Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1902-01-24

Out on the Pampas.
CHAprER VIM.
BY q. A. HENTY
BY q. A. tiENTy


Viii.
A fortnight passed without the slight.
.st incident or alarm. The sheep and
:attle were carefully secured at night:
:wo or three of the native dogs were fast
.ned up, down at the fold; one of the
nastiffs was kept at the mems hut, while
he others kennel was placed by the
house; the rctrievers, as usual, sleeping
INDOORS. A flagstaff was erected upon
The lookout, with u red flag in readiness
g: be run up to summon those who might
oe away on the plain and a gun was kept
loaded to call attention to the signal. The
boys, when they went out for their rides,
carried their carbincs instead Of their
guns. The girls fulfilled the duties Of
lookouts, going up every half-hour from
daybreak to dusk. One day Mr.. Hardy
had ridden over to Canterbury to arrange
with his friends about hiring shearers
from Rosario for the united f1ocks. The
boys and Terence were in the fields plow-
ing, at a distance of half a mile from
the house, when they were startled by the
sound Of a gun. Looking round, they
saw both the girls standing upon the
tower; Maud had just fred the gun, and
Ethel was pulling up the flag.
BE jabbers! and the Indians have
come at last!' Terence exclaimed, and
they all three started ut q run.
Maud turned round and waved. her
hand to them. and then, she and Ethel
continued looking over the plain. AT this
moment they were Joined on the tower by
Mrs. Hardy and Sarah.
ut is all right" Charley, who was of
an unexcitable temperament, said The
Indians must be n long way off, or the
girls would be waving to us to make
haste. Take it easy; we shall want to
keep our hands steady"
So they broke from the hcadlong speed
at which they had started into n steady
trot, which in five minutes brought them
up to the house.
What is it?' they exclaimed as they
gained the top of the tower.
"Oh, dear, oh, dear!" Ethel said. 'They
have got all the animals"
and I fear they have killed Gomez
and Pedro" Mrs. Hardy added.
1t was too evidently true. At a dis
lance of six miles the boys could see a
dark mass rapidly retreating, and numer-
ons single specks could be seen lowering
round them. Two miles from the house Il
single horseman was galloping wildly.
The girls had already made him out to be
Lopez.
The whole party went down to meet
Lopez, who was just riding up to the
Enclosure. He was very pale, and his
horse was covered with foam. 3,
Are the poems killed, LopexY" was
Mrs. Hardy's first question.
II do not know. signora; but 1 should
think so. The Indians caught them; l
heard a Scream and the man %shuddered.
"How was it that you We're surprised,
lopez Charley asked. you We're SO
particularly ordered to keep q good look
out"
well, Signor Charles, 1 was keeping
a good lookout, and it is lucky that l was.
II was further away than-LeHgnt to- have
been-I know that, for the signor told me
not to so far; but l knew that the rise
that / took them to was the highest in
that direction, and 1 could see for miles
away into the Indian country. So l got
out there, and Pedro and Gomez had got
the sheep and cattle all we'll together,
and there was no fear of them straying,
for the grass there is very good. So the
men lay down for their s%iesta, and l was
standing by my horse looking Over the
campo. Some of the beasts seemed un-
easy, and l thought that there must be n
lion somewhere about. So I got on my
horse, and just as / did so l heard a
noise; and looking behind, where l had
never dreamed of them, ! saw a lot of In
dams coming up at full gallop from the
hollow. The cattle went off at the same
Instant and l gave n shout to the men and
.A,.o1. .o ~, so4> No,1os IL ~.no n
heal touch of it. and they gave me a hard
chase for the first mile; but my horse was
fresher than theirs. and they gave it up"
GLOW many Indians We're there?'
Charley asked.
81 don't know, Signor Charles. 1t was
only those in front that I caught sight of,
and l never looked round after / started.
Some Of them had firearms, for eight or
ten of them fired after me as l made off,
aud the arrows fell all round me-"
"NWhat do you think, girls, about the
numbcr?"
The girls We're silent, and then Ethel
said: .'Thcy were all in a lump, Charley.
One could not see them separately"
1.-The lump seemed to be about the size
that our cattle do when they are close
together at the same distance. Don't
YOU think so, Ethel?' Maud said.
eyes," Ethel thought they they were.
"Then there must be from one hundred
to n hundred and fifty of them," Charley
said.
~ wonder what papa will do! One Of
us had better ride of ut snce and fetch
him."
81 will co." Hubert said, moving away
to saddle his horse.
"Stop, HUBERT" Charley said; II think
you had better take Lopez's horse. l
don't know what papa may make up his
mind to do, and it is better to have your
horse quite fresh"
Hubert agreed at once, and was mount
ing, when Maud said: wait a moment,
Hubert, l will run up to the lookout. l
may see papa; it is nearly time for him
to be home"
Hubert paused while Maud ran up to
the house, and in a minute appeared at
the top. of the tower. She stood for a mo-
ment looking across the stream toward
Canterbury, and then held up her hand.
81 can see him." she called out. "He is a
long way off, but he is coming."-
Hubert at once galloped off and met
his father. They rode together back to
the house at a canter. Mr.. Hardy paus-
ed at the mems hut to give Lopez a
hearty rating for his disobedience Of or
ders. A party Of pursuit Instantly start
ed out.
Scarcely a word was exchanged for an