Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-03-22
~ G22RyRdAL 1888 BY cAARLES.KINGg =

| all was silence VHerc, IL not SIum Der,
and then he joined his superior.
THAT fellow was of the right sort,
sergeant" said Plummer. Il wish we
had one or two like him."
Il wish we had, sir. Those greas.
ers are worse than no guards at all.
They II sit there in the corral and smoke
papelitos by the hour and brag about
how they fought their way through the
| Apaches with Harvey's mules, but for
our purpose they re worse than useless.
At the first sign Of an attack they'd be
stampeding out into the darkness. and
that s the last we d see of them. Heard
anything further out this way, sir?"
Why, confound it, yes. | try to
convince myself it's only imagination,
I but two or three times, far out there
toward the Picacho, I've heard that
whip cracking. | have felt sure there
was a hammering sound, as though
some one were pounding on wagon
tire. Once | was sure ! heard horse
snort That was in a measure expect
ing. If those fellows mean to attack,
they'll come mounted, of course, but
what wagon would they have?"
Zone of Ceralvo S perhaps, to cart off
the safe in. if they couldn't burst into
it here "
There! lark now, sergeant! Didn t
you hear suddenly spoke the major,
throwing up Il warning hand.
Both men held their breath listening
lntently. For moment nothing but
the beating of their own hearts served
TO give the faintest sound. Then, out to
the west, under the starlit vault of the
heavens, somewhere in that black ex-
panse of desert, plainly and distinctly,
there rose the measured sound of irou
or stone beating on iron. Whether it
were tire or linchpin, hame or brake,
something metallic about wagon or
blackboard was being pounded INTO
place or shape.
Its them, sir, >" mutttred the ser
geant Its That bloody gang, for
there's no stage due tonight, and if it
was Harvey's ambulance. recaptured.
It's from the northeast it would be COM
ing. "
Mightn' they have missed the trail
III the darkness. and having no ranch
lights to guide them got lost somewhere
out there"
Not likely, sir Shure, there'd be
a squad of the troops and half dozen
old hands with EN- if it was Harveys.
This has come from the pass, and it
won't be long before they'll he coming
ahead, 1Uu II need your carbine then
D-n that man Mullan! Can t | wake
him YETI"
Apparently not. Even the we'll di-
rectec KICK only evoked Il gr al. lar
ing a couple of carb,nes, Feeny returned
TO the major, silently handing him one
of the weapons, saying, is loaded, sir,
and here's more cartridges"
Then again both men listened in
tently
No sound now. The hanmering had
ceased. One, two minutes they wait
ed, then nearer at hand than before,
clear, sharp and distinct, out from the
darkness came the unmistakable crack
of a whip. At the sound Feeny knelt.
Click, click! went the hammer of his
carbine to full cock Another moment
of breathless silence. Then the muffled
sound Of hoofs, the creak Of wagon
springs, then a voice:
1T cant be far away. Ride ahead
and see if you can't rout somebody
out 3"
And then Fceny's challenge again
rang out on the still night air, followed
instantly by muffled sound of stir and
az "a, h.a h.h
"Who comes there"
Hello! What's that? Who's that?
Is that Moreno?"
WHO comes there, | say: Halt! or
III fire."
For Gods sake, don't fire, man!
We've got ladies here"
What ladies? Who are you any
how: Quick"
George Harvey's daughters of Tue
son. I'm his son. -
God be praised" shouted Feeny,
springing to his feet and rushing for
ward. Are they all unframed
Where did you overtake them
"Overtahe whom? What in blazes
are you talking about" queried a tall,
piNiIiti itIloNi 'lpNA lIOln Ills
saddle. who are YOU"
Sergeant Feeny of the cavalry, and
here's the major just back of me-"
Major who:"
Major Plummer-him you was talk
ing with this morning when you came
for help" answered Feeny, his voice
tremulous with excitement. Already
he was beginning to see light.
"Why, I've never seen Major Plum
mer nor any other major today. Tho
only troops / met were Sergeant Wing
and his guard at the pass Just after
Have you met the Apaches2
You saw the signal of course.
Signal, yes, but devil an Apache.
Tell me now, wasn't it you was here
at Moreno's this morning begging for
troops to go and fetch your ladies down
from the Gala? Wasn't it you sent the |
note saying they was run off by In
dams" And as was the case when
ever excited, Feeny's grammar ran to