Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-08-18

skimper- race when II is done.
For, looking it up and down and side
to side, we've got TO have hosses-some
o. their HOSES, at that. jing! If we
could jest make out somehow r other 70
law our claws on the beasteses afore.
hand
We had reached the cliff and We're
once more peering down at the enemy's
camp. Though for the cliff Swallowed
valley it was long past sunset and all
the depths were blue and purple In the
changing half lights of the hour, the
shadow veil was but a gauZe of color.
softening the details without ~obscuring
them. So we could mark we'll the
metes and bounds of the camp and
prick in all the items.
The camp field was the largest OF the
or natural clearings, Or the
margin Of the stream the Indian lodges
were pitched in a semicircle to face the
water. Farther back, Falconnet's troop
was hutted In rough n ready shelters
made OF pine boughs-these disposed TO
stand between the camp Of the Chero-
KEGS and the tepee-lodge of the captive
women which stood among the trees in
that edge OF the forest hemming the
slope which buttressed our cliff of OBJ
serVation.
At first we sought in yain for the
storing place of the powder II was the
sharp eyes OF the Catawba that finally
deserted 1t. A rud 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
stre3m; and here was the lading 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 q stay indefinite.
TITS a rest camp quoth Dick;
though why they should break the
march here is more thar / can guess"
NO" said Ephraim Yeates. faint
jest rightly a rest camp, ez ! take ii.
Ez / was ~a-saying last night, this here
is Tuckasege country, and we Amt no
furder than a days running from the
Cowee Towns. Now the Tuckaseges
n the o~ver-mountatn C~herokees amt
always on the best o. farms, and
/ was a wondering If the boss
captain hadn't sot down here 10
wait whilst he could send a peace
offer o. powder and lead on TO the
Cowee chiefs to sort o. smooth the
way"
mo send him yet; going to send"
was U~ncanoola's amendment. Look
see, Chelakee 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
C~herokees were busy with the powder
lashing pack-loads Of it upon
two horses. One Of the group, who APP
to be directing the labor of the
stood apart, holding the bride
reins of three other horses caparisoned
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 stream coward the
apparent cul de sac at the lower enc
the valley.
Ephraim Yeates was in in twinkling,
dragging us back from the cliff edge.
up with vel" he cried. Now's u
to kill two pa'tridges with one
If we can max out to get down
t'other valley in time to see how
them varmints come out, We'll know
the way in. More'n that, we can am
EN- and so make sartain sure o
o. the six bosses we're a-going TO
need, come night. But we've got 10 leg
1t like Ahinaaz the son of Zadok!"
Thus the old bordere~; and being
only too eager to come to %handgrips
Will liIC tiltilyg VIZ wei UP llI lull-
ming faster than ever Joab's messenger
can, long before the old man finished
with his Scriptural smile.
No to take the risk of a delay on n
UNEMPLOYED short cut, we made straight
for the ravine of our ascent, found il
as by unerring instinct, and were pres
emily racing down TO the Indian trace
in the little upland valley above the
gorge.
For all the helte--skelter haste, I
time to remember that the gorge
as we had last seen it had been we'll
besprinkled with armed Cherokees ly-
ing In wait for us. If they were still
we should be like to have Il not
welcome; and some reminder of this
gasped out to Yeates in mid flight.
Mem mind that; If we run up
ag'inst 'em anywhere, 'twon't be there
away. They've took the hint and quit:
out to hunt us long ago."
was his answer, jerked out between
bounds. And after that ] loosed the
breath as / might for the killing bust
ness of the moment.
Twas a sharp disappointment that,
for all the haste of our mad scramble
the mountain, we We're too late
to surprise the secret of the enemy's
stronghold. The Catawba was leading
when we dashed down into the valley,
and one glance sent him flying back
to stop us short with 2 dumb sho~ pGr-
that the quarry was already
out Of the defile and coming up the
Indian path.