Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-08-16


Kelly's story OF Muncey's return to the
outpost, and telling him the man was
a liar, which Kelly already knew, and
a horse thief, which he more than sus-
pected, they had ridden straight back
past the lower gate Of the canyon and
made for the trail to Ration Springs.
Whether they had met or had escaped
the Indians no one could tell, The
fate Of Muncey and his pursuers be-
came for the time being a secondary
consideration. Thornton's first effort
was to ascertain what had become OF
Leon.
With any luck at all the boy should
have got back to the old post by three
or a quarter past three in the morning.
Crane and his little guard, Mrs. Downey
and her sympathizing friends, how
ever, had reasoned that he would not
be allowed to attempt to return, and SO
had ceased to look for him. Crane con-
veyed to the woman the tidings
brought by Ferguson, for up. to that
moment he lad disbelieved Muncey's
wild tale. Then, doubling his sentrics,
but telling the rest Of his party to lie
down and rest, he coolly sprawled him
self on his blankets and went to sleep.
The next thing he knew it was nearly
dawn, and the sentries had reused the
guard. Springing to his feet, Crane de-
manded the cause Of the alarm, and
was told there was firing up by Kelly's
ranch. It was still dark, though the
eastern sky was beginning to flush as
the little detachment quickly, noiseless-
~ assembled in the starlight IN front
of the old guard house. Two veteran
war soldiers, Tracey and Collins, were
on post at the time, and both declared
that there had been rapid fusillade-
at least dozen shots. It could have
come from nowhere but Kelly's, said
they, though from their stations they
could not see the farm buildings. Cor
poral Foot, on duty, was inside the cor
raj wall when the distant firing began,
and ran for the gateway at once, but it
had ceased by the time he got to
point whence Kelly's ranch was visible.
Then for "a moment the lieutenant
was in quandary. His orders required
him to send to and fire the beacon at
the butte if the Apaches appeared in
the valley, but this might not have
been Apaches at ell. It might have
well been skirmish between the
horse thief and his pursuers, who had
tracked him to some refuge nearzKel-
Tvs. That was matter In which mil
itary interference could hardly have
been tolerated Settlers and frontiers
men, though eager enough to have the
army look after the Indians, much pre-
fer to dispose Of their own reprobates
in their own way. If an attack had
been made by Apaches it was speedily
over, for not another sound was heard.
Within the corral the women and chill
dren, however, had been aroused by
the suppressed excitement, and Kellys
daughters were now c1amoring to be
allowed to GO to see II all was we'll
with father and mother, and Crane
ordered a corporal and two men to
mount, ride thither and ascertain what
had happened. In ten minutes they
| rode away, and in ten minutes more
were back again, driven in by q
sharp and sudden volley from the
thicket along the Sandy, not five hun
dred yards up stream. The providers
had SO secreted themselves as to enable
them to command the road leading to
Kel1y's and the canyon, reasoning, no
doubt, that some of the troop would be
sent up to reconnoiter. Crane had
never fought Apaches before, but this
served to convince him. He reasoned
that the bottom was full of Tontos,
that they surrounded him on every
side and that the only thing for him to
do was to dispose his little force as
best to defend the terrified women and
children and hold out against over
towering numbers until relief reached
him from the fort He now thought it
high time to fire the beacon, but who
was to do 1t with Apaches watching
every pathway? How could anyone
hope to reach that outlying butte?
Every minute it was growing lighter,
however, and as soon as broad day
came he determined to make the at
tempt, and then Downey, also an ex-
dragon and stalwart settler, took a
hand in questioning the corporal who,
with his fellows, had been driven in un-
hurt, yet a trifle demoralized Neither
horse nor man had O. scratch, yet every
body had heard the fusillade-six or
eight rapid shots almost punched. II
never knew Apaches to fire SO many
shots before" said he, land miss.
You're sure they weren't more'n ten
yards away?"
s'Certain sure" said the corporal.
''Certain sure" said his followers, two
good looking young troopers. Then
after a moments bordering Downey
said he believed he could get to the
butte in safety, and he'd go and fire the
pile, whereat the women began to wall
again and the lieutenant to protest, and
right in the midst of the discussion
somebody shouted "Hurrah!'' and a
column Of smoke, speedily bursting into
fame, shot upward toward the zenith
from the summit of the old butte, and
everybody thought how plucky thing
it was in Kelly to creep out there and
climb that Jagged bowlder strewn cone
in the dim morning light, set fire to the
ever ready stack ofwood and steal back
to his lair. They were talking Of it