The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-08-29

lighting furiously and blindly. In an
other instant they were down. 1t was
40 to 3, and they were old men.
Teddy had been standing by the gun,
which, loaded with grape and ready to
fire, faced the now open gates. For the
moment the Ogalallas were as much as
tonished as he. They stood facing the
empty fort, which they found at their
mercy.
They had not come to attack. They
had no idea of fighting with the sol
diers. with whom they were at peace,
but they had tasted blood, and nothing
would have held in the younger men
now. They glared, painting, at the Grip
pied boy, their sole opponent, for
Schneider was helpless, and he looked
into their eyes with sudden, awful fear
Then there came to his ears, both at
once. as distinctly as on the day they
were uttered the words of the malicious
trumpeter and the words of the cap
tain's farewell:
"Teddy could not keep out the prai-
RE dogsp'
81 leave in your charge my wifei"
The Indians were within 30 feet of
him, gathering themselves for rush.
Teddy never moved his eyes from the
Indians, but with white face fred the
gun.
Before the roar of the discharge and
the shrieks of the Indians had died
away Teddy had hobbled to the gates,
and Schrieber, with a supreme effort,
b. a., D.
tween them they managed to close the
way before the Ogalallas had recovered
from the shock.
"Mein Colt! Mein Gott!' he mutter-
ed. "a cripple boy and woman to hold
the fort! 1t is tapsP'
Which is the soldiers way of saying
that all is lost. But the captains wife
looked into Teddy's eyes and saw some
thing there to give her hope.
"You won't-you won't let them in,
Teddy" she whispered, and then
stopped and kissed the boy.
The Indians had drawn off, dismayed
at the sudden and terrible repulse they
had met with at the hands of a child,
but now they were urged to attack the
fort by passion greater than their
mere lust for blood. They hungered for
revenge.
BY Schreiber's whispered direction
Teddy took post at loophole with
rifle. He was no mean shot for boy,
and as the hours passed he succeeded in
picking off more than one Indian.
But he could not from one loophole
oil tho nd c1,
the Indians succeeded in creeping close
up to the gate and piling against it
bundles of brush and dry grass. Teddy
saw, but he was powerless to prevent
The captains wife came to Teddy at
last and handed him a revolver, asking
him to load it for her. The boy looked
at her inquiringly and saw in her eyes
what she desired in case of the worst
He took the gun and stuck it in his
belt.
"They are not going to get ill.,, he
said quietly.
Teddy" she said, "you are a brave
boy, but you are only one. The captain
would tell you to do wha I want. He
would do it himself Promise me-if
they get in''-
Teddy promised He had loaded the
old cannon again. He had loaded 1t to
the muzzle with all kinds of iron
scraps. Schneider, from the ground,
looked on approvingly.
"Wait till the last moment" the
dying soldier said, land give it them
full in the face, Teddy"
ho &c
gate had taken fire. Teddy felt within
him wild tumult of passions arising.
He felt inclined to laugh and to cheer
as he stood by his gun, waiting for
Schneider to give the word. He thought
how much better it was to die like this
than live long years useless cripple.
He remembered the captains wife
and loaded the pistol and gave it to her
and kissed her goodby.
''Not till the last, " he said. "Not
until the very last" He felt himself a
man. He soothed her as a child.
By the gate hung bugle, and he
hobbled to it and put it to his lips.
Into it he would blow one last song of
defiance and triumph and the joy of
OhO AOAO' 6AbONO UuO AOlSe OuIs1Q6 tu6
notes rang out bravely. Again and
again-such song as never a bugle
sang before.
He was lost in the burst of it and
heard nothing else, but in a moments
pause the captains wife came running
to him with hope and joy in her eyes.
1t was answered, Teddy 1t was an
swered!" she screamed. "They are
coming! They are oomingp'
She sank fainting to the ground, but
Teddy needed her not at all His eye
was on the gun, but he kept on blowing,
blowing furiously
The minutes passed, and the gates
were lettering The minutes passed,
but nearer and nearer across the plain,
in answer to that wild call of the
trumpet, came the troop at full charge.
There were yell and rush from the
outside, and the gates fell in.
''Nowl'' shrieked the sergeant and
fell back dead.
Into the face of them as they swarm
ed in Teddy fired the contents of the
old gun. They were almost touching
him. They fell, wriggling and twisting
at his feet. They fell across the gun,