The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-01-24


enced sergeant to guard the packs, the
wounded and the noncombatants at tho
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 ut the
Picacho had utterly disappeared, and
all was darkness ut tho west. The red
glow of the smoldering embers behind
was no longer sufficient to light their
path. Straight away southwark led
tho wheeltracks, first separate and dis
tinct, but soon blending, as though one
wagon had fallen behind and followed
the trail of the holder leader III the
first. Straight away after them went
the ruck of hoof tracks, telling plainly
that for time at least tho gang had
massed and was prepared to guard it's
plumber.
Stop to divide it was evident they
dared not, for they had not with them
the implements to break into the safe,
and all their searching and threatening
had failed to extract from the appar-
emily dying paylnaster any clew as to
what he had done with the key. Stick
together, therefore, they undoubtedly
would, reasoned the lieutenant, and all
their effort would be to reach some
secure haunt in the Sierras and there
send back their demand for ransom.
Twenty-Five thousand dollars in cash
and George Harvey's precious daugh-
tiers! 1t was indeed rich haul-ono
that in all the dread history of the
Morales gang had never been equaled.
Even had they failed to secure the safe
the richer booty was theirs in having
seized the girls. But few people in Ar
lzona-as Arizona then was constituted
would make great effort to overhaul
gang of robbers whose only victim
was Uncle Sam and Ibis liveried hire
lings. Nohody in Sonora would fail
to regard them with envious eyes but,
in the deed of rapine that made them
the captors and possessors of those de-
fenscless sisters each man had put a
price upon his head, n halter round his
neck, for 'gringo" and "greaser,
American and Mexican alike, would
spring to arms to rescue and avenge.
AS the rcarmost of the little party
of pursuers disappeared in the darkness
and the wcaried pack mules went Jog
ginS sullcHly after, urged on by the goad
OF their half Mexican driver the ser
gcant left i'll charge of the detachment
mt the corral looked at his watch and
noted that it was just $50 O'Clock.
The dawn would be creeping on at 4.
Wcaricd as were his men, he did not
permit them Ill to rest The condition
Of his wounded and ihc instructions left
him by Lieutenant Drummond made it
necessary that they should have constant
attention 1t WAS sore trouble for him
10 look at the old paymastcr. whose
life seemed cbhing away, lying there so
pallid and moaning at times so pitiful-
ly, but Fceny lay torpid, breathing, yet
seeming TO suffer not ut all
Both were in desperate need of sur
gical Attendance. but where could sur
geon be found? The nearest was ut
Stoneman, the little cantonmcnt across
the Chrstohal, 80 miles to the east.
and though gallant fellow had vol
unteered to make the ride alone through
the Apache infested pass and carry the
dispatch that Drummond had hurried
ly pcncilcd there was no possibility
of doctors reaching them before the
coming night, and the thought of all
they might have To suffer through the
fierce white heat Of the intervening
day WAS one that gave the sergeant
deep concern. Then, too, who could
say whether the solitary trooper would
succeed in running the gantct and
making his way through He was IL
rcsolutc old tronticrsman, skilled in
Indian warfare and v II aware that
his best chance was the dark, bnt
speed as he might the DroHd light Of
day would hc on him long before he
could get half way through the range
The stage from the west would prob
ably come along about sunset. but moth
ing could be hoped for sooner. No
troops were nearer than the Colorado
in that direction except the little signal
post 1T the I'icacho. Corporal Fox and
two men had been sent thithcr to in
quirc what the signal meant, and it
would soon he time for them to come
riding in with their report How he
wished Wing We're here! Wing knew
something about everything. He was
an expert veterinarian, something of
doctor, knew more of mineralogy
than all the officers put together and
could speak Spanish better than any
man in the regiment. When it became
necessary 20 have Il signal station Mt
the peak an.d 1t was found that no one
knew anything about the business.
Wing got one of the old red manuals.
studied the system and inside of Il week
was signaling with tho expert sent
down from San Francisco.