The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-03-14


We shook out more speed just as a
rifle spat its long flash at us from about
100 yards ahead. For one moment L
plainly saw the southerner's figure.
Kennedy reeled beside me, flung up
his hands with a scream, and fell. His
horse stopped at once. In moment
the lieutenant had ridden the sentry
down.
Then from the right side Of the road
a party, who must have been lying
around the campfire that we plainly
saw in among the pines, let fly at us.
They had surely been surprised in
their sleep. clearly saw them as their
guns flashed.
Forward! Don't shoot! Ride on!"
shouted Miller" Bushwhackersl Thank
God, not mountedl Any of you make
out horses with them?"
"No, sir! No, sir!"
"Who yelled? Who went down"
"Kennedy, sir" / cried.
''Too badl Anyone else?"
mo, sir"
"All safe?''
"I'm touched in my right arm; but
it's nothing" said. The twinge was
slight, and in the fleshy place in front
of my shoulder. / could not make out
that was losing blood, and the. pain
was scarcely perceptible.
''Good boy! Keep up, Adam!" called
the lieutenant, with kind tone.
remember my delight that he spoke my
front name. On we few.
Possibly the shots had been heard
by the party half a mile further on,
for they greeted us with volley. A
horse coughed hard and pitched down
behind me. His rider yelled as he fell.
Then two more shots came; Crowfoot
reeled in front of me, and somehow
checked his horse. l saw him no more.
Next moment we were upon the ground
with our pistols.
How many of my comrades had gone
down / knew not, nor beside whom /
was riding. Suddenly our horses
plunged into hole; his stumbled, the
man pitched forward and was left be-
hind. Then l heard shot, the clatter
of another thrown rider.
On we went--the relics of us. Now
we rushed out of the pine forest into
broad moonlight, and i saw two riders
between me and the lieutenant--one
man almost at my shoulder and another
galloping ten yards behind.
Bader and Absalom Gray were near
est me. Neither spoke a word until
we struck upon space of sandy road.
Then / could hear, far behind the rear
man, a sound of galloping on the hard
highway.
They're after US, lieutenant" shout
ed Bader.
"Many?" He Stacked speed and we
listened.
"Only one!" cried Miller. "He's
coming FAST
The pursuer gained so rapidly that
we looked to our pistols again. Then
Absalom Gray cried:
"It's only horse!"
In few moments the great gray
of fallen Corporal Crowfoot overlook
us, went ahead, and Stacked speed by
the lieutenant.
''0ood! He'll be fresh when the rest
go .lown!" shouted Miller. "Let the
last man mount the gray!"
Suddenly the hoofs of Crowfoot's
gray and the lieutenant's bay thun-
dered upon a plank road whose hollow
noise, when we all reached it, should
ID,
through wide orchard lands into low
lying mist by the banks of a great
marsh, till we passed through that
fog, strobe heavily up slope, and saw
the simmer of roofs under the moon.
Straight through the main street we
pounded along.
Whether it was wholly deserted I
know not, but not human being was
in the streets, nor any face visible at
the black windows. Not even a dog
barked. noticed no living thing ex-
cept some turkeys roosting on fence
and white cat that sprang upon the
pillar of gateway and thence to a
tree.
Out of the village we went off the
planks, again upon sand. / began to
suspect that / was losing a great deal
of blood. My brain was on fire with
whirling thoughts and wonder where
all was to end. Out of this daze came,
in amazement, to find that we were
quickly overtaking our lieutenant's
thoroughbred. Had he been hit in the
fray and bled to weakness? l only
know that, still galloping while we
gained. the famous horse lurched for
ward, almost turned a somersault, and
fell on his rider. ''Stop-the paperl"
shouted Bader.
We drew rein, turned, dismounted,
and found Miller's left leg under the
big bays shoulder. The horse was |
quite dead, the riders long hair lay |
on the sand; his face was white under !
the moon!
We stopped long enough to extricate
him, and he came to his senses just as
r.