Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-11-03

but that was enough. At q bound
reached the door. An Indian was at
my horses head, loosing the halter, as
I thought. Before he could twist to
face me the point Of the Ferara was at
his back.
Luckily, he had the wit not to move.
mo kill U~ncanoola," he muttered, this
without the stirring Of a muscle. Then,
as II he were talking TO the horse;
White squaw. she send 'um word: say
'goodby.'"
My point dropped as If another blade
had parted the thrust.
Mistress Margery, you mean? Do
o come from her?"
She send 'um word; say 'goodby,'"
he repeated.
What else did she say?" 1 de-
manded.
mo say anything else; say ~'goodby.'"
He turned upon me at that and / saw
why ne had kept his face averted. He
had on the war paint OF a Cherokee
chief.
"Uncanoola good Chelakee now" he
grinned. Help redcoat soldier find
Captain Long-knife. Wah!"
1 saw his drift. and though I
knew his courage we'll, the bold
ness of the thing staggered me.
He, too, had penetrated to the
inner lines of the British e"ncampment
at Charlotte; and when they had
sought an Indian tracker to lift my
trail, twas he who had volunteered.
But now my spirits rose. With this an
expected ally we might hope to deal
forcefully and yet fairly with my a
guard.
Where are your masters now 2" I
asked.
He spat upon the ground. "Catawba
chief has no master" he said, proudly.
"Redcoat p~ale-faces yonder," pointing
back the way 1 had come. Make fire,
boil tea, sing song, heap smoke pipe"
I'VE must take them" said 1.
He nodded. Kill 'um all; take scalp.
Wah!
The bloodthirstiness Of my two al
lies was appalling. But I undertook to
cool the Indians ardor, explaining that
the redcoat soldiers were the Long
knife's brothers, In a way, not to be
slain save in honorable battle. 1 am
not sure whether / earned the Ca
tawba's contempt, or his pity for my
weakness; but since he was loyal to
the son Of his old benefactor first, and
a savage afterward, he yielded the
point.
So nov I made him known to my pa
triarchal host, who all this time had
been standing guard at the cabin door
with the old Queen's-arm for q weap-
on. So we three sat on the door stone
and planned 1t out. When the night
was far enough advanced, we would
stalk the soldiers in their camp, spar
ing life as we could.
When all was settled, the old man
gave us a supper of his humble fare,
after which we went into the open
again to Sit out the hours Of waiting.
The rain had ceased, but the night was
cloudy and the darkness a soft black
veil to shroud the nearest objects.
High overhead the autumn wind was
signing in the tree-tops and now and
again a sharper gust would bring
down a pattering volley Of lodged rain
drops on the fallen leaves.
Uncanoola sat apart in stoical silence
smoking his long -stemmed pipe. The
old man and / talked in low tones, or
rather he would tell mt Of his past
whilst 1 sat and listened, holding the
little maid in my arms.
After a time the child fell asleep, and
I craved permission to put her in the
little crib bed in the chimney corner.
The pickering light Of the fire fell upon
her innocent face when ] loosed the
clasp Of the tiny hands about my neck
and laid her down. Again the wave
Of softness submerged me and I bent
to leave a kiss upon the sween uncon-
scious lips.
All, dears, you nay smile again, II
you Will; but at that moment 1 had q
far-off glimpse Of the beatitude of
fatherhood; 1 was no longer the hard
old soldier / have drawn for you; I
was but a man, hungering and thirst
ing for the love Of a wife and trusting,
clinging little children like this sweet
maid.
1 rose, turning my back upon the
chimney corner and it's holdings with a
sigh. For now the time was come for
action, n l must needs be a man of
blood and iron again.
Lacking the Catawba to guide US, 1
doubt If either the old man or l could
have found my rear guards bivouac
near the trail l had left. But INCA
noola led US straight through the
pltchy darkness; and. when we were
come upon the three soldiers we found
them all asleep around the handful Of
camp fire.
'Twould have been murder outright
to kill them thus; and now l think the
old patriarch forgot his wrongs and
was as merciful as 1. But not so the
Catawba. He had armed himself with
a stout war club, and before / was free
to stop him he had knocked two OF
the three sleepers senseless, and would
have battered out their brains but for
the old mans intervention.
AS for the officer, l had flung myself
upon him In the rush and was having
a pretty handful of him. But though
he was broad In the shoulders, and as
agile as a cat, he was taken at a sleep
ing mans disadvantage, and so / pres
emily had the better Of him.
Continued Next Week.)