The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-20

and whoops. mingled with the thunder Of
| pounding hcofs coming from the valley,
brought every man running out. Watching
| 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. flashing
and striking. were trying to stampede
them. They would have succeeded. mules
being MORALLY afraid OF Indians. bu. that
the night herder. preparing to go on duty,
had brought the old grey mare to the
grub tent to wait while he ale his supper.
where she stood in plain sight from the
valley. The mules were running AWAY
southwark when the leading ones spied
her. and. making a vice detour to avoid
the Apaches who were following as fast
as their legs could carry them, he entire
herd came galloping in.
Yelling with rage and dissCpoir tment,
the Apaches turned to go back to the
mountains. when a white man rorie out
from the rocks before them. and started
across the valley toward camp. BY his
morse. which we recognized, We knew him
10 be Bill Smith. The Apaches opene fire
tne moment they saw him, and. changing
MS course so as to avoid them. he as
promptly spurred his hor.e into gaIIop.
and we thought he had got safely out
or range. when the animal suddenly went
down. falling on Bill, stunning, and pin
| ming him to the ground. instantly yell
OF exultatiou went up from the Apaches,
and they dashed toward him. racing with
one another for his scalp. While the men
occasionally killed one of their number
themselves. it was quite another thing
to see one butchered by the Apaches and
they groaned with horror. for they could
do nothing but stand idly looking on.
Kid had run out from the tent with the
others and was standing near me when
Bill went down. In the excitement Of that
moment 1 lost sight OF him, and when
saw him again he had leaped astrida the
old grey mare and was digging his heels
in her flank. started at furious pace
toward the Apaches. At this another
grcan went up. for it seemed that the boy
was only riding to his death. A moment
later we saw three hundred pairs of long
ears cooked toward the old grey, three
hundred shaved tails flew upward, and the
ground quivered beneath the pounding Of
twelve hundred hoofs. as the mules dashed
away after their leader. Soon they over
took her. and. ranging themselves behind
and at her sides, bore down in solid pha-
lanx upon the Apaches, racing along as
though for their lives.
Oh. what howl Of delight went up 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 scat
tered on the run, the greater number
making for the mountains, the others still
holding their course toward BiII-his scalp
was too great a prize to be lightly given
up. Stretched out fiat on the old grey's
lack. Kid rode straight for these. ard
presently they dropped their rifles and ran
for their lives, but 1t was too late. One
after another they disappeared in a mass
of switching tails and flashing heels to go
down under the herd. trampled and
crushed into bloody pulp Of flesh and
bone When the last of them had fallen,
Kid refined in and, getting OF his horse,
staggered toward Bill, but before going
far he fell Imply to the ground. -d
We saw this while running across the
valley. for the moment we understood
what Kid was doing every man in camp
started at the top Of his speed for Bill
Those Of us that went to where Kid lay
found him insensibIe and bleeding pro-
fuseIy from ragged tear where an Apache
bullet had ploughed through his shoulder.
Quickly took him in my arms. and tear
ing open his shirt to better see the wound,
I made startling discovery-Kid was a
woman. ~N'''
Bill soon recovered sufficiently to ride
the old grey back to camp, but we had to
carry Kid, and never was babe held with
tenderer care by a mother. When she
regained consciousness she sent away all
but the boss" and me and told us all
about herself Her right name was Lufsa
Montez- She was born and reared on a
ranch back in the mountains, where the
Apaches had killed her parents. With
out friends or relatives. compelled to earn
her own living in land where women are
not supposed to do anything of the kind,
she wandered up to Paso del Norte, and
was almost starved when II occurred to
her to pass herself off as man, and she
was given job in our outfit. as
When we left her Bill went in and had
a long talk. What passed between them
we never knew. but he Immediately took
charge OF her and. as carefully as woman
could have done. nursed her until she was
sound and we'll again, and the next thing
anybody knew she took him. unresisting.
back to civilization and married him.
Ten years afterward ran across Bill
in Santa Fe. and he was a changed man.
His overbearing manner was gone leaving
in its place the very spirit Of meekness
and he was prosperous. owning a small
grading outfit of his own Kid and the
children were well and happy he told me.
The Argonaut.