The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-08-25

knew he was out, and whether his fe.
were SORE and II it hurt him much t
talk, and II he hadn't a brother VIII
could chin-chin washtado?
His sole answer to their 1eering, a
he rode alongside, was go. 90. 90.
repeated with savage emphasis and
flourish Of his arm to the southwark
The footmen were plodding a doze
yards In the rear of the freight wagon
and still laughing frOstily at this quee
specimen Of ''Injun" when the savag
Spurrcd his pony forward. A few Guicl
leaps carried him up to the toilin.
eiglt-mulc team. His blanket dropped
around his hips, and repeating car
bine rose to his face. Both wheeler:
dropped at the first shot, killed by :
single ounce slug. A rapid fusllad,
Of shots was distributed among the
struggling mules, and then the Sioux
was Off, shaking his gun and yellin"
defiance, his pony going in zig-zag
| leaps and like the wind
Men ran tumblng over each other to
get into the wagon and at their guns
The teamSter and two or three others
who. despite the cold, carried revolv-
erS under their great coats, jerked off
their mittpns and fumbled with stiff
fingers for their weapons. They had
not been nerved up with excitement.
like the Sioux, and before they could
bring their guns to bear the savage
was well out upon the prairie
And when these men tried, with rifle
or revolver, to shoot at the swiftly
moving. erratic mark presented by the
cunning Sioux and his rabbits like pony
the cutting wind numbed their fingers
and filled their eyes with water, the
glistenihg snow obscurcd their front
sights, and they pelted a white waste
furiously with bullets.
The anger which ragged In them as
they saw that the Sioux had escaped
scot free was something frightful Six
mules Of the splendid eight lay weller
Ing in. blood; another was disabled, and
only one had come off without hurt
Half the counties Of northern Iowa
had been secured to get together Cor
dOn's PRIDE" as this fine freight team
had been named, before the party left
Sioux City.
The blight of their hopeful expedi-
tion, the frightful peril of their situa-
ton, were lost sight of in their desire
for revenge, which burned in the heart |
Of every man of them as they gazed |
upon the stricken, stiffening heap of |
animals. All were for giving chase i'm
They believed they could
easily overtakc the Sioux among the
1rifts Of the lower lands, where creeks
md snow filled ravines must cause
lim to shift his course continually.
Boys" said Gordon. when some Of
hem had hastily begun to strip for the
'hase, boys, this is my particular af-
air. You make camp and fit it for
lghtfn'. I'll either get that Sioux. or
le'll fetch his tribe back and get u.s."
Cy Gordon was their captain. He had
een hay and wood contractor for
many years In the Sioux country, and
is word was law to this little band.
There was no need to argue that no
lan could even have guessed Mt the
airing and disaster they had looked {
pom. The performance had been too !
ppallingly simple and easy. 1t had {
ONE as Unexpectedly as the food Of u I
oudburst or the bursting of Il gun.
While his men stood vengefully and I
ercely watching the flying Sioux Cor
on stripped himself Of his superlative /,
'rappings. stocked his pockets with :
'OZen bread and cartridges, slipped
I pair Of snowshoes kept for an ,
nergency, frightened his belt and then
unchCd himself in pursuit.
Horse and rider were again no more i
ian a speck upon the vast snow field. t
ordon, with an express rifle under
. al III, looN tIlC loiIS, ." Sli lIS
the accomplished snow -siocr. In an II
,ur the speck upon the snow had not Il
own smaller. q
At noon, by the sun. upon broad ="
It where tall grass held the snow.
ordOn came almost within bullet :.
nge Of the Sioux. An hour later,
nong tangle of drftwood vines, .
ere was an exchange of shots, and 60
e Sioux's pony dropped in it's tracks r
le Indian lodged out of sight, and {,
ordon pushed warily on with a grin 7
hate under his ic;cles. a
He took UP the SiouX's tracks, and il
ted with satisfaction that the In n
ans moccasined feet punched clear cl
rough the light crust at every other le
'p. In just little while. es
But he followed for an hour or more II
long seemingly interminable tangle u
gullies without catching O glimpse -
the wary dodger. Then he emerged o'
10 q wider valley, to find that the -
tful rascal had escaped out of his :"
nge and out of sight upon wind =.
'ept stretch Of river ice. !.