The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-24

jung! II We could Jest make out somehow r
other to lay our claws on the beasteses
aforehand-"
We had reached the cliff and were once
more peering down at the enemv's camp.
Though for the clnr-shadowed valley it was
long past sunset and all the depths were
! blue and purple in the changing half-lishts
of the hour. the shadow veil was but a
gauze of color. sof,ening the details with
cut obscuring them. So we could mark
well the metes and bounds of the camp and
prick in all the savannas of natural clear
inSs. On the margin Ct the stream the In
dian lodges were pitched in q semicircle to
face the water. Farther back. Falconnet's
troop was hutted in rough-and-ready shell
tiers made of pine boughs-these disposed TO
stand between the camp of the Chero-
KEGS and the tepee-lodge Of the captive wo-
men which stood among the trees in that
edge Of the forest hemming the slope which
buttressed our cliff of observation.
At first we sought in vain for the storing
place Of the powder. 1t was the sharp eyes
of the Catawba that finally deserted 1t. A
rude housing of pine boughs, like the huts
of the troopers, had been built at the
base of a great boulder on the opposite
bank of the stream; and here was the lad
ing of the powder train.
From what could be seen twas clear that
the camp was no mere bivouac for the day:
indeed. the Englishmen were still working
upon their pine-bough shelters. building
themselves in as If for a stay indefinite.
Its a rest camp Quoth Dick; though
why they should break the march here is
more than 1 can guess"
No. said Ephraim Yeates. Tain
jest rightly a rest camp. ez | take 1t. Ez
l was a-saying last night, this here is Tuck
asege country. and we amt no furder than
a days running from the Cowee Towns.
Now the Tuskaseges and the over-mounting
Cherokees amt always on the best o
farms. and / was a wondering If the boss
captain had MT sot down here TO
wait whilst he could send a peace
offer O. powder and lead on to the Coyec
chiefs 10 sort O. smooth the way"
No send him yet; going to send" was
uncanoola's amendment. "Look-see, Che
lake. braves make haste for load horses
down yonder now!'
Again the sharp eyes Of the Catawba
had come in play. At the foot of the great
boulder some half dozen of the Cherokecs
were busy with the powder cargo. iasn,ng
pack-loads of it upon two horses. One Of
the group. who appeared to be directing the
labor of the others. stood apart, holding
the bride reins of three other horses capari-
soned as for a Journey. When the loading
was accomplished to the satisfaction OF the
horse-holding chieftain, he and two others
mounted, took the burdened animals in tow.
and the small cavalcade filed Off down the
49, MI dN SdC dl
the lower end of the valley.
Ephraim Yeates was up in a twinklips.
dragging us back from the cliff edge.
up with vel" he cried. "Now's our
chance to kill two pa'tridSes with one stone,
II we can make out to get down into t'other
valley in time to see how them yarmint
come out, we'll know the way in. More.n
that, We can ambush 'em and so make sar-
tin sure O. five o. the six horses we're
a-going to need. come night. But we've got
to leg for 1t like Ahimaaz the son of "a
dok!''
Thus the old borderer; and being only
too eager to come to handgrips with the
we were up and running faster than
ever Joab's messenger ran, long before the
old man finished with his Scriptural simile.
Not to take the risk of delay on apy
unexp!ored short cut. We made straight for
the ravine of our ascent, found 1t as BY
instinct, and were presently racing down
to the Indian trace in the little upland |
valley above the gorge.
For all the helter-skelter haste I found
time to remember that the gorge as we had
last seen 1t had been well b%esprinkled with !
armed Cherokees lying in wait for us. If
they were still there we should be like to !
have a hot welcome; and some reminder of |
this 1 gasped out to Yeates in mid flight.
Mem mind that; If we run up ag'inst !
'em anywhere, 'twon't be there-away.
took the hint and quit; scattered
out to hunt us long ago." was his answer, |
jerked out between bounds. And after that
loosed the Ferara in its sheath and saved
my breath as I might for the killing bust J
ness of the moment.
Twas a sharp disappointment that, for all
the haste of our mad scramble down the
mountain, we were too late to surprise the
secret of the enemy's stronghold. The Ca
was leading when we dashed down
the valley, and one glance sent him
flying back to stop US short with a dumb