The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-23

pearance of which indicated that a spring
of water bubbled out of the ground there
Near by Were their horses, 80 in number.
cropping thc..grass under guard of three or
four of the band
The thickct was the center Of a sort of
basin, the sides of which sloped gently
down from semicircular ridge, OH part
of which Lieutenant Davis and the scout
were crOuching. OF to the south stretch
ed Il broad plateau, which ended abruptly,
three or four miles away, i'll tho wild,
rocky formation spoken of by Captain
Duhlgrcn. The two men took in tho Whole
situation with IL rapid glance, and acscr IL
brief consultation turncG to ycjoin the
waiting troop.
In the meantime Rulph's iirpa:ience al
most broke bounds. He dared not disc
hey orders and join the lieutcnant but he
felt that he could not wait to hear what
had been discovered.
"Wcll, sergeant" he cried in low tone,
turning to Sergeant Wilson, II veteran Of
many Indian wars, "whut do you Think"
'We've got 'em, SIR" replied the old
trooper, with u flash of his eye "'rhc
smoke betrayed 'cm. That settlement
whisky must be in 'em yet, or they would
not have been SO bold with their cookin,
and no lookout either. Tain't often we
SulSH Gil lltDplu llhC lulS. Out mere comes
the leftenant. There's work before us
Master Ralph you'll have a redskin for
your target today"
"l'm ready" cried the excited boy,
land the sooner the better"
AT this moment Lieutenant Davis and
the scout rejoined the party and the Off
Ger, mounting his horse, turned to his
men and said:
"Mcn, the Indians are over there, 500
yards from the crest of the ridge. There
are 35 of them, but they are not expecting
an attack, and intend to crush them at
blow. They seem to be we'll armed but
they are now dismounted, cooking and
eating. AS soon as you reach the top of
the hill you will deploy in open order and
rush on them like an avalanche. Reserve
your fire until you are ut close range, and
then each man pick out his mark. l want
no prisoners-thc band must be wiped
out. 1t will be good lesson to the rest
of the tribe. And now, Ralph" contin-
ued the officer, turning to his young com
pnnion, "ridc near me, and keep your po-
ny well in hand. Don't fire until you can
do so with effect, and Mt short range use
your pistols
Without waiting for Ralph to reply the
lieutenant wheeled his horse and gave the
command:
forward, men-trot" and the troop
moved steadily up the ridge.
AS they reached the summit Il sudden
commoti0n among the Indians told that
they had been seen. Now was the time for
action, and the lieutenant, rising in his
stirrups ana riding TO the head of his men,
with Ralph on one side of him and the
scout on the other, cried
Forward Open ortlcrl Charger
AT the command to charge Ralph put
tho N his trn11nnt vi IL ,n1
along by the lcutcnant's side in n tumult
of enthusiasm little short of wild Not
more than half the distance to the point
OF nttack had been passed, however, when
Il sudden and remarkable change came
over the boy. The pallor of uncontrolla-
bic fear spread over his fnce, and turning
quickly to the officer he uttered cry that
sounded as if his young heart were break
ing:
ooh, l cannot cannot!''
AS tho words left his lips he turned his
pony obliquely to the right and galopetl
away out of the track of the rushing troop.
Fifteen minutes later 80 dead Indians,
35 captured horses and two dead troopers
told the story of that short but terrific
struggle.
Leaving Sergeant Wilson in command
of his men, Lieutenant Davis rode rapidly
back up the hill in search of Ralph Just
beyond its crest he SAW Fircfly standing
motionlcss under an empty saddle and
beside the well trained pony, lying prone
upon the grass where lie had thrown him
self, with his face buried in his hands,
was the poor boy who 80 minutes before,
was burning with the fire of battle Con-
vulsive sobs shook his young form rs he
gave way to M agony of grief and shame
The lieutenant needed 10 explanation
Every soldier knows that some of the BRAY
est men have been the victims of sudden
and overpowerng fear the first time they
were exposed to fire, and the officer felt
his heart warm with pity for tho boy
whose modification he witnessed
Many years have passed since then, and
the dauntless courage and brilliant deeds
of Ralph Dahlgren have added TO the glo-
~ of II score of battlcfields. General or
ders have become familiar with his name,
and it now stands high on the roll of the
regular army. IL he had been a soldier
under the great Napoleon, he would have
worn all the brilliant decorations of that
warlike age and perhaps the insignia of
marshal of France. Those who have
seen him cool, fearless, intrepid, even in
the hottest blasts Of battle, can hardly be-
lieve the story of his baptism of fire -
ID. Is. Waggoner in Philadelphia Times.
The Greatest Glacial System.
Chief of nil urnnptz bo u,onInr. of a.