The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-06-09
S2.4O PER YEAR.
III A1en9in9 Rescue.

tell me what it was that had caused h5Ss,
, sudden change toward Kid; but that dav
was Sunday, and he left camp at day-
break on an antelope hunt so 1 did naa
see him. Turning the affair over in NV
mind that morning, 1 came to the COZ
clusion that Bills heart was too large.
| for his judgment, and that Kid would
yet avenge himself; and 1 was not wrong.
though he did it in way 1 could not have
| expected.
Our camp was pitched on low hill,
| That rose 1sland-like in the midst of a
grassy valley. On the west this valley
| was bounded by a range OF rugged moua-
| tains that came down to within a mile
| OF camp, and on the east by a chain OF
high hills; to the north and south, where.
| the railroad came in and went out, the
grassy level stretched away farther than
| the eye could reach. To economize in
| feed 1T was the custom to pasture the
mules in this valley whenever they were
not at work, on Sundays and at night,
and they went out as usual on the day
following the Kids attempt to knife Bill.
| though not under the charge of the night
| herder, he and the old gray mare having
| to remain in camp to rest and sleeD.
| When the. gong sounded for supper about
| an hour before sunset the herd was in
| plain view from camp and not over half
a mile away, so the herder galloped in to
his supper, leaving them unguarded until
the night herder should go out and take
| them.
AS we were in the Apache country. il
was very foolish thing for him to do.
He had scarcely unsaddled his horse
and gone into the grub tent, when shrin
yells and whoops mingled with the thun-
der of pounding hoofs coming from the
valley brought every man running out.
| Watchin" their opportunity from their
| lurking place in the mountains, band of
| half-naked Apaches had Slipped into the
| herd, and running about among the mules
| lashlng and striking, were trying to STAN
pede them. They would have succeeded,
mules being mortally afraid of Indians.
out that the might herder, preparing to
go on duty, had brought the old gray
mare to the grub tent to wait while he
ate his supper, where she stood in plain
| sight from the valley. The mules were
running away southwark, when the lead
| ing ones spied her, and, making a wide
detour to avoid the Apaches, who were
| following as fast as their legs could car,
| ry them, the entire herd came galloping
in.
Yelling with rage and disappointment,
| the Apaches turned to go back to- the
| mountains, when a white man rode out
| from the rocks before them and started
across the valley toward camp Ply his
| morse, which We recognized we knew him
to be Bill Smith. The Apaches opened
flre the moment they.saw him, and, chang
ling discourse so as to avoid them, he,
| promptly spurred his horse into a gallon.
| and we thought he had got safely out of
| range, when the animal suddenly went
| down, falling on Bill, stunning and pin
J mng him to the ground. Instantly a yell!
OF exultation went up from the 4Apaches,
! and they dashed toward him, racing with
one another for his scalp. While the
| men occasionally killed one Of their num-
| Der themselves, it was quite another thing
to see one butchered by the Apaches and
| they groaned with horror for they could
but stand idly looking on.
| Kid had run out Of the tent with the
| others, and was standing near me when
Bill went down. In the excitement Of
! that moment lost sight of him, and,
when I saw him again, he had leaped.
| astride of the old gray mare, and, dig
glng his heels in her TANKS, started at a..
| furious gallop -oward the Apaches At
| this another groan went up for it seemed
mat the boy was only riding to his DEATH
| A moment later we saw 300 pairs of long
| ears cooked toward the old gray, 800
| shaved tails flew upward, and the ground
| quivered beneath the pounding of 100
| hoofs as the mules dashed away after
| their leader. Soon they overlook her.
| and, ranging thmselves behind and at her
| sides, bore down in solid phalanx upon
the Apaches racing along as though TO,
| their lives. -,.. :..-
| On, what howl Of delight went up,
from the men when they saw through
KIDS design! The Apaches heard it, and,
looking behind them, saw their peril AS
one man they halted and fired into the
mules' then scattered on the run, the
| greater number making for the noun
talnss the others still holding their course.
| toward Bill-his scalp was too great a
prize to be lightly given up. Stretched
| out fiat on the old gray's back, Kid rode
| straight for these, and presently thew
dropped their rifles and ran for their lives,
put 1t was too late One after another
tney disappeared in a mass of switching
tails and flashing heels, to go down under
| the herd, trampled and crushed into
pioody pulp of flesh and bone. When
the last OF them had fallen, Kid refned
ln' and, getting off his horse, started,
staggering, toward Bill, but before 60
ing far he fell Imply to the ground.
we saw this while running across the
valley, for the moment we understood
| what Kid was doing every man in camp
| mad started at the top of his speed for
Bill. TIL ,se Of us that went to where
Kid lay found him insensible and bleeding,
profusely from ragged tear where an
Apache bullet had p1oughed through his.
shoulder. Quickly took him in my arms
and tearing. open his shirt to better see
the wound, made a startling discovery
kid was woman.
Bill soon recovered sufficiently to ride
the old gray mare back to camp, but We
had to carry Kid, and never was babe.
held with tenderer care by mother.
When she regained consciousness she
sent away all but the boss" ard me
and told us all about herself Her right
name was Louisa Montez. She was born
and reared on q ranch back in the
mountains, where the Apaches had killed
her parents. Without friends or re!a-
t1Ves, compelled to earn her own living
in a land where women are not supposed
TO do anything of the kind, she wandered
UP to Paso del Norte, and was almost
EtarVed when 1t occurred to her to pass
herself as a man, and she was given a
1 job in our outfit.
When we left her, Bill went in and HAD
long talk. What passed between them
we never knew, but he Immediately took
charge of her, and, as carefully as a wo-.
man could have done, nursed her untin
she was sound and well again; and the
next thing. ANYBODY knew she took him,
unresisting. back to civilization and mar
Tried him.