The Redwood gazette., 1894-04-12
| FOES IN AMBUSH.
From first page

And so he, too, IS lOOsed ana l1TJeu
to his feet. Leaning on McGuffy q
shoulder and supported by his arm, the
pale faced stranger. preceded by Mo-
reno, who goes linlping and swearing
soto voce down the rocky way, is led
| 100 yards along the canyon where it
makes second bend. Here they can
see nearly $50 yards more ahead of them,
and here some loose powders are hur-
riedly showed or rolled to form rifle
pit. and :hsse volunteer allies are placed
in positions.
I'VE cover the approaches above SO
that they cant sneak up and heave
rocks down upon you. All you've got
to do now is to plug every Apache that
shows his nose around that bend be-
low" says Drummond 'McGuffy,
you take post at the point behind.
Watch the overhanging cliffs and sup
port as best you can And Little
Mack, as the men call him, gets fur
ther instructions as he takes bis posi-
ton, instructions which would give
small comfort to Moreno could he only
hear them. Then back goes the lieu
tenant to where Wing is lying, Miss
Harvey bending anxiously over him,
her beautiful eyes filling with tears at
sight of Drummond's brave but hag-
gard young face. Ruth is crouching
by her sisters side, but rises quickly as
Drulnmond enters, her fears lessening,
her hopes gaining.
ANY news? Anything in sight-of
ours?' is Miss Harvey's eager query.
Not yet, but they're bound to be
Apaches whom | could see coming
across from the east have a wounded
man with them. 1t makes me hope our
fellows have met and fought them and
are following close on their trail.
How's Wing?'
She can only shake her head.
He seems delirious every now and
then, perhaps only because of so much
mental excitement and suffering. He
is doing now.''
'Gallant fellow! What would we
have done without him? l only wish
we had more like him. Think how all
my detachment has become scattered.
If we had them here now, l could push
out and drive the Indians to the rocks
and far beyond all possibility of annoy
ing you with their racket. OF course
you are safe from their missiles down
here
Yes, we are. but you and your SOL
diers, Mr.. Drummondl Every shot
made me fear you were HIT" cries
poor little Ruth, her eyes filling, her
lips quivering. Then, just as Durm-
mond is holding forth hand, perhaps
it is an arm, too, she points up to the
rock above where Walsh is evidently
exercised about something. He has
dropped his gun, picked up the glasses
and is gazing down the range to the
south.
Perhaps he sees some of our fellows
coming for good this time. Four of
them tried it awhile ago, but were prob
ably attacked some miles below here
and fell back on the main body. They'll
be along before great while, and
won't it be glorious if they bring back
the safe and all?" He says this by
way Of keeping up their spirits, then,
once more wearily, but full of pluck
and purpose, he climbs the rugged path
and creeps to Walsh's side.
lis it any of our men you see?" he
whispers.
''Divil a wan, sir! It's more of thin
Internal Apaches.
Drummond takes the glass and stud
les the dim and distant group with the
utmost care. Apaches beyond doubt.
dozen, and coming this way, and
these, too. have couple of horses. Can
they have overpowered his men, am
bushed and murdered them, then Sc
cured their mounts? Is the whole CHR
icahua tribe, REINFORCED by a swarm
from the Sierra Blanca. concentrating
on him now? The silence about him is
ominous. Not an Indian has shown him.
self along the range for half an hour,
and now these fellows to the east are
close to the copse. In less than 20 min
utes there will be five times his puny
force around him. Is there no hope of
rescue?
Once more he turns to the east, across
the shimmering glare of that parched
and tawny plain, and strains his eyes
in vain effort to catch sight Of the
longed for column issuing from the op-
poslte valley, but it is hopeless. The
hot sun beats down upon his bruised and
aching head and sears his bloodshot
eyes. He raises his hand in mute ap-
peal to heaven, and at the instant there
is flash, a sharp report not 80 yards
away, an angry spat as the leaden mis-
sile strikes the shelving top of his para
pet and goes humming across the gorge,
a stifled shrek from Ruth looking fear
fully up from below, an Irish oath from
Walsh as he whirls about to answer the
shot, and Drummond can barely repress
little gasp.
Marrow squeak that, Walshl That
devil has crawled close up on us. Can
| you see him."
'Begad, sir, l can see nothing at all
but rocks, rocks, rocks. How can a man
fight anyway ag in human beings that