The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-04

Not moment was to DO lost. Within
that very hour perhaps unseen Indians
would como skulkiDg, spying, "snak-
ing upon their refuge, would DO ablo
mfalllbly to determine tho number and
character of its occupants, and if their
own force were considerable and that
OF tho garrison weak God alono could
help those innocent women.
When last noted, tho westward signal
was putting slowly up into the cloudlcss
sky from point in tho range perhaps
six miles below Patterson's station i'm
tho rocks. The three wcaricd troopers,
dragging slowly back from the chase,
could bo seen coming up tho valley prob
ably four miles away, some distance,
therefore, ahead of the supposed position
OF the foe. Wing we'll knew with what
Soatlike agility tho mountain Indians
could speed along from rock to rock and
still keep under cover, and every man
who had served month in Arizona
could have predicted that if Indians in
any force were within 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 tho sign, that
they were ignorant of the possible pres
ence of Apaches in tho range, was man.
1test simply because they rodo close
along under the foot hills, often over
the bowldcr 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't go SO close to tho rocksr'
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,
that no Apache could yet have worked
his way so far up the range, Wing was
riding, straight as the crow flies, from
the little oasis at the mouth of the
canyon toward the ambling laggards to
the south. His course led him along
within 100 yards of many bowlder or
"suwarrow, though his path itself was
unobstructed The sun had gone west
ering, and he was in the shadow. Pres
emily, however, as Dick painted painful
iy, heavily, up very gentle slope, and
, tho sergeant came upon the low crest Of
q moundlike upheaval, he saw some
400 yards ahead broad bay of sun
light stretching in from the glaring sea
y tho east and glancing to his right
noted that there was a depression in tho
rangc-something like IL broad cleft in
the mountains, possibly pass through
to the broader desert on the other side.
He gave 1t little thought, however.
There, only a mile or So away now,
came his fellow troopers, two in front,
another lagging some distance behind,
riding sleepily toward him and danger
ously close to number of sheltering
rocks Intent only OH them and still
wishing to attract their attention, he
swung his broad brimmed hat waving
1t of to the left, but with no apparent
result. COnfound thcml Were they
sound asleep: Could they never he
made to see! Poor Dick was able now
only to strike Il feeble vanter SO utterly
WAS he used up, and lust when Wing.
looking only TO the front, was thinking
that he might rs we'll discontinue the
spur and let his poor horse rest, they
laborcd forth from the sheltering shade
| full upon the t;twny, sunlit sand Then,
while the sergeant's eyes were tcnpo-
rarliy blinded by the glare, there came
from the rocks to his right IL sudden
flash and report. He felt ut the same
instant Il singing pang in the leg. lie
mad just time to grasp his own carbinc
and to attempt to swing off when the
second shot echoed loudly from the
rocks He felt poor Dick start and
swcrvc; he felt him going headlong, and
the next thing he knew he was vainlv
STRIVING to peer into the face of the
evening sun from over the quivering
body of his faithful friend, unable for
the moment To see the faintest sign of
an enemy, and then the blood came
yelling through the little hole in his
worn cavalry trousers, midway between
the hip bone and the knee. and lie
knew he ha,! received Il serious peri,aps
| desperate wound.
For the moment, therefore, he could
| do nothing more but look for succor.
n glance down the desert told him his
fellows wore at last rudcly awakened.
True to the practice of the craft, the
instant fire was opened from the rocks
each man had put spurs to his horse
and dashed away to safer distance
with such speed as was possible with
their faded mounts, each trooper warily
scanning the dark line OF the foot hills
in search of the foe and striving as ho
rode to unfasten the Hap that held his
carbine, III tho fashion of tho day,
athwart the pommel of his saddle, and
now, circling farther out upon the
plain, in wide sweep, with carbinos
advanced, they were fastening to the
succor of their comradc. Presently one
| Of tbnir r,,t,,, hon. c,,11on1,, I,n,,, ,,o;,,