The National tribune., 1902-09-25

minutes later a tall, dusky figure, made
wilder in appearance by a plume of eagle
feathers. stepped forth from the wall Of
darkness into the small circuit lighted by
the campfire.
This newcomer held short interview
with the guards. who did not offer to
awaken any Of the sleeping Indians. At
ter brief consultation the runner joined
the circle Of sleepers about the fire, lay
ing himself down to his well-earned rest
as il nothing important was to be DONE
Soon after this the guards themselves
dropped upon the ground within a short
distance Of their comrades, and like them
soon seemed to sleep.
THAT means no more runners, and a
few hours o. rest before the 'arly start"
whispered the Forester. I'm the course
o. an hour you'll see yOn whistler begin
to move, or he's NOVICE in woodcraft,
which 1 am not prone to believe"
The hour allotted the strange captive
by the Forester wore away without bring
ing any change to the scene, except that
the god of slumber had now gained SUI
premacy over all, even the sentries hav-
ing yielded to his potent power. These
last slept sitting up, and not as the white
man finds his repose, with head dropping
forward upon his chest, but uplifted as if
the nostrils still scented the air and the
eyes were Stln Keeping tHelT VIGIL lnt
fire had now died down to few embers,
and if it was dark in the little inclosure.
and fairly black in the coppice from the
clouds that surged over the starry sky,
the advance streamers Of the belated
moon were beginning to Tighten the crests
of the distant mountains.
John Stark was beginning to feel that
if ever any attempt to get the captives
away was to be made it was time to be-
gin, when a change in the situation was
ltelegraphed to him by the touch of his
companions hand. Looking closer upon
the scene in front he now discovered a
coon skin cap coming into sight above the
object rose into the air, followed by the
shoulders of the whistling captive, his
body and limbs, until he stood erect above
his enemies. He had evidently slipped
the thongs from his wrists and ankles, so
he stood free to move.
He showed no haste in his action, and
he did not take his first step until he had
carefully and slowly serutinized every
sleeping form around him, some of which
were within reach of his foot. The cap
tive woman alone moved, and she was un-
conscious of the act, while she suffered
anew in her dreams the horrors of her re-
cent experiences. His greatest difficulty
was to awaken her without letting her
give an alarm by some untOward action.
He was fully FIVE minutes in reaching
her side, and he had barely accomplished
the feat when she opened her eyes, as if
his presence had awakened her to a reali-
zatiOn of her situation. He checked the
cry of fear which at first came to her, and
then began to unloOsen her bonds. This
task occupied him for five minutes, as he
had no knife with which to cut them, and
the moon was then touching with silver
the tips of the mountain pines.
When he had accomplished this he lift
ed her bodily in his arms, instead Of al
lowing her to walk beside him in their
flight. He seemed to do this with ease,
for while he was not large man, she was
of slight build. Sweeping a glance over
their PROSTATE enemies, he started toward
the outer rim of the opening, the carpet
of soft moss serving to muffle his foot
steps. But he had to step over the bod
left the inside of the living circle, and he
had barely accomplished this difficult and
dangerous feat before one of the sentinels
gave a deep, gutteral grunt, and started
forward as-if awakening.
The scouts from the covert had bet
ter view of this situation than the es
Gaping captives, and realized more fully
perhaps the result likely to follow in case
the Indian should give the alarm. Thus
they prepared to meet the crisis in hand
to-hand fight. The white man stopped
abruptly in his passage to the woods,
standing as mOtiOnless as an inanimate
object, holding the woman firmly in his
arms. In fact, their appearance was not
unlike tall stump of tree broken off
by terrific gale and left standing alone,
the drapery of the wOman's dress lending
in the darkness the resemblance of the
disordered bark and fragments Of torn
wood left dropping by the wrench of the
tempest. Happily the Indian quickly set
tied back into his uncomfortable position
as quiet as before. Then the white man
resumed his silent advance.
More than half the distance to the for
est had been made, and the balance of the
way might have been safely passed, had
not the woman moved in his arms. His
hold may have been causing her pain, but
it looked so to the scouts that she was
anxious to show him that she was capable
Of walking as well as he. At any rate,
he allowed her to gain her feet, when
they hastened their fight side by side.
But the mistake that had been made was
shown before she had taken half a dozen
on twig which had fallen on the moss.
This snapped, and, as slight a noise as it
made, it was sufficient to arouse the In
dians, more than dozen Of whom leaped
instantly to their feet.
Discovering the flight Of the captives
at once, the warriors gave expression to
yells that awoke the silence of the scene
with startling effect, and they rushed to
intercept the escape of the captives, while
the others sprang to their feet and joined
in the wild scenes that followed.
"Quick-to the coverp' cried the For
ester, as the fugitives for moment hesi-
tated, terrified by the wild alarm of the
coming battle. John Stark was not be-
hind his companion in preparation for
the fight, and the twain stood ready to de-
fend the captives in their escape.
(To be continued)