The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-09-21
CHAPTER Xxx.-continued.

VARIOUS c~llnaXlngS, EphralIn 1edte
had his first assurance hen VI
three came safely to the rendez
vous; for, after firing his masked
battery, the old hunter lost NJ
time in reJoining the women and II
Fastening with them out of the valley
Had these three been afoot We Nigh
have oyertaken Thorn; but Yeates hat
been lucky enough to stumble upo tn
black mare peacefully cropping the
q In q little glade; and with this
mount for Margery and her tire-wom.
an he had easily outpaced us.
All this I had from Yeates what time
Aargery was pouring the wine and oil
OF womanly sympathy into Richards
woundings; and I man confess that
whilst the ear was listening at the
hunters tale, the eye was taking note
of these tender m~in!strations. and the
heart was setting them down 10 the
SCORE OF a great owe which would not
be denied. Twas altogether as l would
have had 1t; and yet the thought came
unbidden that she might spare a mig
gard and the breath to ask
me how l did. And because she would
not. I do think my burns smarted the
crueler.
1t was to have surcease of these ex-
ira smartings that l turned my back
upon the trio under the tiaring torch
and took up with Ephraim Yeates the
pressing question of the moment.
AS I take 1t. we may not linger
here" I said. Have you marked out a
line of r~etreat?'
The old borderer was busted With his
loot of the Indian camp-'twas not in
hts nature to come off empty-handed.
however hard pressed he had been for
time. In the rattle OF It, gun and pis-
tolls, dressed skins and warrior lnery.
he came upon my good blade n Rich
ards great claymore-trophies claimed
by the head men Of the Cherokees after
our taking, as we made no doubt.
Found EN- hanging in the lodge that
usen to belong to the Great Bear" said
the hunter, and then with grim humor.
Lowed to keep EN- to ricollect We by
II SO be We foreordained and predestin-
ated to go up in a fiery chariot, like
the good old Elijah The weapons dis
posed of. he made answer TO my query.
'Ez for making tracks immejitly, il
not sooner, l allow there amt no two
notions about that. But I'm dad-dad-
dled II / know which-a-way to put out,
cap,n John. and that's the gospil fact"
Why not strike for the Great Trace.
and so go back the way the powder
convoy came?" l asked.
It could be done, ne said, but the
hazard was great. Twas out Of all
reason to hope that there We're no sur
vivors left in the sunken valley to carry
the news of the earthquake massacre.
That news once cried abroad in the
nearby Cowee Towns, the entire Tuck
asege nation would turn out to run us
down. Moreover. the avengers you'd
look to find us in the only practicable
horse-path leading eastward.
"Ez I'm telling you right now, Cap'n
John, we made one more blunder in
this here onfal of our'n, OWN to our
having Ae'er q seventh son of a sew
enth son amongst us to look a little
ways ahead. Where we flashed in the
pan was in not making u rendyvoo
down yonder where you and Cap'n
Dick got in. Ever last one of EN- able
to crawl Is a-making straight for that
crtvvis dodge-hole right now. and If We
was there We could do 'em like the
Gileadites did the men O. Ephraim at
the passages O the Jordan"
Fresh as1 was from the torture fire.
l could not forbear a shudder at this
old mans saragery.
Kill them in old blood?" I would
say.
'Anan?" he queried, as not under
standing my point of view: and l let
the matter rest. He was Of those who
slay n spare not where an enemy is
concerned.
But when we came to consider of it
there seemed to be no alternative to
the eastward by way of the Great
Trace. To the west and south there
was only the trackless wilderness; and
70 the north no white settlement near
err than that of the o~ver-mountain folk
on the Watauga. I asked If we might
hope to reach this.
TITS a long fifty mile ez the crow
files. over e'enabout the mountainousest
patch o land hat ever laid out O.
doors was the hunters reply. And
there amt meier a deer track, ez
knows on. to pint the way.
Then we must ride eastward and
run the risk of pursuit by the Tucka-
seges," said I.
"Ez / reckon. that's about the long
and short Of it. And l do ever
lastedly despise to make that poor lit
tie gal jump her boss and ride skim
-per-scamper again, when she's been
fair living a-horseback for a fortnight"
SHE will not fail YOU" I ventured to
say, adding: But Jennifer Is in poor
fettle for making speed"
ITS ride or be skulped for him, and
allow he'll ride" quoth the old hunt
er. Fastening his Preparations for the
start. Reckon we can get him on a
boss right now"
! went to see. Margery rose at my
approach, and even in the poor light i
could see her draw herself up as If she
would hold me at my proper distance.
S&t#e&A ~ NudI6cIy-WS
must mount and ride at once. Is he
At.
No
but we must be far to the eastward
before daybreak."
Il cannot help 1t. II you make him
! d tonight o will finish What those
cruel savages begun. Captain Ireton.'
We have little ~choice-none, I should
say.
oh. YOU are bitter hard,' she cried.
though wherein my offending lay just
henI was wholly at a loss to know.
It's your privilege to say so,' I re-
Joined. But as for making Dick ride
that viii be but the kindest cruelty.
Wesare only a little way from the near
est Indian towns. m If the daylight
find US here,
Spare me" she broke in: and with
that she turned shortly and asked
E.phratm Yeates to put her in her sld-
die.
Richard vas still in the fever stupor,
but he reused himself at my urg
Ing and let us set him upon
his beast. Once safe in the saddle. we
lashed him fast like a prisoner, with a
forked tree branch at his back to hold
himserect. This last was the old huny-
Eger,sinvention ard,twas most ingenious.
The forked limb, in shape like a Z, was
set astride the cantle, with the lower