Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-08-11
XIV.
HOW WE FOUND THE SUNKEN
VALLEY.

HOW WE u The SUNhEN
VALLEY.
Looking back upon the hazards and
chance-takings OF our adventure in the
wilderness, / recall no more promising
risk han that we ran by sleeping un-
sentried within rifle shot, for aught we
knew, OF the camp of the enemy,
But touching this, tbs only on the
mimic stage of the hat the
players rise TO the plane of superhuman
sagacity and angel-wit, never faltering
in their lines nor betraying by slip OF
tongue-trip their kinship with common
humankind, Being mere mortals, we
were not so endowed; we were but -four
outwearied men, well spent in the long
chase, with never a leg among us FIX
to pace a sentry beat nor a decent
wakeful y to keep 1t company. So,
as 1 have said, we took the risk and
slept; would IA slept as %soundly, !
dare say, had the risk been twice as
great,
We were astir at the earliest graying
OF the dawn, Richard and l, and were
the laggards Of the company at that,
since the old hunter was already out
and away and the Indian had kindled
a fire n was grinding more OF the
parched corn for the morning meal.
Dick sat up in his lea litter, yawning
like a sleepy giant.
Lord, Jack" said he, If ever we win
out OF this coil with a full day to spare,
I mean to sleep the clock hands twice
around at a stretch, l promise you,
Twas u a catch, his cat-nap; no
more than enough TO leave a bad taste
in the mouth"
AYE, but the taste may be washed
out" said /. II am for a dip in the
river; what say you?"
II 4y 49, - e a. .-l - ~
an eye-opening plunge in the spring
cold food of the swift little river at the
mouth of our ravine. Twas most mar
Vicious refreshing, and with appetites
sharp set and whetted by the stripping
and plunging we were back at the fire
in time to give good day to Ephraim
Yeates, at that moment returned with
the headquarters of a fine yearling
buck, fresh killed, across his shoulders.
Seeing the deer's meat, we would
think the old hunters thrift of the
dawn sufficiently accounted for, but
when the cuts were a-broil we were
made to know that the buck was mere
ly a lucky incident in the early morn
ing scouting.
Taking time by the forelock, the old
borderer had swept a circle OF recon
Nuisance around our hating place, Ito
get the p'ints of the compass" as he
would say. His first discovery was
that the ford we had found in the dark
ness served as the river crossing of an
ancient and well used Indian trace.
Along this trace from the eastward the
powder train had come. no longer ago
than mid-afternoon of yesterday, and
arguing from this that the night camp
of the band would be but q short march
to the westward, Yeates had pushed on
to feel out h enemy's position.
Eor a mile or more beyond the ford
he a trailed the convoy easily. The
Indian trace or path, we'll trampled by
the numerous horses of the ~cavalcade,
followed the upstream windings of the
swift river straight into the eye of the
western mountains. But In the eye it
self, a rocky detile where the slopes
on each hand became frowning battle
ments to narrow valley and stream, the
one TO a darkling gorge, the other to
a laundering torrent, the trail was lost
| as completely as If the powder con-
voy had vanished into thin air.
Here was a fresh complication, and
one that called for instant action. We
had counted upon a battle royal In any
attempt to rescue the women. but that
4 Falconnet, impeded as he was by the
! slow movements of the pewacr cargo
could slip away, was a contingency foi
which we were wholly unprepared.
So, as you would guess, the hunter
breakfast was hurriedly dispatched
and by the time the sun was shoulder
high over the eastern hills we had bro
ken camp and crossed the river, and
were pressing forward to the gorge OF
disappearance.
fH@nf;r.ad Naxt waaLA