The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-01

his thigh and chuckled gleetully-
1.-The old man amt in ten mile o
this spot.''
In q few minutes fire had been
made and the five men were eating
a dinner of broiled bacon and baked
sweet potatoes. Their frugal meal
disposed of, Hawkins and his Two
companions pillowed their heads on
their saddles and were soon asleep,
leaving Smith and Lane seated be-
fore the fire. For an hour and
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 made as they
munched their fodder.
Lane 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
buckskins, but he had kindly eyes
and a marvelously square jaw. Lane
took all this in in occasional glances
across the fire. Tie fire burned
lower and lower until at last moth
ing remained of it but a 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" he said. Lane stopped to
hear what it was. "The Greasers, y
Smith continued, care bout ten mile
from here, up the creek. Santa Anna
an his whole outfit is there. The
ole man wants to know how many
O. the varmints there is. Let's go
and see.'
Lane thought that it was pretty
dark to be prowling 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
lessly through the dripping under
brush, which drenched Lanes dried
out clothing and wet him to the Skin.
They stumbled over fallen logs, ran
into gullies, stepped into pools of
water and got tangled up in brier
patches for half an hour before
Smith stopped suddenly and said in
an undertone:
"We'd better he more carefullike.
We're liable to run acrost some o.
their redskin scouts at any minute
now
Lane was too weary to make re-
ply, so he mechanically slackened
his pace and initiated the Texans
stealthy movements. He only half
succeeded, he thought. The Texans
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 hour
perhaps when the Texan suddenly
stopped and raised warning finger.
"Sh'h!' he whispered. Lie
down, quick!'' Lane dropped, ana
just as he did SO he heard the sharp
report of rife and simultaneously
the uncomfortable music Of bullet
as it cut through the bushes over
head. There were moro reports al
irregular intervals, and, peering
through the dripping bushes, LIE
could see the flashes of the rifles 80
yards away.
"We run into nest of 'em, sure, "
murmured Smith, Ian damme eff I
don't b'lieve they re shootin at us!''
Lane thought they were and became
more and more uncomfortable as
the rifle cracks continued and the
bullets seemed to be cutting through
the bushes closer and closer to them.
He ducked instinctively every time
he heard bullet sing until he de-
veloped crick i'll the neck. Nor Was
Smiths observation that neither
Greaser nor Mexican could shoot
straight i'll the least reassuring.
Let 'em waste their alnm nj
ton, muttered Smith. "They can't
hit us, an they 're too lazy to come
out an see what they're shootin
at
But Colonel Erastus Smith pre-
sumed OH the national Greaser char
acteristics too far, or rather he did
not calculate OH the presence i'll the
Mexican camp of Il band OF kiowa
braves, newly come from the Pecos
country, who had not become affect
ed with the Greaser $ aversion to i'll
vestigation, for when, half an hour
after the firing had ceased, he raised
himself stealthily OH his elbows to
take Il look around Il dark body
sprang from Il nearby bush, and i'll u
second the two were rolling on the
ground.