The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-12-11
:eenIy into the sergeantls intelligent

keenIy into the sergeant's intelligent
face.
THAT road has been abandoned for
weeks past. Everybody TO the east of
us has taken refuge at the railway long
since. Nobody would be coming from
that direction"
Il know that, sir: but would not any
detachment coming from the agency to
meet us, for instance, be apt to keep
the road? / understood we were to
strike for it in the morning and follow
it in"
Again Berrien gazes long and earnest
" through the binocular. They are
certainly heading for that road and
riding at full speed. How many men
have YOU at this 'front.'" he quickly
asks.
Just eight, sir, all told, but eight
more are almost within call over on
our left flank. Yonder is the ridge
where my men are posted" And Ellis
points to their left rear where lies the
low crest.
Just keep a good lookout here, SER
geant l will move them over this way
and then ride to the left flank. Ny
horse, orderly" And, thinking deeply
over the matter as he rides, Berrien
spurs into lively canter across an in
tervening dip in the prairie. ''Some
mischief ahead" he mutters. "They
are not speeding up that valley for moth
ing. We may have to saddle and get
over there"
Not two hundred yards has he ridden
when from the point which he has just
quilted there comes sudden yell of
warning, followed almost instantly by
two shots in quick succession. Then
bang! bang! another two, and, as he
whirls about, the first object that meets
his startled gaze is Ellis handsome black
horse plunging to earth almost at the
edge of shallow ravine some distance
out in front of the butte.
my God, sir" cries the orderly, Ser
geant Ellis is killedr'
Berrien's heart bounds. There, face
downward upon the sward, motionlcSs.
just few feet away from the plunging,
death stricken horse, lies the sergeant,
his carbine dropped from his nerveless
hand. At the same instant red, glitter
ing, bedaubed with paint, bespangled
with cheap finery, two young Indian
braves lash their ponies into furious gal
lop as they shoot up ont of the shallow
ravine, and rifles in hand, coupsticks
advanced, race madly toward the strick-
en- trooper in eager effort to secure the
trophy of their prowess, the coveted
scalp of the fallen foe.
Your carbine, man!' yells Berrien to
his orderly. Quick! Shoot that lead
err And putting spurs TO his snorting
horse, reckless of the fact that he is
armed only with revolver and that the
rayine may be full of Indians, the vet
eran soldier drives full tilt at the charg-
ing braves He thinks only of the fact
that one of his men lies PROSTATE and
helpless before them. They are almost
upon Ellis before Berrien has galloped a
rod. They are within twenty PAGES of
him when, with shout Of delight, the
major sees him whirl suddenly over,
grasp his carbine, and, all in a second,
the flame leaps from the bronzed muz-
zle, the foremost warrior drops his
rife. whirls up a clinching, convulsive
hand and topples headforemost out of
the saddle Scott, the vedetIe, echoes
with another shot that kicks up the dust
close under the second pony's flashing
heels. Its red rider yeers in broad circle
to the right, and in the twinkling of an
eye the feathered war bonnet bows low
over the pony's stretching neck. Ber-
rien's bullet whizzes harinlessly above,
and the major himself. borne by the
rush of his half madiened steed. dashes
on past Ellis, now kneeling for another
shot, and goes crash into the midst of a
little knot of yelling warriors just
bounding up ont Of the gully to the res
cue Of their stricken comrade. ''Bess.
my wife; Winnie" are the only words
he has time or thought to mutter, for
instant death seems inevitable.
But all the old fighting instinct is up
per1most, and almost in the face of the
foremost Sioux his revolver blazes its
challenge. and horse and pony meet in
tremendous shock, and the lighter steed
goes tumbling and rolling over the turf
There is chorus Of yells, shots, soldier
cheers, laundering hoofs. There is a
vision of glittering steel in front of his
eyes, of hideous painted face, sudden
sense of stumble and stunning fall,
shrill whoop of triumph, changing in
stantly into the death cry, and while his
Brule antagonist goes crashing down,
pony and all, Berrien is conscious of the
superb leap of big black charger over
his own PROSTATE form, of stentorian
cheer from half dozen trooper throats,
and the next minute Brewster is kneel-
ing by his side. raising the honored gray
head in his strong young arms, and the
voice that thundered in battle cry but
an instant agone is trembling now as he
calls for a canteen of water and bids his
half stunned commander not TO strive to
move.
We've got two of them, sir, all right"
he whispers, breathless, but well know
ing that to be the best news he can give. |
"The rest got away and left bullet hole |
in your shoulder"
(Coatinued Not Week.