The Ravalli Republican., 1898-09-07

git g li:e OF General Houston po-
sitior My, but Won't they git fool
ed, thouphH' and Hawkins slapped
his thigh and chuckled gleefully.
''The old man. ain't III ten mile O.
this spot. y
In Il few minutes a fire had been
made and the five men were eating
dinner Of broilel bacon and baked
sweet potatoes. Their frugal meal
disposed Of, Hawkins and his two
companions plllowed their heads on
their saddles and We're soon asleep,
leaving Smith and Lane seated be-
fore the fire. For an hour and a
half the old campaigner and the ten
derfoot sat without speaking, each
busy with his own thoughts. The
stiffness Of the night was only dis
turbed by the steady dripping of the
water from tho magnolias and live
oaks, the cracking Of the fire and
the noise the ponies mado as they
munchel their fodder.
Lame was thinking what a strange
man this famous Deaf Smith was.
He was not the dashing figure Lane
had pictured him to be. He looked
rough and unkempt with his shaggy
reddish brown beard and greasy
huckskins, but he had kindly eyes
and lnaryclously square jaw. Lane
took all this in in occasional glances
across the fire. The fire burned
lower and lower until at last moth
ing remained Of it but bed of glow
ing Goals. Lane rose to put some
more wood on the fire, but Smith
deferred him.
"Never mind that. I've got a
scheme" lie said. Lane stopped to
hear what it was. 1.-THE Greasers, !"
Smith continued, 'are bout ten mile
from here, up the creek. Santa Anna
an his whole outfit is there. The
ole man wants to know how man,
O. the varlnints there is. Let's 90
and see y ...-.
Lane thought that it was pretty
dark to be proving about in the
woods, and he was almost ready to
fall asleep where he stood, but he
was too discreet to say so. .-......
At Smiths suggestion they left
their rifles behind and left camp
armed With their bowie knives only.
The Texan walked rapidly and care
less7y through the dripping under
brush, which drenched Lanes dried
out clothing and wet him to the skin.
They umuled over fallen logs, ran
into gullies, stepped into pools Of
water and got tangled up in briel
patches for half All hour before
Smith stopped suddenly and said in
an undertone:
'fNe'd better lie more carefullike.
We're liable to run acrost some O
their ledskin scouts at any minute
now
Lane was tco weary to make re
ply, SO he mechanically sluckencd
his pace and initiated the Texan s
stealtly movements. He only halt
succoeded lie thought. The Texan S
warning had quickened his senses,
but his tired limbs seemed to have
got beyond control, and ho founder
ed badly. They had gone on i'll this
way for another quarter of an hou1
perhaps when the Texan suddenly
stopped and raised a warning finger.
"Sh'h!' he whispered. Lie
down, quicl1!" Lame dropped, an(
inst as he did SO he heard the shar1
report of rifle and simultaneously J
the uncomfortable music Of a bulle
as it cut through the bushes over
head There were moro reports a
irregular intervals, and, peerins
through the dripping bushes, ht
could see the flashes of the rifles 81
yards away.
owe run into nest Of 'em, sure, ;
murmured Smith, IAN damme ct
don't b,lieye they re shootin at us I
Lane thought they were and becam
more and more uncomfortable a
the rifle cracks continued and tn
bullets seemed to be cutting through
the bushes closer and closer to them
He ducl1ed instinctively every tim
he heard a bullet sing until he de
veloped 4 crick in the neck. Nor wa
Smith s observation that neithc
, Greaser nor Mexican could shoe
, straight in the least reassuring.
LET 'em waste their alnm n
ton, muttered Smith. "They can
hit US, an they're too lazy to com
9 out an see what they 're shoot
F., at.
! But Colonel Erastus Smith pre-
eulncd on the national Greaser char
actcristics too far, OF rather he di
8 not calculate on the presence in tt
a Mexican camp of a band Of KioW
braves, newly come from the Pece
!. country, who had not become affec
g ed with the Greaser's aversion to il
) vestigation, for when, half an hor
after the firing had ceased, he raise
a himself stealthily on his elbows
r take a look around a dark bod
q sprang from a nearby bush, and in
r. eecond the two We're rolling Oh Il
e ground.
+},n cF r.,