The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-02-27
Charging the Hostiles.

In the St. Nicholas Gertrude P Greble
has a story of frontier life called Danny
and the Major. :" Danny was the seven
year-old son of an army captain, and the
"Major" was favorite horse. One day
he was riding him in company with his
friend, Scotch corporal, when the horses
of the post were stampeded, and the cor
poral was thrown and injured Danny
started to ride for assistance, and this was
his experience
Away to the north a cloud of dust
marked the recent passage of the herd
On every other side swept the tableland,
empty and placid and smiling. And be-
yond. to the SOUTH stood the fort and
home Danny took heart, settled him
self in the saddle, and put the Major into
smart canter, holding the reins firmly,
and trying to recall the corporal instruc-
tions 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
d0lUdI0u Iu6 NGtcTdil thO oOSANNA0
that had separated them.
Suddenly, at the end of some fifteen
minutes of tranquil riding, as the Major
galloped along the edge of the timber which
fringed the bluff, there was loud crack
ling and crashing in the bushes, and
gaylydecorated 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
figures appeared and lined up in the path
which led to safety.
The child 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.
In paroxysm of terror he tried to stop
Maior-tried with all his small strength to
turn him aside toward the open plain, to
check his mad plunge into the very arms
of the enemy. But for the first time the
horse paid attention neither to the beloved
voice nor to the tiny hands pulling so des-
perately upon the reins.
Whether it was the sight Of an old and
hated foe, or whether the wise, kind heart
of the animal realized the full extent of a
peril of which the child was as yet only
half aware, it would be hard to say. But
little Dan found himself going faster than
he had thought possible-and faster-and
faster-till the tawny, burned plain,
and the pitiless, smiling sky, and the nearer,
greener foliage of the willows, and even
the outlines of the dreaded savages them
selves became as so many parts OF a great
rushing, whirling whole, and all his strength
was absorbed in the effort to retain his seat
upon the bounding horse.
And so, like some vision from their own
weird legends, straight down upon the
astonished Indians swept the great bronze
beast with its golden haired burden
Down upon them, and through them, and
ayay-tilI by the time they had recovered
from their amazement thee was a good
fifty yards between them and their flying
prev And that distance, hard as they
might ride, was not easily to be overcome
After that first wild rush the Major
settled into a steadier pace-a smooth,
even run, SO easy to sit that the lad relaxed
his clutch upon the animals name and
turned his eyes to the horizon, where gath
ering swarms of savages showed like clus-
tiers of ants against the slope Of the hill
side. In his track, with shrill, singing
cries. ike hounds upon trail, came his
pursuers. And far to the south there was
a puff of white smoke from the walls of
the fort, and moment later the first
heavy, echoing boom of the alarm-gun
thundered across the plains