The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-04-05

burrowed into the bosom of the earth.
for no vestige of running stream could
the Cababi valley show. The walls
about him were in places grimy with
the smoke of cook fires. Overhead,
not 80 feet away, a gnarled and stunted
little cedar jutted out from some crew
ice in the rocks and stood at the edge
of the cliff. A soldier was clinging
to it with one hand and pointing out
toward the east with the other. Drum
mond recognized the voice as that of
one of his own troop when the man
called out:
Two of our fellers are coming with
the old yellow ambulance, sergeant,
but ] can't see the Others
"All right, Patterson. Try to see
where the rest have gone and what
they're doing. I'll send the glass up TO
you presently. What I'm afraid of,
lieutenant, 10 that in their rage over
Donovan's death, and Mullan' s. and all
the devil work done there at Moreno's,
and your mishap, too, the men have
| become uncomfortable and will never
let up on the pursuit until they have
killed the last one of that gang. These
two who are coming in with the bodies
OF the Morales brothers probably have
wornout horses, or perhaps Lee ordered
them to stay and guard the safe. The
last l saw of any of the gang they Were
disappearing over the desert to the
south, striking for Sonora pass!''
II wonder they didn't all come in
here, said Drummond.
well, hardly that, lieutenant. They
knew they would be followed here, pen
ned up, where their capture would only
be question of time. A hundred cav
alrymen would be around them in
very few hours, and we could send to
Lowell for those old mountain howitzers
and just leisurely shell them out.
Then, when they surrendered they'd
have to-the civil authorities would
Immediately step in and claim jurisdic-
tion-claim the prisoners too. We'd
simply have to turn them over to JUS
| tice as matter of course, and you
| know, and they know, that the only
judge apt to sit Cn their case would be
that of our eminent frontiersman and
fellow citizen-Lynch. They are scat
tering like Apaches through the noun
tains and will reassemble and count
noses later on. Thanks to you and G
troop, they have lost all they had gained
and their leaders besides. No, sir, they
won't stop this side of the Mexican
line"
There's one, Wing, hope to heav-
en- they'll never lose sight of till they
run him down."
"Who's that, sir?"
"The fellow who was enlisted in G
troop last winter at Tucson and desert
ed last night to join this gang. He
drove for the stage company last year
and was discharged. He gave his name
as Bland.
BLAND! Henry Bland!' exclaimed
Sergeant Wing, leaping to his feet in
uncomfortable excitement. "Do you
mean it, sir? Had he enlisted? Do
you mean that he was the man Miss
Harvey spoke of-the disguised soldier,
she called him.
And Drummond, amazed at Wings
emotion, gazed up to see the sergeant's
features working almost convulsively,
his face paling, his eyes full of intense
anxiety.
why, 1 cannot doubt it, sergeant.
He ran away from us on the discovery
| of Donovan's body and rode straight
for Moreno's, beating us there proba-
bly, by an hour or so, for no one hap
pened to miss him.
Wings hands We're raised ON high in
gesture almost tragic, then dropped
helplessly by his side. With a stihed
groan the tall soldier turned abruptly
away and went striding toward the
| opening of the canyon, leaving Drum
mond wondering and perplexed.
When, quarter of an hour later, the
sergeant returned, bringing with him
some improvised splints and bandages,
and Drummond believed it his duty
to make inquiry as to whether he knew
Bland and what was the cause of his
excitement, Wing turned his grave.
troubled face and looked his young su-
| perior straight in the eye.
"Mr. Drummond, have known that
man for good and for i'll many long
year. If our fellows have killed him,
let his crimes die with him. If he is
brought in alive--brought to trial.
may have to speak, but not now, sir.
Bear with me, lieutenant-no now.'
Was Drummond dreaming? He could
have declared that tears were starting
in the sergeant's eyes as he turned has
tily away, unable for the moment to
continue the setting and bandaging of
the broken arm.
Take your own time, Wing" said
the young officer gently. "Speak or
keep silent as you will. You have
earned the right" And the sergeant
mutely thanked him.
The primitive surgery of the frontier
took little time, and with his arm COM
fortably and closely slung Drummond
lay impatient for the coming of his
men, impatient perhaps to hear softer
voice, to feel again the light touch of
slender fingers, yet in his weakness and
exhaustion dropping slowly off to sleep.
All efforts to keep awake proved vain.
His heavy eyelids closed, and presently
he was in dreamland.
Meantime Sergeant Wing had busted
IL T. l. L