The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-08-29

The half-iozen men sittiug around
the camp fire al post four on Y ranch
in Arizona, looked worried. One o
their number was somewhere on tha
broad stretch Of sand 10 the northSard
Whether or not he was yet living wa.
only conjecture on their part, for i
band Of Apaches had left the reserva
tion two days before and were dealing
death and destruction among the set
iers and eattlemen. Jack Andrews
the missing member Of post four. had
gone 10 the nearest railroad station.
forty miles away, for the mail and an
express package for the manager oi
the ranch, remittance to pay the
monthly salaries Ii nothing had
gone wrong, he should have been back
ere this, bat with band of blood
thirsty Indians, headed 10y that terror
of terrors, the Apache Kid, roaming
over the Arizona desert i'm search OF
sealps, his friends had grave fears for
his safety.
The missing herder should have been
in camp by the middle Of the after
noon, bat a. daylight faded into twi-
light and then into deeper darkness Of
night, relieved only by the gliInmer of
countless twinkling stars, and no Jack
appeared, their fears for his safety in
CHASED They talked Of the Apache
raid and the three cattlemen who had
been - ruthlessiy murdered By the In
dams but ten miles west of them the
day before. From that their CONVERSE
tlon drifted 10 the death of Harry Viii
iiams, whose horse had fallen with
him during a lonely night ride across
the desert, and then Of others Of their
friends who had met similar fates on
Asizona's broad plains. They could
Imagine lone h0rsenian wandering
about the sand hills and sage brush of
the desert seeking a lost trail, or they
could imagine crippled horse, Whose
rider, To put it out of It, misery. had
had to shoot it. And then u picture Of
the rider, attempting 10 make camp
across the sun parched desert on foot,
would pass before their mental vision.
And 80 the long night hours wore
away, with nothing lore alarming to
disturb them.
II wac not until an hour after sun
rise that anything was seen Of either
Jack or the Indians, aud then both
came together.
Far away TO the north a mere black
speck appeared moving over and
around, aud in and out among the
hills Of sand, gradually growing larger
aud larger. Close behind this object
was a cloud Of dust out Of which came
a bsnd Of horsemcn.
"Apachesr'
The exclamation explained it, Ger
tainly trained eyes could never mis-
take them even at that great distance.
Clearly the first object was not horse
men, il was too near the ground for
that; neither could it he man afoot
for the pr0sress was much more rapid
than could he made by a man running.
Tae distance between the two objects
did not materially lessen. The latter
were undoubtedly Indians, but wheth-
er the former was Jack or not, they
could not make out. Ii il was, he was
most certainly riding strange mount
instead Of his Bess, the swiftest and
pluekiest little horse in the carroll.
Neaner and nearer they came. There
Was evidently trouble ahead for them
all The men at the camp were pre-
pared 20 sell their lives dearly if e.
cape was impossible.
But aid was nearer than they thought
In the ravine, half mile 10 the west,
troop Of blae-coated cavalry was
forming.
.'FOrward-guide center-march -
Tae captains voice rang out as clear a.
if ordering his men to a dress parade
instead of an encounter with the ter
rors Of the southwestern plains.
''Gallop-Aarch. Charger
The line Of hardy troopers with rails
cd sabers came down al right angles