Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-10-28

uream OF Sucn an act, nor was there
word of regret for the delay which
had caused them TO be overtaken. Sla-
ter drew in his horse, and the others
gathered round.
Was closed" said the leader, SEN
tentiously. Got to fight here or sur.
render"
"Or cut our way through" suggest
ed the man from Harvard.
THE women remarked Slater, and
the other accepted the f. Il
IF they were only mountedr NUT
tered a trooper
The Spanish riders were now draw
ing In, and volley of carabines ran
before, They had aimed high, with
the result that three men of the troop
toppled from their saddles. This left
the number of mounts free.
Cant you ride, Senora?" said Sla-
ter. Both replied in the affirmative.
"Then mount here, If you please We
must try to cut our way out
Are you afraid?"
ut Is the privilege of Cuban wom-
an to fear nothing except capture by
theser
The man from Harvard was struck
by her courage, but he could not stop
to admire 1t. The women were helped
astride the dead troopers saddles-it
was no time for false modesty-and
the rest formed up around them. One
of the women held out her hand to-
ward Slater's holsters, but he pointed
out the fact that there were pistols al
ready In the holsters before them They
took these out and handled them with
familiarity.
The Spaniards had paused few hum
dred yards away. and were scrutiniz-
Ing the men they had pursued. l do
not know why they did not rush down
and overwhelm Them by sheer weight
Possibly so much coolness made them
suspect ruse or ambuscade. At any
rate they stood still n moment till they
saw the band form In hollow square,
with the women in the center, and
charge down upon them.
Slater was leading. The guerillas as
sayed to move forward to meet the at
tack, and when they came within fifty
yards the pistols began to crackle on
both sides. A charging horse STUN
bled heavily to the ground, throwing
his rider headlong. An incessant vol
ley poured from the deft revolvers
of the assailants, and the Spaniards
recoiled from the spot on which 1t was
directed, where men and horses rolled
together on the earth. A moment, and
the little company, with the impetus
of a bullet, had crashed into this
shrinking spot and sunk right in for
five horses lengths. There was SHIN
mer all about as the men swung the
machetes above their heads and urged
on the plunging horses. The Span
iards directly in front strove to get
clear, to have more room for fighting,
and the insurgents pushed forward to
the furthest inch. 1t really seemed,
for little, that they would win through
the Spanish ranks.
The guerillas next the troop were
exchanging desperate sword-strokes
with their antagonists, while those far
ther out were pressing closer and FIR
ing wildly into the swirl of fight with
revolvers. Five of Slater's men had
gone down beneath the blows that
came from the front and rear alike.
There were but twelve left, and these
redoubled their efforts to4break through
the trap that held them fast. Slater
rode in front, slashing to right and left
with huge machete. He cut down
an opposing trooper, pistoled the horse
as the rider fell, and spurred forward
men followed, and by sheer dint of
blows managed to gain a few yards
more. But the foe gathered close, and
again two of the handful went down.
The air was all a-quiver with steel
blades about the fight, but now that
the insurgents, had got fairly in mo-
ton once more, they were slowly yet
surely thrusting their way through the
circling crowd. But they lost a man
for every yard they won. Pistol bull
lets hummed through the melee, strik-
ing down friend and foe alike. One
of the women was hit as she fred into
the dense gray ranks; the other, either
wounded or fainting, slid from her sad
die, and both disappeared beneath the
press.
While Slater's horse thus melted
apace, Slater rode in the front, and
knew not how the others Jared. He
only knew that he was hewing his
desperate way forward as a bushman
hews his way through the tropical jun
gle. He had lost his hat and his hair
was clotted and dripping with blood,
but he took no heed of the wounds; all
his effort was to reach the open space
beyond. And at last, bleeding horse
and man, he swaye,' into the clear
ground and looked about for his men.
Not one had followed; he was alone.
The women he had rescued were gone,
too He stared about as if dazed,
while the Spaniards stood and wonder
ed at the man who had done so might
lily in the battle, The blood was pour
ing from a deep cut in the neck of his
horse. The animals knees began to
totter, and presently it sank to the