Waterbury Democrat., 1900-11-06

|
 were out in force, and with the full com | plement of squaws and ponies were | slaughtering on the run? If the for mer, then Dean and his party would be | wise to turn eastward and cross the
 trail of the chase. If the latter they would stand better chance. of slipping
 thrsurh te the Gap by,nushing nortt-
 ward. deeper in among ths PiAs-crested l heights.
 Hehilf the watchers, we0 dswn in
 the ravins, the horses were PlaeidIy ] nibsElS at the asant karkags, CT lsAly yprauA1E h the sun. each animal ss-
 ssrsIy lspPled, and all carefully guard. l cd by the single trooper, whose sul
 Rsnat ready sadatsd, eirslad within
 the limits of ths xtsut lariat, lsspsa
 about his kagtsr's wrist. All sPsks sf i caution, st lively sense of danger and
 responsibility, for they of the little de- : tachmsnt were picked men, who had ridden the wsrpath too long not to real
 izs that there was no such thing as , trusting to luck iri ths heart of the h.
 dian country, especially when Mach
 psulota with his OgaH0lla braves was
 out for business. The cautious move
 nents of the group along the bank had
 quickly been noted by the wakeful ones
 among the troopers, and presently the
 entire party. excepting only the herd
 guard, had crouched up alon gside, and , with the comradeship born of such
 perilous service, were now discussing
 the situation n tow, confidential tones.
 For half an hour they lay there.
 studying the signs to the northeast.
 The duncolored cloud hung low over
 the earth for distance of several
 miles. The herd was evidently one of unusual size even for those days when { the buffalo swarmed in countless thou sands, and finally the sergeant spoke again.
 i It's a big hunt, lieutenant. What ever may be going on about the Gap l they've found time to send out young men enough to round up most of the ! buffalo north of the Platte and drive
 them in toward the mountains. It's
 ombining pleasure with business.
 They don't feel strong enough in mum. Der, perhaps. to make another attempt
 on troops armed with brcech!oaders, so while they're waitin. until thcr reen-
 forcementS come, or their own breech- I loaders, they are herding the buffalo
 where they can get them when they
 want them later on. We are in biT luck
 that no stragglers are anywhere around
 us; if they were it wouldn't take such
 fellows lon. to spy us out"
 i Dean swept the ridge line with his glass. No sign of life nearer than that
 far-away, betrayin. dust cloud. No
 symptom of danger anywhere within
 their ken. He was thinking at the mo- ment of that precious package in his
 saddle-bags and the cOloEeFs words i'm
 preSsip 2 him with the sense of responsi-
 bility the night they parted at Fort Emory. Tomorrow, by sunrise, if for
 tune favored him, hecould turn it over
 to the commanding officer at the new
 stockade, and then if the Indians were
 not gathered in force about the post and actually hostile, he could slip out
 again a night and make swift dash for
 the Platte and the homeward way, and then within the week re join his sister at Fort Emory-his sister and Pap . poOse." Never before had the Indian 1 pet name carried such significance as HOW. Night and day those soft. dark i eyes-that beautiful face-haunted his / thoughts and filled his young heart | with new and passionate longing. It
 was hard to have to leave the spot her | presence made enchanted ground. Nothing but 'he spur of duty, the thrill
 of soldier acnieVement and stirring
 venture could have reconciled him to l that unwelcoms order.
 In one week now, if fortune favored
 and heaven spared, he could hope to i look again into the eyes that had so en-
 chained him, but if there should inter- | pose the sterner lot of the frontier, if | the Sioux should learn of his presence
 hs who had thwarted Burnin. Star and | the brothers of poor Lizetts in their
 schemes sf vsngeancs, he at whose door
 the Ogallallas must by this time have
 laid the death of one of thair foremost i braves, then indeed would there be no 1 hcps Of getting back without Q battle
 royal. There was only one chance of l S2fety-tbat the Indians should not
 discover their presence. If they did and
 realized who the intruders were, Jessie | Dean might look in vain for her broth
 CTS return. PappooSe would never hear
 the love words that, tremblin. on his | lips the night he left her, had been 1 poured out only to that unresponsive | picture. Two ways there were in which 1 the Indians could know of his presence. | One by being informed through some half-breed spy, lurking about Frayne; i but then who would be daStard enough 1 to send such word? The other by being | seen and recognized by some of the | Cgallalia band, and thus far he be-
 lieved they had come undetected, and it
 was now after five clock-after five | o'clock and all was we'll In few hours
 they could again be on their Starlit
 way. With the morrow they should be safely within the gates of the new
 Etockads st Warrior Gap.
 Turning with hope and relief in his
 face to speak to. SerGt. Bruce, who
 lay there at his elbow, lie saw the i blue-slesved arm stretching forth in
 warning to lie low, and with grave 1 eyes the veteran was gazing straight l at a little butte that rose from the
 rolling surface not more than half a
 mile away to the southeast. | 'Lieutenant," he whispered "thcre l are Indians back of that hill at this l minute and it isn't buffalo they're