The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-02-22
CHAPTER II.

little troop OF cavalry was pushing
wesNcard across the desert. The young
May moon was sinking to rest. its pure
pallid light shining family in contrast
with the ruddy glow of some distant
beacon in the mountains beneath. Ever
since nightfall the rock suttress at the
pass had been rejecting the lurid glare
of the leaping flames as, time and
again, unseen but busy hands heaped
on fresh fuel and sent the sparks whirl-
ing in fiery eddies to the sky. Languid
and depressed after long days bat
tling with the fierce white sunshine,
horses and men would gladly have spent
the early hours of night doing at their
rude bivouac in the Christobal. Ever
since 3 in the morning, after a long
night march, they had sought such
shade as the burning rocks might
afford, scooping up the tepid water from
the natural tanks at the bottom of the
canyon and thanking providence it was
not alkali.
The lieutenant commanding, a tall,
wiry, keenfaced young fellow, had made
the rounds of his camp at sunset, care
fully picking up and scrutinizing the
feet Of his horses and sending the far
rier to tack on here and there starting
shoe. Gaunt and sunburned were his
short coupled California chargers,
were their toughlooking riders fetlocks
and boards We're uniformly ragged;
shoes of leather and shoes of iron
showed equal wear. A bronze faced
sergeant, silently following his young
. watched him with inquiri,lg eyes
aud 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 i: was to Ger
alvo's, sergeant"
About 90 miles, west
And to Moreno
About 10, sir; off here" And the
sergeant pointed out across the plain,
lying like a duncolored b'""ket far
toward the southern horizon.
I'VE can get barley and water at
both?''
Plenty, sir"
The men would rather wait here,
l 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,
pensively studying the legs of the trum-
peters horse.
lis there any chance of Moreno's
people not having heard about the
Apaches 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 neighborhood of that range.
Moreno, too, is an old hand, sir. J."
The lieutenant looked long and in
tently out over the dreary flats beyond
the foot hills. Like the bottom of some
by the action of the sun, the parched
earth stretched away i'll mile after mile
of monotonous, life ridden desert, Sa-,
hara without sign of an oasis, sandy
barren Stunned even by scorpion and
centipede. Already the glow was dy
ing from the western sky. The red rim
of the distant range was purpling. The
golden CLEAN that flashed from rock to
rock as the sun went down had van
ished from all but the loftiest SUBMITS,
and deep, dark shadows were creeping
slowly out across the plain. Over the
great expanse not so much as the faint
est spark could be seen. Aloft, the
greater stars We're beginning to peep
through the veil of pallid blue, while
over the distant pass the suns fair
handmaiden and trainbearer, with slow
stately mien, was sinking in the wake
of her lord. as though following him
to his rest. Not breath of air was
astir.
The night came on still as the realms
of solitude. Only the low chatter of
the men, the occasional stamp of iron
shod hoof or the munching jaws of the
tired steeds broke in upon the perfect
silence. From their covert in the west
ward slope of the Christobal the two
sentries of the little command looked
upon lifeless world. Beneath them
whiting their pipes after their frugal
supper, the troopers were chatting in
~" tohcoi oOhic VI tICiii OIL CftoJ opICdo-
ing their blankets among the shelving
rocks. The embers from the cooks fire
glowed deeper red as the darkness
gathered in the pass, and every man
seemed to start as though stung with
sudden spur when sharp, quick and
imperative there came the cry from the
lips of the farther sentry:
Fire, sir-out to the westn
In an instant Lieutenant Drummond
had leaped down the rocky canyon, and
feldglass in hand was standing by The
sentry's side. No need to question
Where away?'
Far out across the intervening plain
column of flame was darting upward
gaining force and volume with every
moment. The lieutenant never ever
paused to raise the glass to his eyes
No magnifying power was needed tt
see the distant pyre; no prolonged
search to tell him what YVES meant
The troopers who had sprung to theil
foot op1 xuara aIroodu az uarlv follOuu