Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-01
FOES IN AMBUSH.
By Capt. CHARLES KING, U. S. A.
ICopyright, 1893, by Charles Kins,J

] COGEt1D,';. -,H tO'E-S NGr2 I1C--Gl], no 1 severe colrr~siul2 suat@ined in the rapid drag oyer tha sandy surface, and the awful s.G#c uf the calamity that hal boiallrn luM and the dread and doubt as to the fate of his beloved ones seemed to rally his st12lnad &uG bewildoreI fac ultics and bring him face to face with the horror of the situation. Barely able to lrcathc. he found himself 1uJleIy 9a~~a6. Striving to raise his hand to tv@r the hateful bard&@c away, ha found tiig,t he was pinioncd by tke cl- bows and bound hand and foot by the very riata probably that had dragged him thither. No doubt as to the na- ti0nality of his unseen captOrs here The skill with which he had been looped, tlipped, whisled away and bounG-the sharp, biting edges, even the Odor of dirty rawhide rOpe-all told him that, though Americans were not lacking in the gang, his immediate an tagoniSts hailed from across the Sonora line. Who and what they were mat l tered little. however. The fact that after hor1s of repulse in open attack the foe had all on a sudden carried their castle by u damnable ruse was only too forcibly apparent. Writhing, struggling in miserable effort to free himself from his bonds, poor Harveys burning eyes wero maddened by the picture before him Cnly q couple of hundred yards away.
 There i'll the fierce light of the flames now bursting from every window and roaring and shooting high ill air from the brush heaped roof of Moreno's ranch-thorc stood the Concord wagon, stalwart men clinging to the heads of the plunging and excited mules, a big ruffian already ill the drivers seat, whip and rcins in hand; there beside it was the p&ymaster's ambulance, into which threc of the gang were just shov- ing the green painted iron safe-the Pandora's s box that had caused all their sorroWS-there Morenos California blackboard, pressed into service and be- ing used to carry tho wounded, drawn by the extra mules, and then-God of heaven! what a sight for brothers s eyes to sec and make Eo sign 1!-then one big brute lifted from the ground and hand ed up to a fellow already ensconced within the covered wagon the scnselesS, perhaps ifClosS, form of pretty little Ruth, his fathers idol. The poor child lay unresistin& in the rufian's arms, but not 90 Paquita. It took two men, stron; and l,urly, to lift and force her into the dark interior, and one of these, to the uttemnost detail of his equip ment, was 10 all appearance a trooper of the United States cavalry.
 There stood his panting horse with hanging head and jaded withers, the very stoed whOso rush they had wei comcd with such exceeding joy, sad died, bridlcd, blanketed, saddlebagged, lariatcd, side lined, every item complete and exactly as issued by the ordnance department. The trooper himself wore the field uniform of tho cavalry-the dark blue blouse, crossed by tho black carhino sling, whose big brass buckle Ned could even DOW a2o glealning be- tween the broad shoulders and gath cred at the waist by the old fashioned "thim'lc belt" the troop saddlcrs used to make for fold service before the woven nirdle was devised. Even morc Harvey ill his misery remcm- ECT2d th2 thrill of joy with which ho had noted, ;js the splendid li'ler reined i'll and threw himself from the saddle the crossed sabcrs, tho troop letter "C" and the regimcntal number g!caming at the front of his campaign hat.
 Who-WhO could this be, wearing the honorable garb of a soldier of the United States, yet figuring as a ringleader in band of robbers and assassins now add ing rapinc to their calendar of crime? Edward Harvey's heart almost burst with helpless rage and wretchedness when he saw his precious sisters dragged within the canvas shelter--saw the tall uniformed brigand leap lightly after them and heard him shout to the ready driver, "Now, off with you!"
 Crack: went the whip as tho men sprang from the heads of tho frantic mules, and with bound that nearly wrenched the trace hooks from the stout whippletrco the Concord went spin ming over the sands to the south, whir1- ing so near him that over tho thud of hoofs and whirl of wheels and crcak of spring and woodwork he could hear poor Fanny's despairing cry-tho last sound hC was aware of for hours, for now in dead earnest Harvey swooned away.
 Half an hour later, the rafters of the ranch having by this time tumbled in and turned tho interior into Q glowing furnace, there camo riding from the west a slender skirmish limo of horse men in the worn campaign dress of the regular cavalry. With tho advance there wero not moro than six or eight, a tall, slender lieutenant leading them on and signaling his instructions. With carbines advanced, with eyes peering out from under the jagged hat brims, the veteran troopers came lOping into the light of the flames, expectant every instant of hearing the crack of outlaws rifle or perhaps the hiss of feathered arrow of unseen foe. Though some of the steeds looked hot and wea- ried, the big raw bOned sorrel that car ried the young commander tugged at his bit and bounded impatiently as though eager for the signal-'' charge" Straight into the circle of light, straight to the southern entrance, now gate of flame, the soldier rode and loudly hailed "MOreno!"
 But hissing, snapping woodwork alone replied. Guided by an experi enced sergeant, some of the troopers, never halting, rode on into the east ward darkness, and there were sta tioned as vedettes to guard against sur prise. Returning to where he had passed his lieutenant, the sergeant dismounted, allowing his weary horse to stand, and then began minute examination. Fol
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