-to-hand from
{ completely by surprise and thrown into
confusion. There was no room rtr them
TO deploy into line. 10 advance or re-
treat. Their tired hrses were tnppled
over as the mustangs rushed against
them, ana through tho cloud of dust
| could see them dropping from their
saddles as the ooadly, revUlvers played
upon them. / had always had an idea
that the saher was the most TERRIBLE
of weapons, Lut ! socn saW that it was
no match for the siN-shuotcr In the
hands OF a marksman. The boys In
lluc did not finch from thcic work
/ They whnckCd away VITA hearty
good Will but found to thur cost that
bullets move faster than steel and
when fired BY Texan rangers go
stralghter to the mark. They had no
chance TO unsllhs their carblnes, and
| by the time they found oft that the
sNber was loser n the game, the issue
OF the fray was decided against item,
Little by little they were pushed back
up the road. so that those IN The EAR
had to give way also. ana the Texans
pushing them hard, they were soon In
rapid iitrcat.
Meanwhile, the advance guard OF the
Federals had turaad back and was
trying to cut its WAY through TO tfe
main body. The young officer led them
on like trump. and trey Tough, as
only rcn can fight when they md
themselves in nap. fu! thpy were
overmlttred. AMI their tired horses
could make no hetaway againsg the
fresh a;i1 fiery mpSangs. 1'hey drop
ped by tyos and three and half Hozeu7.
until only q sqrql q abAlt twen'y
remained around their conacu Ter. Oae
last rush they male with the cnerEy
OF desperation, but the TsRlns IN {
them on all sides aad hts-d!iy itGe
them down,
Captain Merrill cane gallnplng back
from tiil attack On the mata haly, at
tended by Tchula. lust N time ~ gee
the young officer and 'al', brawrY
trooper break through She hostile cir
Gle. Each singled out his man, anl at
/ It they went.
The Federal officer made a sweeping
cut at the captain with his saber and
as 1t flashed IN the air ] fully eN-
pected next moment TO see the red
/ gold head roll IN the dust But the
owner of the head aad no such no.
Z ton HIS pistol failed to fire as he
met his enemy in fun career. but with
q twist OF the wrist he threw the
weapon up and caught on 1t the de-
| scendmg blade, and as the two horses
stopped from the shock Of the en-
counter the captain swung the
pistol around H struck his
! antagonist on the head. The
/ Federal officer dropped from the
saddle like one dead. l thought he had
been killed and felt sorry, though
I he was Yankee, because he looked
I like my cousin,
4 1t was well for Tchula that the cap
| tain was now at liberty, for the big
] trooper had already given him glaha-
/ ing cut with tho aaber that dazed Nun
I and was about to finish the joo when the
I Nj rrior OF the red locks rushed the
black mustang against the weary troop
horse and knocked the animal 20 It's
! knees. The trooper plunged forward
on his horses neck. before ne could
recover himself the Indian uttered an
unsarthIy screech-the war cry Of me
! t.,manohes, as ! afierwarf- learned
! and throwing hin3elf from his louy,
drew long knife and slrnek twice at
III roe The trooper rolled from the
saddle into the dust and lay still. The
I Indians blade Dad not missed hs
! mark ,,,
The sight was enough for me- The
rest of II was All right, but there was
100 much Ike murder. sid down ne
trea IN hurry, called 70 my duslSy az
tenddnts. who were stretched On tne