Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-11

| policy of post commander had led
to an attack upon peaceful band and
that to the humiliation of the attack
| ing party. From that fatal day of the
| Grattan massacre ten years before,
| there had been no real truce with the
Sioux, and now was opportunity af-
forded for long-plotted revenge.
Dean wondered Folsom had not looked
for it instead of sleeping in fancied
security.
! A mile nearer the butte and, glanc-
ing back, he could see his faithful
men come bounding in his tracks. A
mile ahead. rising abruptly from the
general level. a little knoll or butte
/ jntted out beyond the shoulders of
the foothills and stood sentinel with
in three hundred yards of the stream.
On the near--the westward side, moth
ing could be seen of horse or man,
Something told him he would find the
combataats beyond-that dead or
alive, Hal Folsom would be there
awaiting him. glance at the COM
handing heights and the ridge that
connected it with the tumbling, wood
ed hills to the north, convinced him
that at that moment some of the foe
/ were lurking there, watching the
westward valley, and by this time
they knew full well of the coming of
the cavalry to the rescue. BY this
time, more than likely, they were
scurrying off to the mountains again,
returning the way they came, with a
start of at least two miles.
with or without the coveted
scalps?" he wondered Thus far he
had been riding straight for the butte.
The road wound around and disap-
Feared behind him, but there was no
sense in following the road pursue
and punish" was the thing to be
done. Surely not more than dozen
were in the band, else that courier
could never have hoped to get in,
wounded as he was. The Indians We're
too few in number to dare follow to
the ranch, guarded as, by almost God
given luck, it happened to be through
the unlooked-for presence of the
troops. No, it was small band
though daring one. Its lookout had
surely warned it by this time of his
coming, and by this time, too, all
save one or two who rode the feetest
ponies and fingered probably for a
parting shot at the foremost of the
chase, had scampered away behind
the curtain of that ridge. Therefore,
in long curve, never checking his
magnificent stride, Dean guided his
bounding bay to the left-the north
east-and headed for the lowest point
of the divide.
And then it all occurred to him too
that he was far in front of his men,
too far to be of use to them and just
far enough to be an easy prey for
the lurking foe. Then, too, it occurred
to him that he must not leave the
ranch unprotected. Already he was
within long rife range of the height;
already probably some beady eye was
CHANGING through the sights, and the
deadly tube was covering him as he
came bounding on. Three hundred
yards more and his life probably
wouldn't be worth dollar in. con-
federate money, and wisely the young
leader began to draw rein, and, turn
ing in saddle, signaled to his single
companion, laboring along one hun
dred yards behind, to hasten to join
him. Presently the trooper came
| squirting up,a swarthy young Ger
man, but though straining every
! nerve, the troop was still a mile away.
ride back, Wegner, and tell the
sergeant to take ten men around that
side-the south side of the bluff" and
he pointed with his hand; "the rest to
come straight to me-"
Oh, well was it for Dean that he
checked his speed, and as the young
dragon went suffering back. that
he himself drew rein and waited for
| the coming of his men. Suddenly from
far out along the ridge in front, from
the very crest, there leaped a jet or
two of fire and smoke. Two little
spurts of dust and turf flew up from
the prairie sod a dozen yards in front,
a rifle bullet went singing off through
the sunny air, Rabb, his handsome
bay, paved the ground and switched
about, and up on the crest. riding
boldly in full view, two 1.-THE, naked,
painted warriors, war bonnets trailing
over their ponies groups, yelling shrill
insult and derision, went tearing away
northward, one CT them pausing long
enough to wave some ragged object
on high and give out ringing, exultant
whoop ere he disappeared from view.
| cts scalp. lieutenant" shouted
the foremost sergeant as he came up
to join his chief. They've got one.
anyhow"
"Come on, then, and we'll get it
back" was the only answer, as with
nearly thirty troopers stringing out
behind them, the two launched out in
chase.
I CHAPTER VII.
Obedient to his orders the Irish
. with l;++1o s,,,J ~ l.