The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-08-11

what vas left OF Il right. The train
was some three hours late the next
morning and didn't reach the gap un.
III after eleven. 1t was an hour later
oeiore was ready to leave, and on
account of it being so late, had | not
hho"h that some Of the men were
anxious Tor their money, l would have
slayeu over a day. Then, too, / had
heard same JUNIORS of an Indian raid
me II possible, wanted TO get back
to the ranch before they got this far
south. II is needless To say that
succeeded only by a vcry close mar.
gin.
Several things hindered orr ranid
progress. and six o'clock last evening
found us only fifteen miles from the
Gap, and twenty-five from the ranch
| hadn't seen a sign of u redskin n,
that time and was beginning to feel
easier on that point.
we hadn't gone two miles more
when poor Bess stumbled, and 1 heard
something break as she went down on
her knees never again to get up. a
leg was broken. and | emptied two
barrels of my gun into her forehead to
put her out of her misery. tell you,
boys, nothing yer hurt me as much as
that did. Bess and | had been com
paniOns for years. She had carried me
through many n tight place. and had
more than once saved my life by IL
running the b~lood-thirsty Apaches, or
a herd of stampeding steers. 1t sounds
sort of weak like to say it, | suppose,
but there in the gathering twilight.
with no friends nearer than the Gar
or the camp here. and with probably a
dozen or more foes following my trail.
| sat down beside the dead body oil
Bcss and shed the first tears | had
known since | was a boy.
But crying owe dead horsetlesE
wouldn't get IN out of the hole | was
in. All these little occurrences had
taken time. and it was quite dar,i
before | again thought of starting fOI
camp. There was nothing to do but
foot it. Il the o | started, the
sooner | would get through.
Il hadn't been tramping fifteen
minutes, when | struck an Indian trail
running east. Iou can probably i'm.
agine better than | can tell you, how |
felt. Alone and afoOt, twenty miles
from the nearest friends and hostile
Apaches no telling how near. You
would suppose | would naturally wori:
away from the Indians instead of to-
ward them. but | didn't. Some uncon-
trollable impulse made me follow
,1,.,, III, ,,.;I ,--,- FOL; go, .,
not how soon | might strike their
camp and fall into their hands. yet |
couldn't turn back.
Il had Travelled about three or four
miles when | found that machine. The
Apache'S gun and knife had done its
work. for beside the machine lay the
s~calpless corpse of Il c~yclist. Probably
Il tourist seeking both health and
pleasure by a trip through the west on
his wheel. There were evidently two
of them. for Il short distance away
was another wheel track running east
and west. but | didn't follow it. The
minute that | found the dead traveller
the spell that had drawn me toward
him SCENE broken, and | wanted to
dN III ~ oBl'NIbS 90 Ae7s
rs | could.
The bicycle offered the opportunity
for more rapid travelling. if ! could
ride it. and | believed | could. 1t tool,
me some time to get the hang of the
thing. bat after many falls and more
bruises and scratches | succeeded.
lit isn't ry T." tell all of The
little incidents of last nights ride.
When morning came. and | could tell
where | WAS. | found that. with all my
travelling. | was still some eight mics
from the ranch. | also found that the
ApacheS had struck the trail of the
wheel, and having followed one the
day before. We're not as much mystiied
by it as | could have wished.
Il was, | should judge, about three
or four miles ahead of them, but /
knew that unless / could strike
smoother travelling, they could easily
close the distance between us before |
could cover the eight miles. \ mile
mere and the trail got harder and
then | increased my pace.
The Indians seemed to increase theirs
also. put could see hat the little dis
lance between us was not lessening SO
''Oh, what a race that was. And.
to say, | enjoyed it. Every
muscle was strained to the utmost.
Not n pound of strength that | could
but what was thrown into
the pedals of the machine. Memories
Of happy days long past were revived,
and | could feel the old blood coursing
through my veins. the first time for
years. For the time | ST ,med to
that my pursuers were Indians
seeking my scalp: it seemed more like
Il hot squirt with the boys ct home,
myself As pacemakcr. Not till |
heard the clash of sabers and the
shouts of the men in Il troop-God
them-did ! seem to fully realize
the stakes in hat race had been.
You know the rest better than | do.
Now. boys. let us drink to the
of that other cyclist whose
trail | struck. trust that he may
ave escaped as easily As | did, and
"a kind Providence overlook any
irregularities in the life of the
one whose body lies molding under
the rays of an Arizona sun this morn
ing.
''Eoys. I'm going to leave you. I'm