Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-10-10

OLuAuuEuyi yVS-l uuHlit tilht, uut
this time was life or death with him.
For some reason he stole the best horse
at the fort-Ferguson's-and Skipped
in the dark. believe it was in hopes
Of joining Manuel and his gang be-
lieve he thought he could safely ride
and get credit for giving warning to
Lieut.. Crane and yourself; then he
pushed out over toward Ration Springs
You say there were the prints Of n
dozen horses and mules this morning
coming down the yalley?"
Eyes, SIR"
well, they would obliterate any
prints Of those going up Now, wasn't
that Manuels party? Don't you sup
pose Muncey met them in the hills, had
them hide until Ferguson and his
friends passed them by in the darkness
and then came on down by Signal Butte
intending to stay with Cranes guard or
else, perhaps, to push on down the
Sandy to the ella and Tucson after
they got what they wanted?"
"Got what they wanted? Does the
captain mean Leon?"
Leon, mules, horses anything else
to help them in their fight How do
you know who killed your herder and
ran of your mules, sergeant? Could
you see?"
mo, sir; It was lighting up a little at
the east and Id fallen into sort Of
doze, and the boy, | suppose, thought
everything was all safe and he went
out to let the mules out Of the stuffy
box, in which we'd penncd them for the
night The next thing Mrs. Kelly and
l heard was the firing. 1t was down
the hillside toward the water and I
could only shoot at tho flashes"
Exactly. What believe is that
those two bands Of thieves = Apache
and Mcxican-ran afoul each other In
the dark. Nlunccy and his party,
scared to death, perhaps, have fed
northward into the canyon, and the
reason you have had no more trouble is
that the Apaches put out after him. We
have got the whole field ahead Of us at
this minute. | only wish we knew who
has Leon"
Mount, then, and come on" said
the major eagerly Turner, you're
probably right" And then, as II in
confirmation Of the theory, far to the
front again the crack Of cavalry car
bines echoed along the mountain
gorge.
And here, four miles out from the
lower gate, the walls Of the canyon
seemed to fall away. Still jagged and
steep where the Sandy dashed at Its
rocky banks, the cliffs were but dozen
feet or 50 In height, and thence the
pine-covered slopes rose and rolled In
bold upheavals with sheltered valleys
between each mountain wave. Along
through the pines led the Tonic trail.
Along In single file, now at rapid trot,
now at easy lope, but often climbing
and sliding clumsily, the sorrels fol-
lowed. Far down In the gorge the old
canyon trail could be seen. otis Just
around the point, sir" said Kelly pres
emily, his eyes swapping with excite
ment. Gould Sanchez and Icons
father were drowned out. We knew it
because when the food went down you
could find mules and men, saddles and
apparejoes, rifles and blankets lodged
among the rocks and trees for miles
below, but nothing above. They were
swept out just like SO many ants in
millrace."
There's n mule down there now
cried a kcen-sightcd trooper, riding
close behind the captain.
Hes killed this morning thcn-and
yons horse Seel' cried Kelly, point
ing eagerly down into the depths of the
canyon. 1.-THE first tackle must have
been right along here somewhere"
Once more ahead OF them the cliffs
began to narrow, Once more the trail
assembled to projecting point, and
then slsirted rocky palsade command
ing a view Of the canyon for two miles
tho Sandy leaping in foaming rapids
Ave hundred feet below. One after
another the troopers reached the point,
and then, following the leader, spurred
into a lope for Turner and Kelly, fore
most now, had caught again the sound
Of firing, and presently out from the
sockets whipped carbines- the fight
was in view ahead,
But what fight! Down In the depths
of the gorge, sheltering themselves as
best they could from occasional bullet
and frequent bowlder hurled from up
the heights some forty blue uniformed
troopers were falling slowly back be
fore the ccaseless onslaught Of foe
they could neither see nor reach. just
as Kelly had feared, Lieut.. Crane had
been lured into a trap, and the sup
porting platoon, reaching him, could
only share his prcdicament. just how
far up the canyon he had succeeded in
following the trail was now matter
Of little consequence, Crane and his
men were making the best Of their way
out, bringing their wounded with them.
1t was the first lesson. bitter one, and
one that would have been far more
tragic but for the coming Of their bet
ter led comrades along the upper trail.
Long before Turner and Kelly could
sight single Apache, the Apaches
had caught sight OF them. Darling from
rock to rock, Sinking from tree to tree,
away sped the 1.-the, sinewy fellows out
Of rifle range. Only few long dis
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