Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-04-19

rocky canyon whose sides were vertical
walls. Tumbing down from the wood
ed heights above-rsre sight in Arizona
"a little brook of clear, sparkling
water came brawlng and splsshing over
its stony bed at his feet and went on
down the gorge to its opening on the
sandy plain. There, presumably, it
burrowed into the bosom Of the earth.
for no vestigc of running stream could
the Cababi valley show. The walls
about him were i'll places grilny with
the smoke of cook fires. Overhead
not so 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 ore hand end pointing out
toward the cast with the other. Drum
mond recognized the voice as that of
one of his own troop when the man
called out:
1.-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. III send the glass up to
you presently. What I'm afraid of,
lieutenant, is that in their rage over
Donovan s death, and Mullaps, and all
the devil s work done there at Moreno's,
and yotir inishap, too, the men have
become uncomfortable and will never
let up Oh tho 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 tho safe. The
last i saw OF any of the gang they were
disappearing over the desert to the
south, striking for Sonora pass.
Il 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 a
very few hours, and we could send to
Lowell for those old mountain howitzers
and just leisurely she'll 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 on 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, l 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 il
uncomfortable excitement. do you
mean it, sir: Had he enlisted? Dc
you mean that he was the man Mis-:
Harvey spoke of-the disguised soldier,
she called him."
And Drummond, amazed at Wing;
emotion, gazed up to see the sergeant ;:
features working almost convulsively
his face paling, his eyes full of intens,
anxiety.
why, | cannot doubt it, sergeant
He ran away from US on the discover,
of Donovan's body and rode straigh
for Moreno's, beating us there proba
bly, by an hour or so, for no enc hap
pened to miss him.
Wings hands We're raised on high il
gesture almost tragic then droppe,
helplessly by his side. With a stife,
groan the tall soldier turned abrupt,
away and went striding toward tn
opening Of the canyon, leaving Drum
} mond wondering and perplexed.
When, a quarter OF an hour later tn
sergeant returned, bringing with hin
some improvised splints and bandages
and Drummond believed it his dut
to make inquiry as to whether he kney
! Bland and what was the cause of hi
!, excitement, Wing turned his grave
troubled face and looked his young su
perior straight in the eye.
Mr.. Drummond, have known tina
; man for good and for ill many Ion
year. If our fellows have killed him
I let his crimes die with him. If he
brought in alive-brought to trial
may have to speak, but not now, sil
Bear with me, lieutenant--not now. "
{ Was Drummond dreaming! He coul
3 have declared that tears were startin
{ in the sergeant's eyes as he turned has
E tily away, unable for the moment t
continue the setting and bandaging c
the broken arm.
Take your own time, Wing" sal
&. the young officer gently, Speak c
{ keep silent as you will. You hay
c earned the right" And the sergear
c mutely thanked him.
4 The Drimitiye surgery of the frontie