The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-09

that they We're no longer pursued. Ihe
horses were taking II easy now, ana
Ninette asked of the man behind her:
"Were We being followed?'
"Yes."
"And what has happened"
"Why, the fool who was after us Is
lynn dead back thar"
The girl was shocked and grieved. lt
might not be Lieut.. Haskell but in her
heart she believed 1t was. Had 1t been
daylight the outlaws would have seen
tears in her eyes after that. At mid
night the trail took q sharp descent
and debounced into a valley. and tine
first horseman to reach the level pulled
up his horse with jerk and cried out:
Them devils hev broken loose ana
jumped the ranch and the house Is all
afire!"
Them devils meant the Indians
from the reservation thirty miles away.
They had reached the ranch an hour
before. There was wounded man ly-
ing there and half-breed woman who
did the cooking. The score of Indians
met with no opposition. They killed
and scalped--they plundered and feast
ed. and when ready to ride away they
set fire to the house. The wounded
man had told them that Blue Pete and
his gang were out ON the Cedar Hill
trail. and after firing the house the
Indians had gone into ambush near by.
The four horsemen rode forward eau
tiously. and had begun to believe that
the Indians had cleared out when they
received a sudden volley from dozen
rifles. Three horses and riders went
down-the fourth horse made sud-
den spring as bullet wounded him
and then went tearing away across the
level. This was the horse on which Nj
nette Livingstone was mounted. The
outlaw behind her escaped the first VOL
ley, but the horse had not gone two
hundred feet when second was fired
and he threw uD his arm and fell out
Of the saddle. She caught the reins as
she settled herself down. but made no
attempt to check the horse. Two or
three Of the Indians We're mounted on
horses taken from the ranch. but after
a pursuit of half a mile they gave up
the chase. 1t was lucky they did, for
at the end of another half mile the
wounded horse came to a halt and lay
down in his tracks and died. At one
o'clock in the morning the girl sat down
on a stone beside the dead horse and
tried to realize her situation. She had
escaped the Outlaws-she had escaped
the Indians, but she was alone in the
foothills and perhaps worse off than
when a captive. She dared not move
how could it benefit her? She crouched
down and shivered in the cold night air
and shook with fright as the mountain
lions and gray wolves snarled at each
other in the thckets. At three O'Clock
in the morning she heard footsteps ap-
preaching Soon after she could
distinguish the head and shoulders of
a man against the starry sky. An In
dian? No. An outlaw? Perhaps. but
t;,,;t 10 hn
situation. She rose up with here l
am" and the next moment Lieut.. Has
kel stood beside her.
1t was not foolish move on the
part of the officer to continue the pur-
suit on foot. 1t was only ten miles
further to Blue Pete's ranch, and 1t
was evident they We're taking the
girl there. They might find another hid
ing place later on, but would not move
before daylight. He was not over two
miles behind the gang when 1t descend
ed into the valley, and he saw the re-
f1ection Of the burning house and heard
the volleys fired by the redskins. Has
kell at once jumped to the conclusion
that the Indians were out, and his ap-
proach to the valley was made with
the utmost caution. The Indians had
killed three of the outlaws and were
holding a dance about the mutilated
bodies as Haskell drew near. They
had shot the fourth man off his horse
as he fled. but in the darkness they
had not seen him fall. He had bounded
into the shrubs. and those who passed
had no idea Of his presence. Haskell
found him as he prowled around and
sought to learn If the girl was q pris-
oner or dead. The outlaw had been
shot through the right hip and was
slowly bleeding to death. He at first
took the officer for one Of his gang,
but when he discovered his mistake he
said:
so you are one of those who followed
after the gal, eh? Wall, l hope yen
find her alive, but the chances are agin
it. When fell off the hoss was headed
right off this way across the valley,
and he'd sure keep goin' till he reached
the other side. That's whar ye want to
look fur the gal"
The officer was anxious to do some
thing for the outlaw. enemy though he
was, but the man replied that he want
! ed nothing. except to die before day
light came and gave the Indians his
| location. He had lived in his boots and
was dying with them on. and that was
| the way his companions had gone. He
knew that death was near and insisted
| on Haskell taking his guns, and there,
was no trenor In his voice as he said
| good-by and advised the officer to hur-
| ry away In search Of the girl.
There was an hour Of darkness as
Lieut.. Haskell and the girl sat side by.
| side on the rock and conversed in whis-
pers At the first signs of daylight
they rose and moved away. and when
day had fully come they shaped their;
| course for the trail over which both had
come during the night. The dead
horse had not been left mile behind.
however. when there came a peculiar
cry which warned the officer that the
| Indians were on the spot They had
| tracked the hoof prints across the VAL
ley and come upon the dead horse.
They would search for the girl-they
would soon discover signs of a mans
| presence. It was folly to hope to es.