Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-03-08

commander whlch sGateu that tho bearer was on his way to the Indian pueblo of Jemez to prevent threatened massacre of n number of Navajo wom- en, children and old men who had sought asylum there and authorized the lieutenant to furnish him with a de- tachment of soldiers
 After dismounting and entering tho officers cabin the agent stated that, the Navajo country being overrun by the national forces, many of the principal men of the tribe had sent their wives and children to the towns of the Pueblo Indians for safety, and that there were now at Jemez l2 old warriors. IS women and quite a number of children. He further stated that Q war party of Nav ajoes had recently successfully raided the stock of the pueblo of Santo Do mingo because the inhabitants had re- fused to grant asylum to their families, and that the Dominicans had organized a party to go to Jemez and kill the aged men and the women and children there in revenge.
 The lieutenant expressing Q doubt that the Jeme7 Indians would permit
 
 ity. especially when they outnumbered the Dominicans by several hundreds, the agent replied that Jemez was in no sense to be considered friendly to the Navajoes, but that its position near a principal trail to the country of those predatory nomads made it to the advan- tage of the pueblo to be on good terms.
 The Dominicans had sent word to the governor of Jemez that if his people interfered to protect their guests the military authorities would consider them allies of the Navajoes and treat them accordingly.
 For messenger and other special serv- ice requiring speed the camp had been furnished with two bronchos. These, with the six wagon mules and the pri- vate horse of the lieutenant, made it possible in an emergency to mount nine men. Raymer mentioned this to the agent and urged that the detachment should start at 8 in the morning. which would enable it to cover the 25 miles between the valley and the pueblo by daylight. But the gentleman preferred sleeping to night marching and insisted that to leave by sunrise would be suffi- ciently early.
 The orders of tho commanding general hequired the lieutenant to conform his movements to the wishes of the agent, so he could do nothing but wait, that gentleman maintaining that the Domin- jeans would not leave their pueblo be- fore noon.
 Before tattoo First Sergeant Cunning ham waited upon tho officer with the TO- quest that he be allowed to accompany the expedition. his duties having hith- erto confined him strictly to camp. The request was granted, and at daybreak the next morning the party of II and the lieutenant's setter, Victoriana, left the camp.
 As Victoriana is a principal character III an incident soon to be related, she must be introduced to the reader. When Raymer was about to leave Santa Fe for the valleys, his friend Reed gave him a beautiful young setter, which he named as above but which for convenience, except in moments of confidence, he called Vic. She was white and liver colored, with mottlcd nose and paws,
 
 of Navarro. She had received no educa- ton, but she possessed plenty of capac- ity, and much of Raymcr's time during the long evenings and on days when hunting or scouting was spent in train ing her.
 She learned to close the door when he simulated shiver, to bring his slippers when she saw him begin to remove his boots, to carry notes to the first sergeant the laundresS, the servant and tb' >cDeAn and to go back to the camp fro' long distances for articles sent for. $ Q waa an unerring setter and fine retrl, ,-E She was taught not to bark where a sound might bring an enemy upon her friends, and she would follow at the heels of her masters horse when told to do so and never make U break to right or left
 The march out of the valley, through a deep forest, down Q zigzag descent of 2, 900 feet to the banks of q river. along the river to the cultivated lands of the Jemez pueblo heed not be described. As the detachment came in sight of the timed spires of the church in the town | a distinct murmur filled the air. The lieutenant ordered halt and listened. l In Q moment what had seemed e mur. mur swelled upon the shuddering air an unmistakable warwhoop
 It was very evident that the Domini' cans had arrived before the soldiers. Telling Sergeant Cunningham to bring tho men up as rapidly as possible, stick ing to tho road, which made q long curvo around the cornfields, tho officer accompanied by the Indian agent, put | spurs to his horse and dashed toward the town.
 Raymer's s route was through the cul tivated fields, while that of the soldieri was on the hard ground along the has, of tho foothills. His was in a direc line over decp, soft earth, frequently crossed by irrigating ditches. whil, theirs, although nearly double the dis tance. was over firm soil without , break. The lieutenant rode directly to ward the church, which he knew over looked the plaza
 Often the two riders plunged dowl the banks of the ditches. carrying ava Ranches of soil with them into two O three feet of water to make a har' scramble up the crumbling wall of tn
 opposite sides, and as they neared tn
 pueblo the louder grew the disoordan
 warwhoops. Being better mounted thal
 the agent, the officer took the lead by
 few rods.
 As he reached the border of the plan
 tation Raymer found between it an
 the street Q cactus hedge about four fee
 high, with no passage through it, ex
 cept at a considerable distance to tn
 right. Distrusting his broncho's abilit
 to leap it or his own to keep his seat
 the agent veered away toward the open
 ing, while the lieutenant gave his thol
 oughbred his head and rode sharply a
 the hedge, clearing it at a bound an
 receiving but few scratches from tn
 spines as he went through the branchin