Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-06-15

XVII.-CoNTNUED.
But the sergeant dared not take the
responsibility of disregarding his in
structicns, and was wiser than Lam
bert in the wiles of Indian warfare.
I'D go myself gladly, lieutenant" he
said, "but orders are orders, and party
of four or five would be surrounded
an. cut off and massacred before you
fairly realized that an Indian was near
you" Then Lambert had appealed to
the Texans, and the captain had re-
Piled as above; and then, just when he
was giving up in despair, a sergeant
and two men, dust-covered and with
horses in lather of foam, rode furi-
ously in from the Waco trail.
els it irue?" cried the sergeant, as h.
saw the unusual gathering at camp.
eve met teller halfway over to Bra
zos riding like hell, warning folks the
Indians were to the north, and he said
they had jumped the stage this side of
Cliente. It's true? And you haven't
Gone anything? Mount every sound
man you've got. and give us fresh
horses
MY orders were to take care" be-
gan his comrade.
Damn your orders! I bring later.
The old man didn't believe it, and had a
sure thing ahead of him, or he'd have
turned back with the hull outfit. Why,
man, that stage-or what's left of it
amt thirty miles away, an you fellers
sitting here like so many damn women"
And the trooper flung himself from the
saddle at the word, and then caught
sight of Lambert's forage-cap and eager
face. :" "
Get me a horse, too, sergeant; I'll
go with you. I'm Lieut.. Lambert, 4
classmate of your second lieutenant"
you'll go in command, sir, and we're
with you-six of us, anyhow. I've heard
Corporal Walton speak of you, sir,
often. How many of you fellers IL go?''
lie demanded eagerly of the knot of
Texans, while the few troopers hustled
about saddling spare horses and levy
ing on the list of invalid mounts, too
sore or too feeble for long chase, but
good enough for thirty-mile dash
when it was life or death at the end
of it. In an instant the whole atmos-
phere seemed nged-charged with
ozone, electric force, magnetism
something the snap and spirit of
the newcomer flashed from MIN to
man. Lambert. stranger and without
authority in the premises, could effect
nothing; Sergt. Dolan, war veteran,
a man they all knew, and clothed with
power as coming direct from that mill
tary demi-god 'the captain" hadadozen
men armed, equipped, in saddle and
ready for business, in ten minutes. SIX
were soldiers, six civilians who half
laughingly ranged , their raw-boned
Texas ponies in line with the mounting
troopers and Dolan sung out to Lam
bert, who had raided his classmates
tent for extra boots and riding breech-
es: Were ready, sir" -.
In the hot May sunshine, at high
noon, they went Looping northward over
the lovely prairie, spangled with wild
flowers, the Colorado twisting and turn
ing like a silver serpent insits green bed
to their left. Five miles out, a wretched,
half-demented creature hailed them
from clump of willows by. az little
stream. '"You're too late, you fellers.s
They amt anything left alive from
the Paloma to the Caliente, except Indi-
ans. The country's, alive with them.
Cood-by to your scalps if you venture
ever that ridge" And he pointed to
tie long, low line Of bluffs that spanned
the horizon to the2northwest. Ole man.
stopped to question, but speedily came
galloping on in pursuit g. ''sHe's scared
out of his wits. He can't prove whathe
says" was the brief reportto Lambert
and the sergeant, t. now riding side BY
side at the head of the little column {.
Z Another hour, and, closer,to theriver,
they. were following che meanderings
Of the sta sc road, and theIridge loomeslE
higher ahead. :. Two more settlers had
been passed ;4 and they were exaggera4
tive beyond any semblance Of proba-1
&bility. 4 The. Indians mum ered thou.
sands, the dead hundreds The stage;
had been warned i OF to push Oh beyond
Paloma bluffs last mig ht.: but persisted
in9an attempt to reach the Caliente. Col:
Sweet and party had been hnt hered NJ
/ man Tins off Isl own rash efrort.
Ito MD the roof fellows At the station.