The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-02-28
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER IL.
Late that night, with jaded steeds, a
little troop Of cavalry was pushing
westward 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 buttress 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
sling with the fierce white sunshine,
horses and men would gladly have spent
the early hours Of night doing at their
rude biyouac in the Christobal Ever
since 8 in the morning, after 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 alkai.
The lieutenant commanding, 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, as
were their toughloohng riders; fetlocks
and boards were uniformly ragged;
shoes of leather and shoes Of iron
showed equal wear. A bronze faced
sergeant, silently following his young
chief, watched him with inquiring eyes
and 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 it was to Ger
alvo's, sergeant?''
About 90 miles, west. -
And to Moreno's?''
About Is. sir; off here And the
sergeant pointed out across the plain,
lying like duncolored t'-ket far
toward the southern horizon.
I'VE can get barley and water at
both ?''
..Plenty, sir.
1.-The men would rather wait here,
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 tho barley, though. "
The lieutenant reflected moment,
pensively studying the legsof the trum-
peters horse.
us 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.
The lieutenant looked long and in
tently out over the dreary fats beyond
the foot hills. Like the bottom of some
prehistoric lake long since sucked dry
by the action of the sun, the parched
earth stretched away in mile after mile
of monotonous, life ridden desert, Sa-
haza without sign Of an oasis, a sandy
barren stunned even oy 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 sofhest SUBMITS,
and deep, dark shadows were creeping
slowly out across the plain. Over the
great e1Danse not so mlch as the faint
est spark could be seen. Aloft, the
greater stars were 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
low tones, some of them already spread
ing their blankets among the shelving
rocks. The embers from the cooks fire
glowed a deeper red as the darkness
gathered in the pass, ard 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 west!'
In an instant Lieutenant Drummond
had leaped down the rocky canyon, and
~ uan