Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-09-26
Where are you, Five? What's Ia.
matter?" he heard the corporal's earel
Copyright. ise4, by the Author,

where are you, Five? What's Ia.
matter?" he heard the corporal's eager
hall In the darkness No answer.
"Where are you, Ruckel? VIII
Then . stumble-a stitled exclamation
the sound Of something like car
bine falling on the sandy ground, and
then along the bluff trot, trot, trot, trot,
trot, double time, the rapid coming Of
the sergeant with the patrol and
lantern.
This way, sergeant cried the ma
jor, as he led on down the slope.
''Come here with that light, for Gods
sake" rang the voice Of the corporal.
And fifty yards further they found him
bending over an inanimate and bleed
ing form-that Of Ruckel, the young
Bavarian trooper, pierced through with
Tonic arrows.
CHAPTER ~.
Alive, alert and well at two o'clock
the young sentry on Number Five had
passed the call. Entitled to his relief
Immediately after two thirty and al
lowed q few hours rest and sleep at the
guardhouse, he had but half an hour
now to tramp up and down--up and
down along that dark and dreary post,
with the black silhouettes Of the off,
GERS quarters rising between him and
the southern sky and the black shadows
OF the northward foothills hemming the
view to the Prescott road. Soft and
sandy was the soil in this depression.
with stunted shrubbery and hardy
brushwood dotting It here and there.
West Of the road by which g troop had
trotted away the ground lay open and
clear. East Of 1t and over toward the
upper end Of Skis post there remained
many clumps Of wild vegetation. and II
any doubts existed at two o'clock Of the
near presence Of Apaches IN force they
were banished at two thirty, for 9
troop, tumbling out in hot haste and
formed in fighting line. went down
the slope in single rank, out over the
post OF poor Ruckel lying there skew
cred with Tonic shafts, and in dis
persed order, with carbines at ready,
they beat through that chapparal,
stirring up the jack rabbits by the
score, and, later on, finding here and
there and in dozen spots the track Of
Q Tonic moccasin as the
hoof prints Of moose, but finding not
Q single Tonic. Elcetest Of mountain
warriors, they had made their recon-
Nuisance, and then while some drew
Fosters troop toward the Ration Springs
others, slipping behind, had crept
noiselessly within ten yards Of the
browsing sentry, lolljng In fancied Sc
curity along his shadowy path, passing
and repassing between their lair and
the atar,lit southern sky, until, crawl
ipg upon him, sinuous and slow and
patient as the boa constructor, they had
struck at one and the same instant, and
dropped him in his tracks with no more
than one gurglng inarticulate cry,
then sped away for the foothills.
While Raymouds men were beating
the bush, their comrades Of j troop had
saddled and led into line at the stables.
It was three fifteen when the dis
mounting company came swinging
back up the slope, silent, vengeful, yet
thrilling bit with the sense Of unseen
danger. Thornton by this time was
fully aroused to the possibilities Of
Apache warfare.
ut will be daybreak soon," he said,
land l want you, Turner, to push out
on the trail Of those beggars and run
them to earth II possible thing Ray
mond willremain with me. They must
belong to some bigger band hereahouts.
God grant it isn't along the Sandy
now"
Inyoluntarily as he spoke he turned
and looked to the west. There stood
old Signal Butte-dark and silent still
No sign Of beacon FIRE there. There
10y the dim and distant ruins Of the
old post, down In the depths Of the
shadowy valley. No sign Of danger or
excitement Yet II the Apaches dare
stalk the sentries Of a big command as
these had done, what would they not
dare with 90 small q detachment as
Cranes? And then those unprotected
women and children at Kelly's ranchl
Thornton had seen exciting times dur
Ing the war Of the rebellion, but
women and children never entered into
those calculations. 1t was after three
when Raymouds men returned from
their fruitless quest, Turner's troop
bad gone out to the stables, and not
> word had come from Foster, not q sign
from the Sandy valley to tell that Leon
had safely reached the post. Nervously
the major paced up and down his broad
veranda now, every little while pausing
to address some query or instruction
To officers or men Fastening by. Lights
were fitting about in every set Of quar-
tiers and on every side.
Everybody was astir, even the chill
dren. Over Of the east the stars were
beginning to pale in the faint, pallid
light Of the coming morn, and little by
little the jagged outline Of the Mogol-
Ion range grew sharp and clear against
the reddening sky. Over at the west
the peaks began to warm and glow in
answer, while at their base the valley
Of tho Sandy still lay dark and unre-
vealed. Nearly four o'clock-no fur
Their word from Foster. Could he have
sent couriers from the springs, who,
riding carelessly, confidently home
ward, had met poor Ruckel's fatep
Certainly by three o'clock he should
have been heard from, and here II was
almost daylight. In ten minutes, just
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