Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-04-22

4
The unhappy man dared not strike
q light. for this would have exposed
him to the deadly aim of possibly Turk
ing foes. He did. however, several
times venture to call: walt! Waltz
Waltz" rapidly shifting his position
after each cry, but there came no an
swer. Hurriedly then he loosed the
nine remaining animals, added them to
his own string and led all to camp,
| every inmate of which was instantly
aroused by his dread tidings, first com.
municated to the astonished sentries
Amid all the vengeful clamor ex-
cited by the sad news, Hugh Austin re-
manned silent. His grief seemed too
deep for words. With blanched face
and fearless eyes, he stood awhile like
a statue, and then, noticed only by two
or three of us, stole away, to vent, as
we thought, his sorrow in secret.
| whats to be done first, Dave?''
| asked Goodson. Let's start out to the
| rescue at once. before it's too late"
| Nothing can be done till morning.
john" gloomily replied the guide.
''The villainous Apaches have already
| got far into the pass with their prizes
| HbSDAh ~ ~ lOllOH IIACIl III TIC
| would be a useless throwing away of
our lives. They've planned for us to
make instant pursuit. If we did, net
one of US would live to tell the story.
/ We'd all be riddled by bullets or arrows
! before we saw a single redskin. We
| couldn't see to shoot at all, but their
| eyes are keener than ours, and they'd
! pick every last one of the pursuing par
/ ty off. Then they'd rush down and
/ overpower the men left in camp, and so
/ capture the whole outfit"
| But, merciful heaven! Dave, they'll
slaughter my poor brother long before
morning. distractedly cried GoOdson.
"No, they won't kill him, unless his
rescue seems certain. He's so young
that they'll try to keep him for adoP-
ton into the tribe. The whole band is
probably hiding in the pass now, not
many miles away, waiting to take our
scaIps. When they find that we don't
. come along, they'll lie down and sleep
I'LL daybreak. After that, they'll loaf
around till their scouts bring in word
that we're coming. | reckon those
scouts will never see me, though, for
l count on taking the main body so
completely by surprise that there'Il
be no time to kill the prisoner. Cheer
up, Hugh. Well save your chum all
right. Why, bless me, where is the
boy?"
Where was he, sure enough? All the
covered wagons were carefully
searched, but no Hugh could be found,
nor could the two revoIvers belonging
to him and Walter!
No one could imagine why the youth
had stolen away, though some of us
thought that, half crazed by grief, he
had gone forth with the wild idea of
either rescuing or dying with his friend,
which last he would most certainly do
should he chance to come upon and bs
discovered by the ambushed foe.
To the half-frantic wailing of John
Goodson was now added that of Robert
Austin, and it was all we could do to
prevent both from rushing off in blind
search for the lost boys.
Not an eye was again closed in camp
that night. All of us remained watch
fully awake, each man with his rifle and
revolver ready for instant use. But
nothing occurred to disturb us. So far
be a hostile Indian within 100 miles.
We breakfasted long before day, and
when the first lance-shafts of coming
dawn streaked the eastern sky, 20 of
US, all on foot, and armed to the teeth,
hunted up the trail. utterly undistin-
guishable to all but the guide, who, |
after a mOmentary inspection. conf |
IDENTIFY asserted that only three Indians
had been engaged in the raid upon |
horses and boy.
Its just as thought" he said, the |
main body is ambushed somewhere in |
the pass. Those three scouts have been |
sent out to decoy us into a trap. The |
plan won't work; not if know myself. |
Wen go around. over the range, and |
come on the numbering crew from the |
west end of the canyon. No watch will |
be kept in that direction; and, with |
proper care, a surprise will be easy,
but I'm very doubtful whether well |
ever see Hugh Austin again. He'll |
either get lost in the mountains or
fall into the clutches of the redskins.
In that case, he's sure to show fight,
and will be killed offhand."
In accordance with Dave Migrants
decision, we crept noiselessly through
the mountain Businesses, giving the
pass a wide berth, and after four hours
of arduous toll. came round TO its west
ern mouth. Then we divided. and went
east, ten of us stealing silently through
the scrubwood on the left side of the
canyon, and the other ten doing the
same on the right
l happened to be one of the first
named party, in which were also John
Goodson and Robert Austin. We had
gone, perhaps, mile from the end of
the pass, when suddenly we heard Il
slight rustling among the mesquite
bushes in our front. Instantly every
man of us sank out of sight behind the
nearest convenient cover, all expecting j
the next moment to see either some
dangerous wild beast or still more dan
rerous Apache warrior.
What, then, was our joyful surprise
when the bushes parted and revealed
Walter Goodson, staggering heavily
along with Hugh Austin on his back,
Next moment both boys were in their '
brothers arms, and we then found that
Hugh was quite disabled by a severe {
arrow wound in his left knee, rendering
him utterably incapable of walking. ;
hough not otherwise injured. HIS
aithful comrade had actually carried
him. as was afterwards proved, more
han three miles,
One of us. skilled in such matters.
,oH gave the pTscCncertcd signal