The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-01-30

Gake tnelr lOOKOutS long TO understand,
however, when they saw the passengers
helping the vehicle on the up grades,
that their signals had been seen and un-
derstood. "They II close in quick, now" :"
said Dan, $50 we got T. push along"
After about 20 minutes travel the
temporary fortress was reached, and
there were hurried preparations for de-
fense. The horses were unhitched and
taken back short distance, where Bad
ger Willie remained to hold them, and
the stage was hauled across the mouth
Of the ravine they had entered to serve
as breastwork. Dan had chosen their
refuge admirably. The ravine was the
entrance to narrow crevice (probably
the result of an earthquake), with walls
which, a short distance back, rose pre-
cipitiously to an enormous height, shut
ting out the light completely. "I d'no'
how fur it goes back" chuckled Dan,
"but eff it goes fur enough we all can
make right good back door sneak, eff
we have t. git aout O. yere."
For two or three hours they waited
on the alert for some hostile demonstra-
tion from the unseen redskins, who kept
carefully out Of sight. It was nervous
work-this waiting. From their location
the whites could see but short distance
up or down the road, and when the reds
chose they might come almost upon
them without discovering themselves.
"Pshaw!' said Kimball as it neared
sundown and there were no signs of an
attack. II don't believe they II bother
us at all. Ihaven t heard of any of them
being out lately anyway"
"Le' me tell ye," angrily retorted
Dan from his post behind the stage,
'that there signalin means somethin.
Anyways don't git gay none, an 60
stickin y'r carcass up too fur above them
rocks, r ye'll feel real sorry
Even as he spoke, the miner beside
Kimball unthinkingly stood up to get
better view of some object he thought
he saw moving, and then lodged quick
ly behind his rock just in time to avoid
a bullet aimed at him by that same
"object. " Then Dan and one of the
miners each got a shot at crawling
Apache, and for short time thereafter
snapshots were frequent.
thing and had an idea at the same time.
"Look yere, fellers," he called without
looking around, 'we-all CANT stay yere
f'rever None at all. Now, s'posin KIM
ball an tn woman takes tn horses an
makes aout tn back way? Eff they gifts
aout, they'll most profile strike tn
trail an git help aout t. we-all. Eff they
don't, they en- stay back aout o. sight
awhile, an then git away"
$50 back and leave you here?" spoke
Kimball warmly. "Not if I know it"
"Oh, ya-as," drawled Dan, and the
others echoed him. eth females got t.
have someun t. ta' care o. her, hain't
she? An you re tn only married man in
tn crowd. B'sides we all en- come tn
same way eff we chooses. ="
"But"- Kimball protested, at the
same time thinking how precious life
was, after all, and feeling ashamedly
conscious of hope that his protest
would not count.
"Don t stop t. argify." one of the min
ers pleaded. Hurry up; we can hold
up our end f'r awhile. -
As Kimball and the woman mounted
and prepared to start, Dan ran back to
them. "Ef they's any other end O.
this" he muttered hastily, "it'll be
miles south O. tn road. So, eff ye git |
aout, head north by west ontell ye
strikes it, an then-fy! Goodby. Good
by, Willie; eff don't see ye agin, brace
up an be good gyurl"
He left them, and in moment Kim
balls horse was leading the way be-
tween walls of rock so close together
that passage was with difficulty accom-
plished, and at times turn would be
reached, SO abrupt that it seemed won
der that the horses could make it. Light
there was none. In some places, when
Kimball looked up, he could catch a
f1eeting glimpse of patch of starry sky;
then the overhanging walls would again
close together, and the darkness would
be complete. The echo and re-echo of
the horses footballs made conversation
impossible most Of the time, even had
the fugitives desired to talk, but now
and then the passage would widen and
heighten into large chamber, with
sandy floor on which the hoofs Of the
AAAAAAiuAS AiduO u1ulOou uO oOuuu, anu Ill |
these places Kimball could hear the
woman sobbing weakly and pleading
with her horse to make haste, evidently
possessed by the fear that the man
would get ahead too far and leave her
alone in the dark. He only spoke to her
once. however, and that was when he
called back:
"Stop your id sniveling, will
you?'
They had ridden for hours, it seemed,
when Kimball's horse halted suddenly,
As though he had met an obstruction.
kimball dismounted, and with the aid
If match found this to be indeed the
,ase The passage was barred, or rather
hat was the end of it. They had reach
I'd another chamber, which seemed to
,ave no outlet save that by which they
1ad entered. Through the roof, to be
sure, it was open, for they could see
arge patch Of sky, but that was all.
There was nothing to be done but wait
Tor daylight, which might penetrate to
~s--