The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-09-14

being no common one. aud gavo
weight to the queer ~private's wo, de-.
The result was that the latter got a
free hand in the matter Of making
what arrangements he chose.
These were not complica.a FL. and
were all finished by sunset on the fol-
lowing day. Choosing the post at
which the three men had been killed.
Nicky had three shallow rife pits dug
in the sand. with intervals of three
yards between them. Each of the pits
were capable of %concealing one man,
and the line of the whole was distant
from the tope, or clump of trees aoout
ten yards.
The next thing was to borrow the
uniform and aceoutrements, down to
the very rife and bayonet, of one OF
the Puniabis, and out of them con-
struct the most skillful counterpart
of a sentinel possible; and the lnird
and last thing was that the subahdar
commanding that special guard furn-
ishing the post received certain very
definite instructions.
Up till 10 O'Clock that night the post
was held by the usual two sentries.
but with the relief at the hour named
one of these was withdrawn and the
efigy substituted, its supporting pole
so firmly fixed in a prepared socket
that tho Ao11ra Cfnnd unri0hf In tho
most natural position. Indeed, so
lifelike was it that even in a better
light than that given by the dim and
waning moo nine out of ten looking
at it would have pronounced it a
rather sleepy native sentry standing
at ease. As for the other and real
sentry, he kept pacing slowly up and
down, with the rifle pits between him
and the trees. And in the We pits to
the right and left of the dummy sem
try, bayonets fixed and ready, lay
Nicky and the sergeant, while in the
one farther off Dab Pratt. who was a
dead shot and had different work to
do, did not bother about bayonets, but
with his rifle thrown forward lay star
ing into the darkness under the trees.
What seemed an eternity of waiting
dragged away, and it was getting near
midnight when Nicky suddenly raised
his head, listened and uttered a low
hiss.
Instantly the patrolling sentry
paused in his aimless walk, stretched
himself, yawned and then called TO
his supposed comrade that he thought
he'd better go out to the front a bit
just to make sure that all was right
adding the warning advice to the 9TH
er to keep a sharp lookout. Then as
he turned away the sergeant and
Nicky made ready for the spring,
while Dab Pratts finger closed on the
trigger as he tried to locate SOM dim
object moving in the gloom below
the trees.
Although Lney had been fully ex-
pecting it, yet the appearance of the
destroyer was so swift and noiseless
when it did come, that the three men
were almost taken by surprise. A
huge, indistinct form seemed to launch
Itself out of the very heart of the
nearest tree, and, falling ~soundiessly
IN the ground, dart at the supposed
sentry. One great, hairy arm across
the shoulders the other under the chin,
and with a wrench that would have
broken the neck of an OK the head OF
the efigy was torn away, the stout
pole snapped like a twig. And at
nearly the same instant Nicky sprang
out of the pit and drove his bayonet
TO the hilt between the ribs OIL the
hideous thing, almost throwing 1t
Gown. But though so terribly wounded
the ape, which was n of the largest
OF its kind, was anything but done
with, for with a horrible shrieking it
turned on its assailants and, but for
the desperate energy with which the
sergeant piled his bayonet, might have
added another to it's already long .lst
of victims. Presently. however, it was
to its last kick. and then they be-
came aware that Dab Pratt and the
Punjab sentry had ceased firing and
were shouting to them from the
Aeptns of TIE wood.
"Hillo! hillo, sergeant"
"Hillo, Pratt. Hit any?"
"Two-both stone .dead-an' the
sentry here says one on ems the
boh.'
Il was the bob. whose unreasonins
attempt TO revenge his lessening Of
dignity had thus ended In leaving him
none at all. But his death, with those
If his human and brute assistants, had
scored one for Nicky Fidge, who. as
usual. had got there."-New York