The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-11-03

into saddle, and, as they scurry away,
bend low and send wild shot or two
at the rushing horse,nen, but all to no
| purpose Thornton and his followers
come cheering, charging on, straight
! for the second crest, and in an instant
one luekless warrior is tumbled over
| by the leaders, while LETTERS and NAL
10y, long used to hunting in couples,
| have run down another, who. farther
to the left, had sought to mount and
escape. The ping and crack Of re-
| volvers and Winchesters echoing back
from the rocky range are suddenly
dwarfed by the louder bang Of the
Springfield rifle. Dashing up and over
| the ridge, occupied but an instant be-
| fore by the red men; Thornton comes
into view of a little party away down
the trail ahead of him. Two Of their
horses are already shot, stiHfening out
in death, one rolling in agony. Two
| white men, dismounted, are battling
for their lives against q circling rush
Of Sioux, and, borne by the mad i'm
petus OF the charge, Perry and the half
! dozen at his heels swoop headlong
| down among the combatants. and
| the Sioux, amazed yet never be-
wildered, bend low on their
| ponies necks and go sweeping away
| ND the farther side Of the long ravine,
then, circllng about, spring to earth
and at long range resume the fight.
| Their bullets are whistling about
| Thornton's ears as he reins up in the
| Ara <,f% Il nrtv
| with the film Of death already glazing
his eyes, a. stranger, lies gasping ON
the turf. Over him, piteously crying
his name, a mere boy is bending.
ssergt. Schultz, grave, yet with culver
ing lip and trembling hand, gives
! greeting to his young officer. Owe
were surprised, sir, and cut off. We
had no hope of rescue he is saying,
while the men are rapidly dismountintg
and running out to kneel and return
the fire now coming in from almost
| every side, S,chralnnl, cheering with de-
light and enthusiasm. leading the way.
Then comes the uphill fight To gain
! the cove. Not an instant can be lost.
| Already, with soldiarly appreciation Of
| the situation, Sergt. letters has
uismounted two or three men to hold
The ridge over which lies the line Of
| retreat, and Thornton, directing two
men to- lead back the horses, dlsperses
! his little force as sllir1uishers.
+; Get your wounded back UP the
hill he says to Schultz. "Jeffers knows
| where we are to make our stand hall
| back. fast as you can. Well keep en-
off :. The bullets are nipping the
! bunc!l-Grass all round them, and the
| old German sergeant's face is very
| grave and white, but he never wavers.
| scllrem1n after hosting the wounded
stranger into saddle and giving the
reins into the hands OF the weeping boy
! and calling for some one to steady ms
! ia thcr. runs back to join the firing lane.
Slowly up the trail now Schultz mar
shals the led horses. Back slowly be-
! tween them and the yelling Indians.
now each moment reinforced. comes
the little band Of defenders. Over to
| The left. young trooner. underline tor
| the first time, suddenly drops his car
bine. elaps hands to his leg, and sets
up howl of misery,
Help him if you can, Schramn,
sings out Thornton. keep your places,
the rest of you" Thicker come the
Kissing bullets from front and flank
Only LETTERS forethought saves them
from attack in rear. At last the horses,
snorting and plunging, have reached
the ridge and are led safely over into
the swale beyond. At last the German
sergeant has conveyed his wounded
| across the barrier, then turns for ->~z;
| or two shots over the heads OF his COM
! rades now backing up the slope. 1t IS
| the instinct of battle, the impulse Of
| the soldier-and the last of his soldier.
ly life. Finger Ola trigger, muscular
| hand grasping the brown carbine in
the act of aiming, down, face foremost
on the sward, poor Schultz has
,tu1nbled, a Winchester bullet tearing
through his loyal heart.
Five minutes later, in a little amphi-
| theater among the rocks, two hundred
yards to the west of the ridge from
| which the Indians first were sighted,
| the well-nigh breathless detachment IS
regathering, and the fight goes On.
Here, stretched on the ground, stone
dead now, lies the civilian--the stranger
found in company with Schultz and
schramm-while sobbing oVer him
kneels his boy. Here, badly fright
ened, the wounded recruit had been
dropped and told to quit his noise.
Here, badly wounded, lies Corporal
Treacy, an Irish trooper whose five
years in the cavalry have known many
a scene of death and danger, but whose
only worry now is that he cannot lire
another shot. Here letters is posting
Che men among the rocks as they ar
rive. so as to cover the retreat OF the
lieutenant and two or three still out at
the front and for the moment invisi-
BILE. Schranlm, having dropped his
wounded comrade under q sheltering
bow1der, has run up to LETTERS just as
two men come drifting II, one support
ing the other, who is bleeding and
deathly white.
s.They have killed Bredow, my
horse,'' he cries, his blue eyes snap
ping and great bends Of sweat starting