The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-04-18
CHAPTER <,

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 feelingf full of hope and pluck and
fight. He and his men had divided
the night into watches, one being awake
and astir, not even permitting himself
to SIT q moment, while the others slept.
The fact that he was 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 molestaton 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 well nigh d~efenseless,
Apaches make no assault in the dark
ness, and SO, with the coming Of the
dawn, he had about him fit for service
q squad of seven troopers, most OF
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, end who. despite the fact that
Fanny Harvey early in the night had
every now and then crept noiselessly in
to cool his fevered head, seemed strange
II affected mentally, seemed unnatu-
rally tightly and wandering. seemed
oppressed or excited alternately in q
way that baf3ed Drummond complete
u, 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 fastened to his
side he declared it was nothing. II
must have been doing and imagined
the pain was greater than it a
Awake and conscious, % stout a soldier
az 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 a sudden
into a signing, moaning, womanish fell
low? Surely not a wound Of which,
however painful. any soldier might be
proud.
Somewhere along toward 4 O'Clock,
when it vas again Patterson's watch.
and Drummond arose from his blanket
after a 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.
sis there nothing we can do to ease
the sergeant, sir?" whispered Patter-
SON "This makes the second time l
have heard him groaning, and it's so
unlike him."
we have no opiates, and l doubt if
he would use one if we had BE de-
clares there is no intense pain"
"Well, first off, sir, / thought he was
dreaming, but he was wide awake, and
Miss Harvey came in only a moment
after I got to him. Could those devils
poison a bullet as they do their arrows,
and could that make him go into fever
so soon?"
ST hardly think SO, but why did you
say dreaming"
Because once it was mother he
called, and again-just now-It thought
he said mother"
The lieutenant turned, looking
straight at his soldierly subordinate.
by Jove, Patterson, so did II"
There was a little stir across the
canyon. Moreno was edging about un-
easily and beginning to mutter BIAS
phesny at his bonds.
"That fellow begged very hard to be
moved down into that wolf hole Of q
place where the Mexican women are,
lieutenant, with those two bunged up
bandits to take care Of. Nice time
we'd have, sir, If the three of them was
able to move. The boys'd make short
work of them now, the way they're
feeling. I went in and took a L. at
those two fellows. One Of 'em is a
goner, sure, but they're dead game,
both Of 'em. Neither one has q word
to say"
"No," answered Drummond, "they
refused to give their names to me-said
it was no earthly consequence what
name we put over their graves; the right
set of fellows would be along after
awhile and do them all the honor they
cared for. How were the Moreno women
behaving?"
1.-THE girl was asleep, I should judge,
sir. The old bag was rocking to and
fro, grooming to herself until one Of
the two-the live one, I should call
him-hurled a curse at her in Span
ish and told her to dry up or he'd kill
her. All bluff, for he can't move a
peg"
aWatch them well, Patterson, all
the same. Hushi"
9#.e ILL.,.