The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-01-04

1PlH ana Simply tluES 10 MS scat. lie
Immediately found himself plunging
! down the east starp Of the ridge and
straight toward deep, precipitous
washout
A crowd OF yelling, shooting riders
launched themselves upon his heels.
. The Indians We.e appallingly close,
but no man. red or white, can shoot
accurately with his horse going at full
speed, and if his animal be plunging
down hill, his shots must be aimed
very much At random. In short
quarter mile dash the angry Cheyennes
wasted bullets and arrows recklessly
upon the figure dropping down the
slope in front Of them.
Sandy was nearing the washout,
with several Cheyennes pressing hotly
upon his pony's heels. and he clenched
his teeth. expecting 10 take tremen.
ein,ls slide and be set upon in a pro-
at the moment when the messenger
had abandoned all hope of avoiding the
rayne and braced himself as well as
ne could for the steep and dangerous
descent. his calico wheeled in flash
upon the brink of the big ditch ant
fed toward Lapeer's.
sandy reeled in his seat, then looked
behind to see two of his pursuers. un-
able to check their ponies. go plowing
into the washout. while still another,
whose animal had set its feet in
srandsti]. was flung neck and heels
over the bank. What fate awaited
those Indians at the bottom of the cut
Sandy could not tell; he was too quick
ly cut of sight.
But three of his prrsuers We're out
Of the race; that he knew. Then he
felt sense of mounting eXultation as
he noted how his calico pony was
running upon the very rim Of the
washout. clearing wide dry bitches
and water ruts in 1.-THE. quick leaps.
and scudding like a hunted fox over
ground a fox might have chosen to
Tcil the best of horsemtn This-this
was a NeZ Per, mountain pony.
The remaining Cheyenues followed
holly after the flying messenger, but
prudently kept farther up the slope.
They We're no longer shooting, but
Sandy noted that they were forging
ahead and holding their lances III
readiness to thrust him through at the
first favorable turn. Plainly /, there
must be one more lodging match. one
more running of the gauntlet, before
he could hope to reach Lapeer's. Hold
ing to his seat, Sandy awaited the
trial.
1t came soon. At the bottom of
small ravine the calico pony made an
other Of those lightning turns, and
ran straight up the draw. All but
three of the Cheyennes had crossed
above, but these three, noting the cum
ming maneuver, wheeled upon the
slope and came plunging down togeth-
er to head it Off The calico responded
with fresh and unexpected burst Of
speed, and the foremost Indian, rising
in his saddle to hurl his lance, lost
his seat and was pitched head fore
most under his horses feet.
The riderless pony and the mounted
Cheyennes came together at the bot
tom of the draw, with further dam
age to the excited Indians, and San
dy's calico, lodging them, went by
like the. wind.
Sandy. shouting with exultation,
looked back at turn of the ravine to
see single Indian chasing him on
foot, and frantically trying to load a
rife as he ran. The others were evil
dently still engaged in the effort to
eNtricate themselves from the difficult
ty into which the riderless pony had
thrown them.
One minute later the express rider
emerged from the ravine. with his cal
leo running straight for the ridge trail.
ard saw dozen more Cheyennes look
ing for him along the washout below.
Sandy heard their shrill yells of dis
appointment as he came into view 200
yards above and in front of them, and
sped swiftly away down the slope.
The Indians at once gave over the
chase, and it was as we'll for them,
perhaps, that they did, for at the foot
of the ridge Sandy met Blue Bob and
the gun men of Lapeer's.
The men at the station had seen the
Cheyennes ride out upon the ridge to
cut Sandy off. In that clear atmos-
phere, three miles away, they had
watched the express messenger as he
approached the Indians, and had seen
him and his pony apparently swal-
lowed up and lost in cloud of rush
ing horsemen Then they had seen
the calico pony suddenly emerge like
jack rabbit lodging ring hunt, and
they had waited to see no more.
AS result OF this feat of his talent
I'd Nez Perce pony and of his own
pluck and skill, Sandy remained at
I.apeers as rider and wrangler until
the abandonment of the route
Youths companion.
nnIy ha