The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-01-03

lighting was at its worst. l showed a
Tag OF truce, and few moments
later an Indian Of commanding STAT
ure rode out from thelittle fort they
had built on the top Of the hill and
| advanced to the center Of the Ill
minutiye plain which stretched b.
tween where the two armies were
osted. rude out alone to meet him,
for l could guess that he was the
chief Of the tribe.
! I'VE Saldfed:
81 offer you peace. I said to him
on two conditions; first, that you
lay down your arms aud surrender;
second, that the girl you stole from
US last night be returned TO me-
She is my daughter, said the
Indian haughtily.
"'Then there is so much more rea
son why you should surr. nder. for l
love her; l would marry her, and | dc
not wish to be at war with her peO-
ple'
"sYou are good,' replied the In
dian with sneer, the first and only
time I have ever seen a sneer on the
face o. an Indian. You offer me
peace for honor. Go back to your
tents
II felt az though he had kicked
me, and, burning up with wrath, l
returned to my men and the Indian
y I,,f
more work done that day. l deter
mined to wait until the morning, and
then to charge determinedly upon the
enemy and Kill every man Of them,
to capture my sweetheart, and marry
her, whether her father liked it or
not. BY that time, I considered, it
wouldn't make much difference
whether he liked it or not, for dead
men rarely interfere in matters OF
love. I had no fear OF their escaI-
Ing US during the night, for we mad
them pretty we'll penned in, and |
had no fear Of their attacking Us
during the night. After sunset I
cal ed my officers together and gave
tnem their orders
AT s O'clock I told them, WE
will charge uLon them and finish
them up
THE officers left me ID my tent tc
my own re. tions, and few min.
utes later heard slight cheer from
/ the men. l knew then that they had
heard the order, for all the afternoon
| they had been itching for a good
charge. The command had not been
given, for the simple reason that l
feared in the charge upon the Indians
the girl loved might be routed out
and probably either killed or wounded
II sat for long while thinking
how might capture her, and, seeing
90 way clear, I was about to turn IN
despair when heard cry for the
corporal CT the guard from one of oHr
outposts. There was hurrying Of
men and then IN a few moments the
corporal came into my tent, saluted.
and said that an Indian girl wished
TO speak with me. My heart beat
violently and I ordered the man t.
show her 10.
But 1t was not my love-not my
Wood Dove, as she bad told me hel
name was among her people. The
! girl who stood before me was small
and wizened, with weak eyes, and in
'ags.
:. What do you want" asked her,
"Tha Wood Dove could not fly t.
you,' she replied, so she sent ME.
They are guarding her, but she will
escape from them. She tells me to
say to you that my people will charge
upon you tomorrow morning, and
that to deceive you all Of our women
will be mounted and held In the rear,
as if they were men waiting for their
! turn to fight She tells me to say to
:you that she will be mounted on a
black horse, with a star in its fore.
head. and with two white forelegs.
She will be in the front ranks when
/ the charge is made, and at your first
fire will fall from her horse as though
! he were wounded. You must tbeu
manage to pick her body up before
! our people do So Her father Is the
chief Of our people, he was the chief
with whom you spoke to-day, and he
was very angry with her when he
; came back to us She has pursuaded
j him that she does not love you, but
, hates you, and though she is well
guarded tonight it is because Of the
fear Of an attack from you. In the
morning she will ride forth and take
her place at the head Of all the wo
men. In the excitement Of the
moment she will mix with the men,
and you know what to do then
;'The womIn LETT me and returned,
=; as she had come, to the tents of her
people.
Il was excited naturally over this
! story could not help realizing. the
real danger she would run of beine
Killed, and was puz led for some
whlls as 10 Hhat should do. Then
! an idea occurred TO me, and, smiling
to myself. went to sleep and rested
peacefully until the morning.
I'm the morning l Cal ed my Off
GERS about me again.
IL have learned said, that the
enemy intended to charge upon Us.
/ have decided that it will he best to
| wait until they are half way across
the plain and then to sally forth.