The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1897-01-27
CHARGING THE HosTlLEs.
4 Brave Little Fellow Rides Through
Band of Indians.

In St. Nicholas, Gertrude p. Gre
bic has a story of frontier life called
Danny and the Major" Danny
was the 7-year-old son of an army
captain, and the Major was favor
ite horse. One day he was riding
him. in company with his friend, a
Scotch corporal, when the horses on
the post were atampcded, and the
corporal was thrown and injured.
Danny started to ride for assistance, I.
and this was his experience:
Away to the north cloud OF dust
marked the recent passage OF the
herd On every other side swept the
tableland. empty and placid and
smiling. And beyond, to the south,
stood the fort and home. Danny
took heart. settled himself in tho
saddle and put the Major into a
smart canter. holding the reins firm
lv and trying to recall the corporal 8
instructions while he rode, thinking
with an ever recurring pang OF his
friends condition. happy that the
distance to the necessary succor was
diminishing so rapidly and totally
forgetful of the anxiety which had
agitated the veteran before the ac-
cident that had separated them.
Suddenly, at the end of some 10
minutes of tranquil riding, as the
Major galloped along the edge OF
III, F,-1r,rrn1 fhn hlT1ff
there was a loud cracking and
crashing in the bushes, and gayly
decorated war pony scrambled
: through them, his rider grunting IN
surly surprise, while at the same
moment. from the thicket beyond,
three other half naked mounted flg-
ures appeared and lined up i'll the
path which led to safety.
The child's heart stopped beating,
His frontier training told him that
all that had gone before, even the
tragedy which had darkened the
afternoon, was as nothing compared
with this new and awful danger. IL
a paroxysm of terror he tried to stol
Maior-tried with all his small
strength to turn him aside toward
the open plain, to check his mac
plunge into the very arms of tn
enemy. But for the first time tn
horse paid attention neither to tn
beloved voice nor to the tiny hand
pulling so desperately upon tn
reins.
Whether it was the sight of an oil
and hated foe, or whether the wist
kind heart of the animal realize
the full extent of peril of whic
the child was as yet only half aware
it would be hard to say. But littl
Dan found himself going faster tina
he had thought possible fastt
and faster-till the tawny, SUI
burned plain, and the pitiless, smi
ing sky, and the nearer, greene
foliage of the willows and even Il
outlines of the dreaded savag
themselves became as so many par
of a great rushing, whirling Who'll
and all his strength was absorb'
in the effort to retain his seat upC
the bounding horse
And so, like some vision. fro
their own weird legends, straig
down upon the astonished India
swept the great bronze beast wi
its golden haired burden. Doy
upon them and through them a
away till by the time they had ]
covered from their amazement the
was good so yards between the
and their flying prey. And th
distance, hard as they might riC
was not easily to be overcome.
After that first wild rush the n
ior settled into a steadier pace
smooth, even run, so easy to sit II
the lad relaxed his clutch upon
animals name and urned his ey
to the horizon, wnere gatheri
swarms of savages showed like cl
tiers of ants against the slope of
hillside In his track, with shr
singing cries, like hounds upon
trail, came his pursuers. And far
the south there was puff of VIII
smoke from the walls of the fC
and a moment later the first hea'
echoing boom of the alarm c
thundered across the plains.
IrrespOnsibility.