The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-28

meaSureieSS dlfge for tho dead around them
As the last man sank to his eternal res
the woods resounded with the exultant vel
Of the savage. and the horde poured dowr
upon the prone company. now that NJ dan
ger was TO be feared from It, tomahawkins
and sralping all who had still a breath OF
life left in them.
TIL bullet that struck the piper saved his
life. for the moment. 1t had torn across the
back of his head. leaving a red. matted
splash in its wake. but the blow thai hao
spared his body had partially destroyed his
mind. leaving untouched. however. his mar,
velous skill on the chanter. The stars OF
midnight were looking down upon him whcr
he recovered consciousness, sitting up and
pu.ting his hand helplessly to his urbon,
neted head. a raging thirst consumed him
and luckily the warmth Of his body hao
kept the water in his bottle from freezing
He drained 1t with a sigh of satisfaction,
His first care was of his pipes. Tender!y he
Examined the drones and found them nm
broken, the chanter and mouthpiece were
unhurt. and experiment showed that TIE
bag did not leak. He could not understand
why he had lain down so carelessly upon
them. The keen air aufvered with the throt
| of his tuning. Everything was as IT should
be, and Moray was satisfied as he rose I'M
certainly to his feet. Where was the regi-
| ment9 How had he become separated from
| it? He saw nothing OF the stark congresa-
| ton around him. and was confident the
! clarion sent forth would soon let them know
his whereabouts. He struck up THE Rally
Of the Clam and marched staggering to the
west. stumbling in the darkness but never
missing a. note. The ~exertion of the piping
and the tramping were too much for his
exhausted body. so he ceased to play and
! stumbled stubbornly on for more than two
hours. when he saw ahead of him a red
glow in the darkness of the forest. This. he
Gotta tn him Golf nUCt ha rho nm fra ~
the company. Pausing a few moments 10
gather breath. once more he brought the
pipes into action, pealing forth the pathetic
pibroch. Come Back. Maclean."
That will bring Them he said to him
self, IF anything Will"
In the still air of the early morning the
sad strain carried far through the breath
heard it with varying emotions, although
those TO, WhOEl II was played lay far in the
rear. deaf to its appeal. The anxious
watchers at Fort Charlotte heard and rec
ognized the faint sounds, crying:
Thank God, the Highlanders are comingi
We are savedi' which indeed they were,
though not by the Hignlanders. unless
through their sacrifice.
The second group to hear were forty-three
sinewy woodmen led by Amos Stebbins.
with moccasined feet, stealthily along the
soundless ice of the river. Instantly their
leaders plan was charged.
MY Godr' he whispered. Listen to
that, With the luck of fools they have
blundered through almost to the Indian
camp. l thought they would have been
wiped out hours ago. That's why we've
been unmolested. Imagine sane men play
ing through the woods like that at 3 in the
morning, every tree covering an Indian! I
can't understand it. My woodcraft is no
good. The folly of the business must have
paralyzed the redskins. They perhaps
thought an army was behind them. There
will be a fight as they near the camp. Let
us make directly for 1t and fall on the saw
ages in the rear. We may pull the High
landers through yet
And so, with a craft superior to the In
dams own and a stealth equal to theirs,
the band of pioneers deserted the river and
made across-country for the camp.
The third body of men to hear the pibroch
was the Indians themselves. and to their
souls II struck superstitious fear. They
knew they had killed and scalped every
man in the company, and now that heather
music called on them to fight their ghosts.
All round the camp fire the savages sprang
to their feet, then scattered out of the cir
Gle of light. trembling as they awaited the
supernatural visit, doubtful IL tomahawk
and rifle could combat the dead as thew had
slaughtered the living. Nearer and nearer
came the weird music, and at last into the
glare of the camp fire marched a strange
figure. face CHASTITY pale, head bare hut
erect, ribbons 1uttering gayly from the
tubes over his shoulder. Nothing human
has n more imposing swagger than a pipar
full killed in action. playing his best. Round
and round the well-trodden path that en-
circIed the camp fire strobe Angus Moray.
the warmth at first grateful to him. then
gradually bringing on an u~naccountable