The San Francisco call., 1898-07-24

would find the Yankee whom they sought, and that he would have been shot by both of the sentries But when they saw their wounded sentries their rage was oyerpoWering.
 Ramon, the captains lieutenant, went to Quesada and raised his head and then went to the prostrate form of An tone. My comrades" he said, "who can have done this?"
 The Spanish captain was fierce for the destruction of the mysterious Yan- kee He shrewdly guessed that the Yankee had doubled upon his tracks and had come back through the thicket while a search was making for him on the other side. This was the truth, but the captain had guessed the solu- tion of the riddle too late The Span ish bullets had come uncomfortably close to the American. One had grazed his right shoulder, and it was his blood that had stained the pathway in the woods. He had worked his way through the hole in the hedge and then, knowing all the secrets of woodcraft and Indian tricks, he had kept perfect ly still while the voices of his pursuers died away in the distance and only the sentries, who were uttering their boasts, remained.
 Noiselessly, with skill that an Indian might well have envied he worked his way backward, on his stomach, until he came to a tree with a trunk suf- ficiently large to hide his body. A few seconds more found him in the tree, and in such a position that he could see the sentrieS plainly, and no branch or twtg was in the way of perfect aim. With as much deliberation as if there had not been an enemy within a hundred miles, he examined his pis- tols carefully. He replaced one pis- H.. Hs fo vorite firearm, took careful aim and fired twice. It was quite character istic of him that he did not look to see whether the first bullet had found an enemy He had never missed an aim in his life.
 Now when so much, in fact, his life, and a mission that he held very much dearer than his life, were at stake, his nerves were as steady as if he had been made of marble. He was on the ground almost as soon as he had pulled the trigger the second time. Then, hay ing done what has been already de scribed, he once more crawled into the hedge and waited. As soon as the Spanish captain and his posse had re- turned to the sentries he emerged from the thicket on the other side and sped like an antelope along what would have seemed no trail to an eye less prac- ticed. But he never paused and never was at fault. Long before the cap tain had tried to retrieve his mistake the American was miles distant, and there was no human being who could have followed his footsteps, as he took pains to repeatedly cross and recross his tracks. Then he broke the scent by swinging along from limb to limb of low, overhanging trees. Just as the sun was setting he found himself upon the top of high hill, and in the heart of a seemingly untrodden wilder ness. But that savage place had yielded up all it's secrets to the intrepid lad. He paused minute and then uttered a low cry, in imitation of a mocking birds whistle.
 He waited a minute and listened, and then repeated the signal. A similar call was heard. The next instant a young boy, whose features marked him unmistakably as an American, came into view.
 Well, Binnie," said the second Amer ican to appear in the story, what brings you here? I supposed that you were already many miles upon your way"
 T made a good start certainly" said the one who was addressed as Binnie, but a file of Spanish soldiers were in the way and they narrowly let me es- cape them. l think, from the indlca- tions of this day, that it is about time for us to move. for the Spanish soldiers did not happen along in this unfre- quented part of Cuba merely by chance. Some one must have made it a point to tell the Spanish commander that possi- bly, he might find something to interest him if he would come up here.
 But you have been shot, Binnie, said the other, noticing his bloody sleeve for the first time.
 "Yes, Ned, the soldiers nearly made me a non- -combatant. You know what that means in Cuba if I had fallen into the hands of Blanco's men. But am not hurt badly, only a flesh wound. And that does not trouble me much. Just a day or two of rest while we are planning and you are reconnoitering and with the application of some of your simples I will be as good as new once more"