People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-01-02

NO, sir II was Ilghtlng up little at
the east and I'd fallen into a sort OF
doze, and the boy, 1 suppose, thought
everything was all safe and he went
out to let the mules out of the stuffy
box, in which we'd penned them for the
night. The next thing Mrs. Kelly and
1 heard was the firing. 1t was down
the hillside toward the water and
could only shoot at the flashes"
Exactly. What l believe is that
those two bands of thieves - Apache
and Mexican-ran afoul each other in
the dark. Muncey 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 1 only wish we knew who
has Leon"
Mount, then, and come on" said
the major eagerly Turner, you're
probably right" And then, as If In
confirmation Of the theory, far to tho
front again the crack Of cavalry car
bines echoed along the mountain
gorge.
And here, four miles out from ths
lower gate, the walls Of the canyon
seemed to fall away. Still jagged and
steep where the Sandy dashed at It's
rocky banks, the cliffs were but dozen
feet or 50 In height, and thence the
pine-oovered slopes rose and rolled in
bold upheavals with sheltered valleys
between each mountain wave. Along
through uhe 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. ats Just
around the point, SIR" said Kelly pres
emily, his eyes swapping with excite
ment ''Ould Sanchez and Icons
father were drowned out. We knew it
because when the food went down you
could find mules and men, saddles and
,appare1oes, 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 q
Imillrace."
There's mule down there now,'
cried a keen-sighted trooper, riding
close behind the captain.
He's killed this morning then-and
yons horse Seel" cried Kelly, point
ing eagerly down into the depths of the
canyon. ''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 skirted rocky palisade command.
ing view Of the canyon for two miles
the Sandy leaping in foaming rapids
i've hundred feet below. One after
another the troopers reached the point,
and then, following the leader, spurred
into 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 &C
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 eeaseless 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 predicament. 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,