The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-12-11
CHAPTER vIL-coNrrNupo
Copyright, 1894, by the Author.)

CHAPTER VIL-CoNTrNuEo
The story of the boys long tramp
home was familiar to one and all by
this time and had won the little fellow
host of friends among officers and
soldiers alike. mo one can believe
what that fellow Munccy says, though
have reason to think the Apaches
have reached the Sandy" saiG. the gen
eral. And so on they went, rGttliug
and bumping and joltiag down the
winding road to the east of the range,
and at last pulled MP in the midst of
Turner's troop ut nightfall; and then
for the first time did Randall realize
that his friend and playmate was gone,
and no one could say how or where.
Tired and drowsy as he had been
during the long, hot day, tired as all
might well be, there was no thought of
wcariness now. In brcathless interest
the little party listened to Maj. Thorn
tons description of the events of the
previous night, Randall's heart throb-
bing hard as he heard Of Icons brave
ride for Mrs. Downcy's sake, and his
tears raining afresh as Thornton told
how they had found the pony, after
daybreals, pierced with Apache arrows,
near the butte. Had they searched
the butte itself?" asked the general.
"Every crovice of it, sir" replied
Sergt. Charlton, who had found the
pony. "Therc was no trace of him
there"
Indeed, there was no place there
where he could hide" said Randall,
sadly. 1--WE had hunted and played
scout all over it-all over the neigh
borhood, in fact. The only places we
had to hide were in the old canyon IT,
self, because we believed there the In
dians wouldn't come"
Sand you had some hiding place in
therc?" asked the general, placing his
sun-burned hand on Randall's shoulder
and looking kindly down into the boys
brimming blue eyes
"Yes, sir; three or four of them. We
had two down under tho cliffs near the
south end and another up by the cove,
where old Sanchez camped-near where
they were when the cloudburst struck
them. We were up there twice only
ten weeks ago." and again Randy's lips
were quivering, though he fought man
fully to hide his grief. eve had q
regular little cache of stores there
h4rdtack and cheese and frijoles-in
case we ever had to hide there when
we were hunting"
"You1l make a good frontiersman
one of these days, Randall" said the
bearded chief, calinly glancing at his
watch. 81 wouldn't be surprised if you
and Leon could teach us thing or two
worth knowing now. Now, Cullen, I've
got to push right on for Retribution-
the new post. We'll pick up Tanners
people on the way and take few Of
Turner's men from here. Thornton
and Turner can go with me, and you
and Randy take their horses and a
dozen men and search the canyon to-
night. It's my belief that your little
protege has given both crowds the slip,
and that if he is in the land Of the liv-
ing Randy can find him!''
1t was then nine o'clock OF another
hot, still, cloudless, starlit night. In
ten minutes, with a few words of en-
couragement to the boy and q cordial
,handshal1e and pat of the shoulder. the
general bade them all good night,
sprang lightly into his ambulance, the
aid-de-camp following, and away it
went, escort and all, splashing
through the Sandy. Half an hour
later Maj. Cullen was once again
in saddle among the old IA
miliar scenes, and, followed by
Randy, by Sergt. Kelly, who was
overjoyed to welcome back his old cap
tain, and by dozen troopers who had
never yet served with him, but knew
him WELL as soldiers will, by reputa-
ton, the major rode on down stream to
where, dark and frowning, the black
gate loomcd before them. Randall, in
his impotence to be off, could hardly
wait for tho men to be served with cof-
fee and the horses with bait of bar
ley before starting on the night ride
through the dim and ghostly chasm.
Old Kelly gave them constant encour-
agement. IF he was caught by
Apaches and killed we'd surely have
come upon his body, Masthcr Randall, y
said he, "and after he fred that beacon,
and Muncey's outfit and the Apaches
ran foul of each other, neither party
wanted to be burdened with boy.
But the Apaches were between him and
the old post. He's had only one place
to run for, and that was the canyon.
Muncey's outfit probably reached il
almost at the came titne, and he had tc
hide from both. BY this time, it's my
belief, he's stolen out and made his way
back to the old post"
1t was nearly midnight when Cullen
riding at q brisk walk at the head oi
the column, pointed silently to the
huge black bulk Of precipice overhang
ing the Sandy q few yards ahead. Il
was so dark that only by giving thC
horse his head and an occasional proc