The Irish standard., 1895-10-05

deft, practiced hand had him up IN an
instant, but something went Sinking
away down the bank, and over on the
opposite shore the wild, weird cry Of
the lynx, half snarl, half warning, rose
above the rush OF the stream. Some
where further down the echoing can
yon the cry was taken up and repeated
and old Kelly growled aloud: '"The.
major knows best, sir, but if there's
Apaches hanging about here anywhere,
that's the way they'd be signaling may
be, and wouldn't like to have them
heaving rocks down ON Masther RAN.
dali"
''Were almost there now, father"
spoke the boy for himself. They can't
roll rocks on us once I get you in there.
There's our landmark now" And
right ahead, around another abrupt
shoulder OF the cliff, there loomed up
through the night the shaft of atallI
cactus-the cereus giganteus OF the
Gila basin-and here again the heights
broke away, and through a broad open
ing to the right the stars peeped down
in silvery splendor. Unhesitatingly the
boy led on into this nook Of the noun
tains. One after another the click Of
hoofs on the rocks gave place to soft
thud upon the yielding turf, and pres
emily as Randall reined in and threw
himself from the saddle, the party
gathered in silence around him.
''It's quite climb from here" he
said. "Will you come, father - and
Kelly? The rest had.better stay"
A trooper took their reins. Silently
the boy led on, bending low and search
ing the foot trail In a minute they.
were climbing some steep ascent, slow
", cautiously. Presently they reached
the little ledge of rock and stopped to
breathe. Down in the depths Of the
cove trooper struck match to light
his pipe, and the stern voice Of Sergt.
Charlton reproved him with: Don't
you know that if there are Indians
about that's a sure way Of telling them
where to hre?"
'sI've got to light a match in "a min
ute, father" said Randall, ''but it will
be so far in the cleft it won't be seen
above" Then once:again he pushed on,
still climbing some old game trail.
About two hundred feet above the bot
tom he stopped, his heart beating hard.
"Im going to give our signal" he whis-
pered. ''It's one we had when we
played scout"
A moment of silence and then, in
low, mellow whistle, two notes, not.
unlike the Bob White pipe Of our quail,
were lifted on the night air. Breath
less all the troopers far below and the
little party on the hillside waited the
result.
{ ''The boys right muttered old Kelly
to himself. 'sIf Icons in hiding from
tApaches anywhere here he'll welcome
that call" No answer came, and once
again, a little louder, Randall piped
anew. Still no result, and with sob
in his voice the boy turned. i
!" ''I'll not give up till I've searched the
cave" he said, "but he'd have answered
If he'd heard" and so once more led
on. Presently they came to a deep
cleft in bold outcropping of rock, and
into this cautiously Randall turned.
"Keep few yards behind me-" he
whispered. GIVE got to light my
match"
One moment, and with snap and
fare the blue flame Of the luctfer
flashed upon their sight, slowly turned
ito yellow red, and was lifted toward a
dark aperture in the rock. One instant
iof hesitation, of doubt and bitter dis
appointment, and the boy passed
istealthilyin. Then something seemed
to stir far back in the dark. There
was a sudden start-a stifed gasp.
Then the simultaneous cries: Leon!
!Randy!'' axd in confusion of sound of
scrambling and hugging, and some
thing suspiciously like sobbing and
laughter intermingled, the match went
out.
When, after moments lull, old Kel-
ly struck a light and peered with
moistened eyes, the boys were appar-
emily doing a bear dance together, and
q bear dance consists in hugging ones
4. ~. j