Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-03-08
CONTINUED,
CHAPTER II.

GlUt troop OF cavalry was pushing
westward across the desert. The young
May moon was sinking to rest, its pure
pallid light shining family in contrast
with the rudy glow of some distant
beacon in the mountains beneath. Ever
since uiXhtfall the rock buttrcss at the
pass had been rejecting the lurid glare
Of tho leaping flames as, time and
again, unseen but busy hands heaped
ON fresh fuel and sent the sparks whirl-
ing in fiery cddies to the Sky. Lauguid
and depressed after a long days bat
tiing with the fierce white sunshine
horses and men would gladly have spent
TIE early hours Of night doing at their
rude bivouac i'll the Christobal. Ever
since in the morning. after long
night march, they had sought such
shade as the burning rocks might
ntford, scooping up the tepid water from
'he natural tanks at the bottom of the
rauNon and thanking providence it was
not all;ali.
Tho lieutenant commanding, a tall
why, Ecenfacod young fellow, had made
the rounds Of his camp at sunset, care
fully picking mp and sCrutinizing the
feet Of his horses and sending the far
rier TO tack on here and there Il starting
shoe. Gamt and s,mbuIned were his
short coupled California chargers us
were thor toughlooking riders; fctlocks
and beads were uniformly ragged;
shoes of leather and shoes of iron
showed equal wear. \ bronze faced
sergeant silently following his young
watched him with inquiring eyes
d waited for the decision that was to
condemn the command to another night
march across the desert, or remand
them to rest until an hour or so before
the dawn.
How far did you say it was to Ger
alvo's, sergeant"
About % miles, west"
And to Morer So
About Is, sir; oft here" And the
sergeant pointed out across the plain,
lying like duncolored blanket lar
toward the southern horizon.
we can get barley and water at
both:"
Plenty sir"
The men would rather wait here,
suppose, until or o clock"
Very much, sir; they haven't been
able to rest at all today. I've fed out
the last of the barley, though"
The lieutenant reflected moment,
pcnsiyely studying the legs Of the trum-
peters horse.
is there any chance of Moreno's
people not having heard about the
,Apachos in the Christobal:"
Hardly, sir; they are nearer the Tue
son road than we are. The stage must
have gone through this morning early.
It's nothing new anyhow. I've never
known the time when the Indians were
not in the ueighborhood of that range.
Moreno. too, is an old hand, sir. "
The lieutenant looked long and in
tontiy out over the drcary flats beyond
the foot hills. Like the bottom of some
prehistoric lake long since sucked dry
ly the action Of The sun, the parched
earth stretched away in mile after mile
Of mouotonous, life ridden desert, a Sa-
tra without sim of an oasis, a sandy
barren stunned even by scorpion and
rontipcdc. Already the glow was dy-
ing from the western sky. The rcd rim
OF the distant range was purplirg. The
golden CLEAN that flashed from rock to
rock as the sun went down had van
ished from all but the lofticst SUBMITS,
and deep, dark shadows were creeping
slowly out across the plain. Over tho
great expanse not so much as the faint
est spark could be seen. Aloft, the
greater stars We're beginning to peer
through the veil Of pallid blue, while
oye~ the distant pass the suns fail
hGndmaiden and trainbcarer. with slow
stately micn, was sinking in the wax,
of her lord, AS though following him
10 his rest. Not "a breath of air wa
Gstr
The night came on still as the realms
Of solitude. Only the low chatter o
the men, the occasional stamp of iron
ehod hYof or the munching jaws Of tn,
u;.i stocls broke in upon the perfec
81 ar" rom their covert in the west
ward slope of the Christobal the tw'
Eeutlics Oh the little command looked
upon a lifeless world. Beneath them
whiting their pipes after their fruga
slpptr, the troopers We're chatting il
low tones some Of them already spread
ing their blankets among the shelving
rocks. The cmbers from the cook s fir
glowed deeper red as the darkncs
gathered in the pass and every MAJ
seemed to start as though stung wit
sudden spur when sharp, quick am
imperative there came the cry from til
lips Of tho farther sentry;
Fire, sir-out to the west"
In an instant Lieutenant Drummon
had leaped down the rocky canyon, am
fel1glass in hand was standing by H.
seutry's side. No need to question
"Whera away"
Far ont across the intervening plain
a column Of flame was darting upward
gaining force and volume with even.
moment The lieutenant never Owe
paused TO raise the glass 10 his eyes
No magnifying power was needed +
Gee the distant pyrei no proloh3e,
sam +, trll him what was meant