Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-10-21
SAVED FROM INDIANS.

and glanced at his sleeping compan-
ions.
cts strange!" he mused 81 seem
to see the face of that girl prisoner
and can't get it out of my mind. And
to think she's at this very moment
not more than five miles away, des-
tined to be the mistress of chief or
perhaps sacrificed in some of their
horrid rites! And yet these men are
right. To undertake anything for her
too wild, too Wild"
cpl go,'' he muttered at last, ego
alone to the Navajo camp, if [ die for
it! Something seems to urge me and
I will obey. If it be only a morbid
fancy. I alone shall suffer for it. And,
suppose I do die, who's there to
mourn for me except those two rough
though noble hearted men? Besides,
if anything can be done, one would
be more likely to succeed than three"
Then, mounting, he rode into the
water and directed his course down
the stream.
An hour longer, and he found him
self at the edge of a narrow valley,
whose opposite was overshadowed by
rocky cliffs one thousand feet high.
Securing his horse, he began to
steal forward on foot, first seeing that
his knife and revolvers were in their
accustomed places.
It was full half an hour before he
gained that coveted position. Look
ing down, his eyes met scene which
thrilled him with excitement.
Thirty yards distant appeared low.
hastily constructed tent, hitherto con-
cealed from his view by groups of
cactus.
Around it the Navajo warriors lay,
rolled in their blankets, apparently
buried in slumber.
There was no way of approaching
the tent except through the groups of
sleeping warriors.
The latter had evidently sunk to
sleep without posting sentinels, feel
ing perfectly secure in this isolated
spot.
With the softness and agility of a
cat, he left his position and began
worming himself through the coarse
grass toward the tent.
But he had not advanced five yards
when dark figure arose near it, and
glancing for moment over the sleep
ing warriors, darted within.
In the momentary pause made the
trapper saw it was an Indian girla
What meant her stealthy move
ments? Did she design to help the
prisoner to escape?
Ten minutes passed, seeming an
hour to the excited trapper. Then he
saw the Indian girl cautiously emerge
from the rude tent and glance anx-
iously around
Evidently satisfied that none of the
warriors had moved, she made a ges-
ture to some one behind, who began
at once to follow her, both crawling
on hands and knees toward the base
of the low cliffs.
At last they passed him, and having
gained the cliffs darted noiselessly up
among the dwarfed shrubbery cover
ing it's sides.
The moment they disappeared their
silent watcher crept hurriedly alter
them.
The Indian girl had disguised the
prisoner whom she was assisting to
escape. Nevertheless the trapper had
penetrated sufficiently to know that
the prisoner was white.
''It is she! Merciful heaven, I al
most know it'll" he muttered in his ex
element. "That something which
urged me upon this adventure-'twas
presentiment!"
Not three minutes elapsed before
he caught sight of the fugitives as
they disappeared through cleft in
the rocks which opened into the pas
sage from the valley.
But scene met his view which held
him motionless with wonder and new
| fears.
A powerful built Indian warrior
stood beside horse about twenty
| feet distant, on the opposite side of
the passage.
The trapper had just time to take in
the scene when the warrior advanced
meeting the Indian girl and her re-
coiling charge.
"You have done well, Menoken,"
said the warrior softly, in good Span
ish. "You see I am ready. Do you
think your warriors suspect that the
Apache chief, War Tongue, has fol-
lowed them for three days?"
sNo," she said, ''nor that Menoken,
wife of a Navajo chief fears q white