The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-01-05

ne might trap tho village while most of
its defenders were still far away. Dark
ness settled down over the dcsolate win
Try landscape, and the two troops dis
patched on this stirring and perilous
mission were those Of Farwell and Nal.
colin Leale, the latter led by its boy
lieutenant, Will Farrar.
One hour lator, as the advance was
still cropping along the trail and the
weary troopers, alternately leading
afoot and riding sleepily in narrow col.
u.1n, pushed steadily in their tracks,
two horsemen on jaded mounts came
squirting from tho rear, and Wayne,
with sorrowful face, handed his dis.
patches to tho colonel. BY the light Of
O little pocket lantern Fenton read,
while In brooding silence knot Of half
q dozen officers gathered about them.
The closing paragraph is all we need to
quote: "You will therefore turn over
the command to Major Wayne and re.
pols in person at these headquarters
without unnecessary delay. Acknowl-
edge receipt" At any other time the
colonel might have been expected to
swear vigorously. but the trouble in
Wayne's face and the unspoken sym
pathy and sorrow were too much for
him. "All right. old boy" said ho as
he refolded the papers. "Pitch in now
and finish up the business, with my
blessing. Bat" he continued, turning
to tho swarthy guide, chow far is it
over to the Allison ranch? ! think I'll
sleep there" And no further words
'wero needed to tell the little group that
their colonel had been removed from
command just Oh tho eve Of consumma-
tion Of his plans, and no was the only
man Of tho lot who didn't look AZ
though all heart had been taken out Of
him as the immediate result.
"D-n that fellow Thorpel It's his
doing" sworo the adjutant between his
set teeth. "He has never forgiven us
for spelling his scheme to clean out the
whole band. -
Don't waste time swearing" said
Fenton grimly. "I'll take the Job Off
your hands. They're heading for Elk
Springs, Wayne, and I've sent Farwell
with two troops around to the left to
find their way to the bluffs and get there
first Everything depends on that
But even Fenton hardly realized how
very much depended. It was now about
z o'clock, and ever since tho early dawn
the cavalry had bccn pressing steadily
at tho heels Of the Indian rear guard,
never firing, never responding to the
challenge Of shot or shout from the
scampcring warriors before them. Again
and again had Bat and his half breed
cousin, La Bontc, striven to get Big
Road to halt and parley; but though
the signals were fully understand, old
Road was mad with the mingled rage
Of fight and whisky and believed him
self the leader Of an outbreak that
should rival that Of 1876 and place him.
rs q battle chief, head Of an army Of
warriors that should oyerrun the north
west Anxious only to get the women
and children safely in among tho fast
ncsses Of tho hills, he contented himself
therefore through the livelonR day with
holding tho troops at long ARM g length.
| opening lively fire when they sought to
push ahead. 1t was glorious fun for him
and his. Well they knew that so far at
least tho soldiers were forbidden to at
tack. With the coming of another day
Big Road planned to have his village
far in among the clefts aad canyons Of
the range, whcro few resolutc war.
riors could defend tho pass against an
advance, whilo no and his braves, re.
enforced by eager recruits from tho
| young men Of othcr bands at the reser-
walton, could fall upon tho fanks and
rear of Fenton's force and fritter it
away, as Red Cloud had massacred Fot-
terman's men long years before at old
| Fort Kearny.
Every thing depended on who should
get thorc first, and, as tho Sioux said Of
Custor's column tho bloody day OH tho
Little Horn, "the soldiers wcro tired"
Extending southward from the peaks
Of tho Big Horn was a wild range Of ir-
regular heights, covered in places with
thick growth of hardy young spruce
and ccdars and scrub oak, slashcd and
severed here and there by deep and tor.
tuous canyons with PERCEPTIONS sides.
Somewhere in among those hills was a
big amphitboatcr known as the Indian
raco course, approachable in winter mt
least only through the crooked rift or
pass known for short az Elk gulch. In
just such another natural fastness and
only q few miles away to the northeast
had the Chcvennea made their famous
| .---- t,, ..n.st flYG times their weight in
! fighting men the bitter winter Of 1875,
q battle tho cavalry long had cause to
remember, and now, with but hand
full Of troops 60 compared with the force
led in by Mackenzie, Wayne had right
before him similar problem to tackle.
The only points in his favor were that
Big Roads braves wero as few as his
own and that Fenton had already sent
forco to race tho Indians to their ref
uge.
At o'clock tho darkness was intense.
There was no moon to light their way,
and their only guide was the deep trail
in the snowy surface left by tho retreat
ing Indians. The darkness was no deep.
er than tho gloom In eve4y heart, for
Fenton was gone, q wronged and oalum-
mated man, and they. his loyal soldiers,
obedient to higher duty still. were
forced to push on and finish his work
without him. For an hour only at snail g
pace had they followed tho trail. Bat
and his associates had had many mar
row escape. Lieutenant Martin, COM
manding the advance, had had his horse
shot under him. Sergeant Roe had q
bullet through his coat, and Corporal
Werrick, riding eagerly in the lead, got
another through the shoulder Luckily
it was not very cold, but all tho same
most Of the men wero becoming slug
gish and sleepy, and that was just about
tho time Wayne might be expeoted tc