Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-07

two buckets full before the lndinnS knew
what was up. Another turn of water, .
few spurts of fro from the foliage of the
ironwood, the 'chug' OF. bullets in the soft
logs, but no one was hurt Another turn
and three or four Of the rcd devils showed
themselves from behind the butte to Be-
cure better aim. Only one crawled back.
were quiet. Back to the edgesof tho bank
again. and Joe, glancing up the gulch.
yelled and pointed in that direction. A
dozen or more Of the Apaches, mounted on
their swift ponies. and only showing .
foot or shoulder, were coming as silently
as the wind over the soft sand.
"'Quick! Up, senior captain, they arc
on usl and. reaching over the bank, joe
pulled up the captain. Each caught up q
bucket and gained the door, but not U mo
ment too soon, for q dozen rife bullets
were imbedded in 1t as it closed. There
were q few dead ponies after the charge,
and later few riders as they tried to gain
the shelter Of the cliffs. The night passed
in careful Watching. ''They II try to stam-
pede the HOSES tonight said the captain
during the evening, 'an>we mustn't let 'em
git nigh the corral Lucky it's q full moon. ;
They only tried 1t once, and that was along
toward morning. When the gun rose, there
were more bodies lying on crimson patches
Of sand, but the horses were safe. The day
passed quietly, and night came>pn, bring
ing with it a suspicion Of clouds ringing
the peaks to the southeast
"'Cloudy night, maybe, senior captain
said Joe, pointing to the peaks
".Yep And the captain looked anxious.
Captain said Joe, tomorrow There
will be no water; not enough for the wom-
Low M xyn HflI
QUIT No, not long. No. not wait for help.
Geronimo is un diablo SEQ you the smokes
to the southeast His scouts fool the SOL
diers. 1t Is 40 miles to the fort. One must
CO.
"'But it's almost sure death"
"'Si, senor.'
"'No, we'd better cash in together
~ will go, senor.'
But tho chances is Q thousan to one
ag in you
Isl, senor. But will take that chance
And f-well, it's only Coyote Joe, you
know, and he smiled meaningly.
"Thc situation was canvasscd in detail,
and all agreed to Joe's plan but Wilson,
who was law abiding citizen, and, when
he learned tho identity Of tho volunteer
messenger, protested against permitting
him to escape SO easily He suggested
that the dispatch should also disclose the
| identity of the messenger and request the
commandant to put him under guard I'M
| til called for by the posse. Joe was peer
| ing out q loophole and did not hear this.
The old captain muttered something that
sounded like an oath behind his beard, but
| aloud he said All rightp and winkcd at us.
81 know the Apache tongue as well as
| my own, senors,' said Joe. While the
shadow of the house lies on that side will
slip to the channel of the water, then down
1t to the camp of the party below. know
| we'll how to get one of their horses And
he laughed, little harshly thought He
stripped, then said, May I take your
hands, senors?'
"Thc door opened noiselessly in the
shadow, and, with his knife in his teeth
| and his rife by the middle, he was gone.
Only an instant we thought we saw him
| as he wriggled over the bank; after that
he seemed to have become part of the waste
Of sand around US.
I'VE took turn about DOING through
the night, which was as still as death itself.
Not even the boot of an owl or the yelp Of
| q coyote broke the silence. Along about
3 o'clock the storm, which had been gath.
ering about the peaks, broke in all its
flerceness. A few moments before the
fringe of heavy black clouds had oyertaken
the moon in its race to the west, and the
canyon became black rs midnight. Then
q thunderbolt seemed to strike and shattel
the peaks above, and the report went rever
berating and re-cchoing away. A moment
later and another came, and with it 9
sound more fearful, rs If the Garth had
yawned and hell had vomited 100 yelling
fiends about the cabin. A bright glare Of
lightning showed q mass Of Indians and q
number with q huge log poised on theil
shoulders before the cabin door,
=" To the corner over the cellar door!
yelled the captain. AN every man shoo
straight in front. Empty your guns nj
club EN- Crash came the heavy log, ant
the door fell inward. Our rifle fire fashet
in the face of the squirming mass, and tn,
way was incumbered with the dead. An
other crash and the rear door gave way
dividing our fire, and the room was fllet
with fighting men. Every man shot blind
~, but with fearful effect, through tn
sitting smoke into the yelling mass. Rifle
were dubbed and swung by brawny arms
only to be clutched by sinewy red finger
as they descended. The last thing I re
member of the fight was as II q mountain
had fallen on my head, and as I went dow
l saw Wilson and tho captain, back to bacl
on the cellar door, moving swath aroun'
them with their rifles, and then-I fainte,
away, with sound like tho notes Of
bugle ringing in my ears.
when / recovered, an army surgeon
was passing his fingers tenderly but firml.
through my hair. There is no fracture,
he was saying; only q severe confusion
He will be all right. barring q bad head
ache, in n little while 1t was just a
lost consciousness that company Of tn
Eleventh swung into the canyon on q gal
lop and had heard the bugle SCUM
Charged The captain and Wilson ha'
kept their feet, but as the Indians fle,
they had dropped from sheer exhaustion,
giving way Of the nervous tension. Do
Cutler was found half strangled under
big Apache, who had Docs knife In hi
side. The other three boys were in wors
condition, but their hurts consisted of cut
and bruises. The Indians had been 9
massed that it was impossible for them 3
use their 1rearms
But said the lieutenant in com
mand, what kind Of men are you to orie
the arrest of your messenger? Why, d.,
It, sir, that fellow IL q hero. He ran til
| Indian DODv tn death afnla ano<bov &c.