The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-19

camp either before or after you. Do they
know the Majors present whereabouts?
mo more than 1 did an hour ago. AS
take. IT. they are depending on me to snow
them the way
well, then; dead men tell no tales
"But. R1y good friend. you forget there
arc four OF them and only two of US! Wa
should stand little chance with them In
fair fight"
Again the old mans eyes snapped and
glowed as II pent-fires were behind them.
WAS II fair fight when Tarleton'B men
rode in upon Tom Sumter's rest camp at
Fishing Creek and cut down this little
maids father whilst he was naked and
bathing in the stream? Was 1t fair fight
when King Georges Indian devils came
down in the dead Of night upon our de-
fenseless house at Northby? Never talk
to me Of fairness. sir. while all this bloody
tyranny Is afootI'
thought upon It for a little space.
Twas mono SO easy to decide On one
hand. stern loyalty to the cause I had
espoused passed instant sentence on these
four men whose lives stood in the way;
on the other. common humanity cried out
and called 1t murder.
Never smile, my dears. and hint that I
had found me a new heart OF mercy since
that ambush killing Of the three Chero-
kee peacemen in the lone valley of the
Western mountains. We did but give the
savages q dole out OF their own store OF
cruel cunning and ferocity. But as for
these my crackers, three OF them. at least.
were soldiers and men Of my own race.
could not do 1t.
NO." said /, firmly. These followers
Of mine must be stopped. as you say. else
there II no need or my going on. But
there must be no butchers work"
The patriarch trowned and wRgged his
beard again.
"A true patriot should hold himself ready
to give his own life or take another's. :"
Quoth he.
Truly; and I am most willing on both
heads. But we have had enough and more
than enough OF midnight massacre
Where TINS argument would have led US
in the end. / know not, since We were both
waxing warm upon il But in the midst
the little maid came running from the
open door. her blue eyes wide in childish
terror.
"lnJun mani was all she could say; but
that was enough. At bound reached
the door. An Indian was at my horse s
head, loosing the halter. as ! thought Be-
fore he could twist 10 face me the point
OF the Ferara was at his back.
Luckily. he had the wit not to moye
NO kill Uncanoola," he muttered. this
witho 1t the stirring Of muscle Then. As
II he were talking to the horse; white
s0uaw. she send 'um word; say good
Bly,"
My point dropped as If another blade had
parted the thrust
Mistress Margery. you mean7 Do you
come from herr"
She send 'um word; say 'good-by,'" he
repeated
What else did she sayT' demanded
NO 6ay anything else; say 'good-by.'
He turned upon me at that and ! saw why
la had ken \, far had nm
the war paint OF Cherokee Chief.
"Cncanoola good Cherlakee now." he
grinned. Help redcoat soldier find Cap
tain Long knife. Wahl'
saw his drift. and quickly thought I
knew his courage. the holiness of the thing
staggered me. He, too. had penetrated to
the inner lines of the British encampment
at Charlotte; and when they had sought an
indian tracker to lift my trial, twas he
who had volunteered. But now my spirits
rose With this unexpected ally we might
hope to deal forcefully and yet fairly with
my rear guard
Where are your masters nowr' asked,
He spat upon the ground ''Catawba
chief has no master" he said. proudly.
"Redcoat palefaces yonder," pointing back
the way had como. Make fro. boil tea.
sing song. heap smoke pipe"
I'VE must take them" said L
He nodded '.Kill UNI all; take scalp.
Wahr'
Tho bloodthirstiness Of my two allies was
appalling. But I undertook to cool the In.
dams ardor. explaining that the redcoat
soldiers were the Longknife's brothers, in
a way, not to be slain save in honorable
battle I am not sure whether I earned
the Catawba's contempt or his pity for my
weakness. but since he was loyal to the son
OF his old benefactor first and a savage aft
erward, he yielded the point.
So now made him known to my patri-
archal host, who all this time had been
standing guard at the cabin door with The