The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-03-30
FELIX lIARCHANT.
By CLARENCE PULLBN.
ICopyrght. ls97 ~ the Author,i


Simultaneously with my first sho
there rose a yell and tumult of yelp
and scroeches so frightful that, prepare,
as was for such a result TO follow m,
shot, ii startled me for an instant
a score of tongues of flame spouteC
from the grass, mingled with the war
cry, and 20 bullet shots whizzed through
the mesquite trees with their rushing
scream. The horses reared and plunged
and, turning from the Indians, dashed
into the mesquite thicket, in which was
our camp, and We're quickly tangled
among the trees, which served in q
measure TO screen them from the bull
lets. Carmen and her maid had both
fallen asleep, and at the sound of shots
and the Indian yell they awakened with
a scream. But III a moment their cry of
fear was hushed and they lay silent,
close to the ground, while the rifles
Were cracking near and away and balls
tore through the sheltering trees about
them. Before l had fired my fourth
shot | heard on my right the heavy,
vicious crack of Felix's rifle, which fell
TO work III earnest with a CELEBRITY
which almost rivaled the quickness of
my repeating rifle.
The Indians, who had evidently count
ed upon stealing unobserved upon our
position, taken wholly by surprise,
sprang upward, fired their rifles and
fiattenlng upon the ground backed
away like centipeds into the obscurity
OF the night Several of them, with as
tonishing quickness, caught and dragged
into the detached clump of mesquite
one or two fallen comrades, but the one
at which had first fired lay as he had
lain when pulled the trigger From
the mesquite and from the grass at
greater distance away the others kept
up quick fire for several minutes with
an accompaniment of frightful wells,
while we worked our rifles as rapidly
as we could, firing at the flashes as they
discharged their pieces.
We directed our fire into the detached
mesquite clump and quickly cleared it
OF the Indians From the more distant
line of cover their shots were necessarily
at random. Evidently they got tired of
wasting ammunition on us, and perhaps
they thought their position dangerous,
for their fire slacliened and soon ceased
Felix and | were glad to pause to let
our rife barrels cool We waited five
minutes but no further sound of attack
came, and at last Felix spoke in a low
tone:
Are you hurt?"
The question suggested something
that had not thought of since. had !
for an instant realized a quick pain.
such as | should fancy that the sudden
brushing over the skin Of white hot
iron would produce. 1t had made my
shoulder twingc for amoment, and then
1t had passed from my mind in the ex.
element Of firing. I examined NV
shoulder and saw that the sleeve of my |
shirt was torn and was damp with blood. |
l tore II open and perceived the raw and |
blackcued furrow where the hot bullet |
had grazed the muscle of the shoulder |
Although ii had drawn considerable |
blood the wound was not serious, al |
though IT carried an unpleasant sense |
Of the cicseness of what might have
happened.
Il believe / got scratched on my
shoulder, " / answered, when | had |
made my examination and ascertained
that | was hit in 10 other place. Its
of no importance. Are you all right"
Sound as a dollar, Felix replied.
" But some of 'em came mighty close. /
think | got a ventilating hole in my
hat for bullet or the wind of one took
1T off my head. What do you Think
Will they come again, or have the
Apaches drawn off for good?"
Il believe they've got enough of u.s."
/ said. "They have no reason for stay
ing around here and losing time trying
to take us in. Their only hope was to
us Now that they've failed Of
that ! think they'll get away as quick
ly as possible.
That's my idea, " said Felix eff
you'll keep watch, I'll slip back aud
reconnoiter on the other side of our
place and see if the rest Of our
company are all right "
IL was near daybreak, the chosen
time Of Indian attack, and we anxiously
watched for what the lifting of darkness
might bring. The gray light Of dawn
was bringing into view the darkened
plain and the sky was reddoning in the
east when the sound Of rapid volley
Of shots came faint in the distance
from the direction Of the Mexican's
camp The shooting ceased and quickly
q fire blazcd mp where il had occurred.
We sat in expectancy with weapons in
readiness, waiting for the attack ON us
which now seemed certain But il did
not come. We were left undisturbed,
and soon our attention was attracted to
q weird and ominous appmition i'm an
other quarter The sky behind the Pc.
loncillo mountains was now flaming
with the dawn, and through a cleft tho
level sunbeams came in wide shaft If
light upon the plain. Across this illu-
minated space, like shadows against
screen, procession Of horsemen passed
IN single file between rs and the noun