Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-01-28
CHARGING THE HosTILEs.


SFAHGlN6 HE HOS1IIES.
A Brave Little Follow Rides Through q
band Of Indians.
In st. Nicholas, Gertrude P. Gre
BILE has story of frontier life called
Danny and the Major" Danny
was the 7-year-old son of an army
captain, and the Major was favor.
lite horse. One day he was riding
him, in company with his friend, a
Scotch corporal, when the horses Of
the post were stampeded, and the
corporal was thrown and injured.
Danny started to ride for assistance,
and this was his experiences:
Away to the north cloud Of dust
marked the recent passage Of the
herd. On every other side swept the
tableland, empty and placid and
smiling. And beyond, to the south,
stood the fort and home. Danny
took heart, settled himself In the
saddle and put the Major into a
smart canter, holding the reins firm
" and trying to recall the corporal's
instructions while he rode, thinking
with an ever recurring pang of his
friends condition, happy that the
distance to the necessary succor was
diminishing so rapidly and totally
forgetful Of the anxiety which had
agitated the veteran before the ac-
ctdent that had separated them.
Suddenly, at the end of some is
minutes of tranquil riding, as the
Major galloped along the edge Of
the timber which fringed the bluff,
there was loud cracking and
crashing In the bushes. and gayly
decorated war pony scrambled
through them, his rider grunting in
surly surprise, while at the same
moment, from the thicket beyond,
three other half naked mounted fig-
ures appeered and lined up in the
path which led to safety.
The child's heart stopped beating.
His frontier training told him that
all that had gone before, even the
tragedy which had darkened the
afternoon, was as nothing compared
with this new and awful danger. In
paroxysm of terror he tried to stop
Major-tried with all his small
strength to turn him aside toward
the open plain, to check his mad
plunge into the very arms of the
enemy. But for the first time the
horse paid attention neither to the
beloved voice nor to the tiny hands
pulling SO desperately upon the
reins.
Whether it was the sight of an old
and hated foe, OF: whether the wise,
kird heart Of the animal realized
the full extent Of a peril of which
the child was as yet only half aware,
1t would be hard to say. But little
Dan found himself going faster than
he had thought possible-and faster
and faster-till the tawny, sun
burned plain. and the pitiless, smil-
ing sky, and the nearer, greener
foliage of the willows and even the
outlines of the dreaded savages
themselves became as SO many parts
of a great rushing, whirling whole,
and all his strength was absorbed
in the effort to retain his seat upon
the bounding horse.
And SO, like some vision from
aeir own weird legends, straight
own upon the astonished Indians
'ept the great bronze beast with
golden haired burden. Down
p On them and through them and
Way till by the time they had re-
covered from their amazement ther,
was a good 30 yards between them
and their flying prey. And that
distance, hard as they might ride,
was not easily to be overcome.
After that first wild rush the Ma
|or settled into steadier pace-a
smooth, even run, SO easy to sit that
the lad relaxed his clutch upon the
name and turned his eyes
% the horizon, where gathering
of savages showed like clus-
:ers of ants against the slope of the
hillside. In his track, with shrill,
singing cries, like hounds upon a
rail, came his pursuers. And far to
he south there was puff of white
'moke from the walls of the fort,
md moment later the first heavy,
'choing boom Of the alarm gun
Numbered across the plains.
responsibility.
Occasionally one comes across per-