Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-08-17
FELIX NARCHANT.
By CLARENCE PULLEI.
Copyright. isg7. BY the Authos:i
CHAPTER III.

0lSturD u6. l0e uOIStS kIdLeu Quietly.
Except for the occasional rustic Of q
passing breeze the prairie was still. In
the soft, clear moonlight distant mes
quite clumps and their shadows lay a.
masses Of black. Presently I fell to ex-
amining the level ground between me
and the lone camp. Between me and il
upon the open ground something i'm
pressed me as having taken place. On
the hither side. ten yards from these de-
tached trees, there seemed to be some
appearance that had not noted before.
Was it a bowlder that lay there in the
moonlight barely distinguishable from
the brownish green herbage of the plaini
As looked more closely could discern
another and another Of these almost in.
visible protuberances which appeared
in some mysterious manner.
Surely that foremost object was nearer
by five yards than it had been when ]
first saw il, and where had first seen
only three or four Of these gray bodies
now could count seven or eight, and
behind them others were coming into
view and We're advancing.
NV senses were unusually alert, and,
with the great attention that I paid, ]
could now detect the cautious, steady,
yet rapid approach of these crawling
bodies, and the full sense Of the mean.
ing of their appearance and Of the dan.
ger which they signified fully dawned
upon me.
The Apaches were stealing upon oui
position, and the attack we had dreaded
was upon rs.
Ny winchester rife was Mt half cock.
I silently drew back the hammer, took
careful aim at the nearest Of the gray
objects aud fred. Without waiting an
instant to see the result Of my shot. ]
worked the lever back and forth, aim.
ing quickly and sending shot after shot
among the figures then clinging to the
ground.
simultaneously with my first shot
there rose yell and tumult Of yelps
and scrceches 80 frightful that. prepared
as was for such result to follow my
shot, il Startled me for IN instant
A score Of tongues Of flame spouted
from the grass, mingled with the war
cry, and 90 bullet shots whizzed through
the mesquite trees with their rushing
scream. The horses reared and plunged.
and, turning from the Indians, dashed
into the mesquite thicket, in which was
our camp. and were quickly tangled
among the trees, which served in q
measure TO cureen them from the bul.
lets. Carmen and her maid had both
fallen asleep, and at the sound Of shots
and the Indian yell they awakened with
q scream. But IN a moment their cry of
fear was hushed and they lay silent,
close 10 the ground. while the rifles
were cracking near and away and balls
tore through the sheltcring trees about
them. Before had fired my fourth
shot l heard ON my right the heavy,
vicious cracl, Of Felix's rifle, which fell
to work in earnest with celebrity
which almost rivaled the quickness OF
my repeating rife.
The Indians. who had evidently count
ed upon stealing unobserved upon ouI
position, taken wholly by surprise,
sprang upward, fired their rifles and
fiattening upon the ground backed
away like centipeds into the obscurity
of the night. Several Of them, with as
tonishing Quickness, caught and dragged
into the detached clump Of mesquite
one or two fallen comrades, but the one
at which l had first fired lay as he had
lain when pulled the trigger. From
the mesquite and from the grass ut
greater distance away the others kept
up quick fire for several minutes with
an accompaniment Of frigh,ful yells,
while we worked our rifles as rapidly
as we could. firing at the flashes as they
discharged their pieces.
We directed our fire into the detached
mesquite clump and quickly cleared il
OF the Indians. From the more distant
line Of cover their shots were necessarily
ut random. Evidently they got tired Of
wasting ammunition OH US, and perhaps
they thought their position dangerous,
for their fire slackened and soon ceased.
Felix and l were glad to pause to let
our rife barrels cool. We waited five
minutes, but no further sound Of attack
came. and ut last Felix spoke in low
tone:
'Are You hurt?'
The question suggested something
that had not thought Of since. ! had
for an instant realized quick pain,
such as should fancy that the sudden
brushing over the skin of white hot
iron would produce. 1t had made my
shoulder twinge for moment, and then
it had passed from my mind in the ex.
citement of firing. l examined my
shoulder and saw that the sleeve OF my
shirt was torn and was damp with blood.
/ tore it open and perceived the raw and
blackened furrow where the hot bullet
had grazed the muscle Of the shoulder.
Although it had drawn considerable
blood, the wound was not serious, al
though it carried an UNPLEASANT sAnse