The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-04-12

oiu, 81 was wing pioneer or his clas
In the new. AT the moment when tn
latter struck spurs to the wearied flank
OF poor Dick and called on him for ON
more effort, the stalwart and handsom
sergeant sped away on the path of duty
confident of the fact that by this tim
every man in his own troop and ever,
soldier who knew him at all woult
stake his last dollar on Bob Wings tao
king the problem before him as fear
iessly and intelligently as any veteran
in the regiment.
Having ordered the ambulance up the
gorge, he himself spurred away to gath.
er in all stragglers within reach. so as
to re-enforce the little garrison at the
caves III the event of attack from the
Apaches. To his practiced eye no ves-
| tlge OF doubt remained as to the char
acter and purpose of the signal smokes.
Not moment was to be lost. Within
that very hour perhaps unseen Indians
would come skulking, spying, "snak-
ing upon their refuge, would be able
1nfallibly to determine the number and
character of its occupants, and if their
own force were considerable and that
OF the garrison weak God alone could
help those innocent women,
When last noted, the westward signal
was putting slowly up into the cloudless
SKY from point in the range perhaps
SIX miles below Patterson s station in
the rocks. The three wearied troopers
dragging slowly back from the chase.
could be seen coming up the valley prob
ABLY four miles away, some distance,
therefore, ahead of the supposed position
OF the foe. Wing well knew with what
goatlike agility the mountain Indians
could speed along from rock to rock and
still keep under cover. and every man
VINO had served a month in Arizona
could have predicted that if Indians in
any force were within a days march of
those three stragglers ambush and death
would be their fate, perhaps even when
within view of their longed for goal.
That they had not seen the sign, that
they were ignorant of the possible pres
ence OF Apaches in the range, was man.
ifest simply because they rode close
along under the foot hills often over
the bowlder strewn outskirts of the
falda, and, though still far from them,
such was Wings anxiety for their safe
ty that he rode furiously along, signal
ing with his left hand as though to
say: Keep out! Keep to your right!
Don go so close to the rocksi''
In this way, urging Dick to his speed |
and never thinking of his own safety, |
intent only on saving his comrades |
from possible death, believing, too,
hat no Apache could yet have worked
us way so far up the range, Wing was
1dlng, straight as the crow flies, from
he little oasis at the mouth of the
'anyon toward the ambling laggards to
he south. His course led him along
within 100 yards of many bowlder or
suwarrow, " though his path itself was
The sun had gone west
ring, and he was in the shadow Pres
ntly, however, as Dick painted painful
y, heavily, up very gentle slope, and
ne sergeant came upon the low crest of
moundlike upheaval, he saw some
90 yards ahead broad bay of sun
light stretching in from the glaring sea
the east, and glancing to his right
oted that there was a depression in the
something like broad cleft in
ne mountains, possibly pass through
the broader desert on the other side.
lie gave it little thought, however.
here, only mile or so away now,
anne his fellow troopers, two in front,
mother tagging some distance behind,
ding sleepily toward him and danger
lsly close b, a number of sheltering :
'cks. Intent only ON them and still
1shlng to attract their attention, he
vung Lis broad brimmed hat. waving
off to the left, but with no apparent
suit. Confound them! Were they
und asleep! Could they never be s
ade to see! Poor Dick was able now I
lly to strike feeble canter. SO utterly 4
as he used up, and just when Wing,
Oklng only to the front, was thinking r
at he might as well discontinue the .
ur and let his poor horse rest, they
bored forth from the sheltering shade
II upon the tawny, sunlit sand. Then,
hlle the sergeant's eyes were tempo r.
rlly blinded by the glare, there came il
om the rocks to his right a sudden d
sh and report. He felt at the same Ii
stant stinging pang in the leg. He a
q just time to grasp his own carbine :,
q to attempt to swing off when the !"
,ond shot echoed loudly from the IL
cks. He felt poor Dick start and Al
erve; he felt him going headlong, and b.
next thing he knew he was vainly di
wing to peer into the face of the IL
ening sun from over the quivering m
dy OF his faithful friend, unable for cr
moment to see the faintest sign of -,
enemy, and then the blood came
ling through the little hole in his ~
rn cavalry trousers, midway between IN
hip bone and the knee, and he St
ew he had received serious perhaps
perate wound.
For the moment, therefore, he could tn
nothing more but look for succor. La
glance down the desert told him his an
lows were at last rudely awakened.
le to the practice of the craft, the th
can't fire was opened from the rocks M,
n man had put spurs to his horse