The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-29

glow over the tops of the jutting
crags. Over the river below the
shadows grew a deeper blue. On one
side of the descending trail rose a
sheer bluff, on the other, sixty feet
below, roared the river.
The marching men were in shadow
now. Above the irregular top Of the
bluff was sharply outlined in the red
sunshine. Suddenly the first sergeant
cried OUT
Look, feIIers, above!"
All, even the native prisoners,
looked.
On the top stood the form of a huge
goat, even his horns and beard plain
ly silhouetted with the rest of his
body against the blazing sunset sky.
They cheered to him, but he did not
move. They called by name, first the
Americans, then those who had given
it to him, his first friends, the natives.
The misfOrtunes and fortunes of war
were forgotten for the mOment-they
all wanted DiabIo to come down.
Finally the black shadow moved.
then sank into the dark space below.
By shading their eyes with their
hands they saw him coming down the
face of the bluff as only his kind could
come. Even the wounded prisoners In
the litters cheered.
At last he stood only fifty feet
above them on a rocky ledge. He
paused; grave, dignified, his tremen-
dOus bulk evenly balanced on the jut-
ting stone. Again they called, but he
stood immovabIe, thoughtfulIy re-
oner volunteered to crawl up and coax
him down, and was allowed to start.
But he was saved the trouble.
Suddenly the two fore feet Of the
buck rose, his body reared, curved
gracefully over, like an expert divers.
then fell. With spring he bounded
outward and downward, landing only
a few yards away from those below.
Again his fore feet arose, and with a
roar, almost as a bull bellows, he shot
forward. There came a scream from
a human throat and the astOnished
soldiers saw a whirl of hoofs, horns
and red cloth go bounding over the
ledge into the sWirling river
Down to the bank! Save them!
Save them before they get into the
rapids!" yelled the captain, and they
all rushed in a mass men in brown
and men in white and blue, down the
trail to the strip of beach below. Only
the colonel and the captain remained
with the wounded on the trail.
They're gone" said the captain.
The colonel said nothing.
The men ran along the streak OF
gravel in excited groups, endeavoring
to aid the two struggling figures out
In mid -Sueam. One OF the insurgents
plunged in and swan for the goat.
Save the 'hombre!' Save the 'hom-
bre!'" shouted the first lieutenant,
mixing his English and Spanish In the
excitement. But a voice above them
roared out-the coloners:
Damn the hombre!' Save the
goat!"
The native reached the swimming
animal, but a warning cry from the
men ashore told him Of his danger.
three down-down-down toward the
narrowing gorge. A yell from ashore,
then a gleam of bright red shot up In
the foam. Then came hoarse bel
low, the monstrous head and horns OF
Diablo rose once and disappeared In
the whirlpool beyond.
The prisoner had reached rock
and held on. A moment more and he.
too, must go. But a man in brown
uniform with one end of long bam-
boo pole in his hand and the other end
held by the crowd ashore, swan out
and was then pulled in with the ex-
hausted native in his grasp.
Up On the trail the two veteran off,
GERS observed all
Colonel" said the captain, "the
Devil certainly carried his objections
to red trousers q long way"
The old colonel looked thoughtful for
a moment.
Captain" he said at last, Il think
you are mistaken, sir. 1t wasn't the
red trousers; it was what was in those
red trousers"
Copyright, 1904, by Albert Sonnich-
SEM