The sun., 1900-12-30
CHAPTER ~
HIVFIINUS BATTLES

InTOOgN IN" tOoI ltp HTHhl ult, WIN lUt
rode alone, Tor indeed had much in my
mind Where we. should mud 81 lrond
| do when "" found either none Of the"
| things ! knew. Surely never did soldier,
| march on an errand a. unknown gs this
| scarce confess II even 10 myself, II VAS be-
cause lauren1 d" -. rr9nd thought me
| to save the men he had taken with him. II
| was because We had chance 20 hurt Alva
II was for anythlnTr hnt because 2 sifi had
| she could forget had come 20 Alvas camp
She did not forget ihen. Nay Nay could mo-, not
| Il murderer. half traitor, money -Scc KING.
cruel Yet r"uoluhcred that ] had saved her
! thought Of how -he had looked at p", how
| She knew all that had gone to do and AL
| that had done in that camp Oh laugh II
now, 81 ,he way / saved Breuthe Judge he
deed altogether. think of the end az we'll a.
the means. and say TdS ! wronT. But % Tas
more years than one; II likely was better
man than she, fancied; ;,, 9.
Trond'- men must have marched we'll. FOR
though they had many hours start Of us
we were mounted and they on foot and yet
we had 10 halt, and water and rest our horses
without finding them. would have marched
again almost at once, but Couch came srum-
i don't know what you want. Captain.
but tis little u-" catching Alva II We founder
the horses 10 DO Il
So we halted for, two hours. and T. Law
wrapped in my cloak. sleepless. watching
Morning davned over the plain red and
clear and at last. away 10 our right We saw
Il cloud of dust moving quickly The sun
rose higher II The sEy; and now = there ,i wes va
first We began tn trot faster
"Urrse II, there. no cover" Imutiered
j said anCrilv
"0ushJ to l.nye some one with him, to tell
him 9rt wo to NO, % Win S% ld 2PIn .Rarpy frSTd
ANa's line. went strlgslins thin and long
together, | cried Why not ah'"
Uh, II wa, the chance-the chance o.
a lifetime Had but been with 81. Trond,
Had but been mile nearer' Two wagons
broke down across the road. and the rearguard
halted perforce, but the van knew nothing Of
il and kept on the march and for moment
right IN the middle of Alva's force there gRped
hole Had but gone with 81 Trond at
~ Trond hesitated he was not soldier
by trade. aud Ia plunge into the middle Of
without thought lie hesta'ed, and the
chance was gone: the van turned and closed
| again and then-then, when they were oil
ready for him ST. 1rond funs his men at the
Spamards
! can guess how Alya looked. can see
the cold sne-rng smile come over his lips
can hear the harsh orders II was a task
after Alva's own heart 10 crush blo men with
5000 St frond's pikemen charced--they
Alva gave back a little before the charge,
Littin Gy little his centre fell back. and little
by S cotss the winS Tdd sdvS1G"d SoTy the
to have his revenge for the market place
and he sat there many times have seen the
thin beard, with the pupils Of hl- eyes growing
bigger. and his lips bent IN cruel smiling
curve
II was well planned. and carried out as
we'll But one thing he forgot, and that
was the horsemen / led lie should have
not guess what We were FOR, indeed II is
strange design 20, march with pikemen two
miles in front Of their, cavalry Whether
"Chargc!." shouted. Charge yivent
les gueuN'"
lands thundrriug on before W.. We swept
down on Alya- wing They tried 70 strengthen
any support had come We had crashed down
ON their flank, and We're breaking through
TO- TaSrS st r%nd @1d femSn rolled IKE
Break out, break out on your night tank
] shouted - 1rond as We turned our horses
and rode back again, cutting down the broken
their way through, untroken yet; the Jaws Of
AIya's trap had, closed in vain.
'Fan back, back to the higher ground.
grunted Couch. The fight was not over
yet Alya would not give ~ his prey without
for a chance 10 charge They never found
y While they changed, ground 10 try and
draw rs away we Ea.ior"d down coward
come, they Il r"i toward our ikemen. sud
denly in the md7, oi our charge, swung the
men round to tho left, and We took those
harlcss spanish troopers in flank and cut
through them As a tight string cuts through
cheese. So We came around 70 II. lfond,
and the Spariard- fell back and formed again
"Yon viii iail back on tho town." asked
ST Troud a. came ny. w" have lost very
Ave. but not too fast" said ] Though.
indeed. the spantatds did not threaten m9,s p.,a
We came ont 600 strong, and We are htue
more than four now" quoth 81 Trond, And
Oh. we have lost some" said I
Ju=t then NrrIncll came w.
"Y"u did not grudgo me T." the hnrshers'
,ra,,, rac%fdieatt ,} ne. 6a' you might have kept
i was not in command" said vemeil;
II ,was not ii, ,c"mmand .u..
.Slnwly We fcl hack on 'reutho, smaller.
gloomicr companies than had gon" ont The
day before. rode alone still. could not
he with 81. .Trond, for knew now that u ]
all Alya's force. II We had only been TO;
gethcr when p" chance came Had ]
To- which owed service. We might have struck
u great blow thar dav. SoSt Trnnd had been
. sht Niidn, G r% thnkns %'s AZ" "o Sn "" may nay
SANDY pnth~ What was that question ]
asked myself Yesterday Is a man fool
heCau-" he does not always follow his BRAIN.
Well, I knew now that u man was "A fool "
lie fOlluwrd nothing else. There ar" not
many times in my life when feel worthless
aud mean. tut here pds one, al least cordl"n,
here was one.
~ Troud too rode silent and apart. and
when ] looked covert y ~ him one" or ~"
| saw his face WAS very grave and sad NJ
last hc Spurrcd his horse over to me.
Il was wrong, -ir, and You were right
viii YOU let M" take NY words back !
have thrown away 2pO lives that ] might
have saved II I had believed YOU But for
your skill and courage | should have lost all
] cannot forget what | said to you. may |
hope that You can forgive IL"
In Gods name, say no more ! cried.
"Why n X of forgiveness from m" 10 YOU
4 admit. sir. was IN III" wrong cannot
You were In the right ! said shar ".
Il ought to have come with you. what -
the use Of words now"
II Wa, indeed a task too great Tor me.
he answered -ldv md moved away You
may p-lrSS tiaf ra> Uo' What ! meant NV
words 10 say lh"r" l. nothing sirS me
more than praise when my deserts ar" hlam"
At last, when II was growing dark, ""
came 90 Breuth". and thcr" gtth"red around
IL a a'e go M. troUh ira crowd to learn
that 200 men their husbands, their brothers.
their sons. vino marched out Yesterday
lay s,in and c, Ia on the pll ain now 81 Irond
rode slowly through the ihrong. with his hat
pulled down over his brows, and they fell
hack In silence. with angry looks, Ia let him