Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-09-01

CHAPTER XXvII-Continued.

their vedettes."
Just beyond the crooking elbow the
dull red glow from a tiny fire gone TO
Goals showed us two Indian sentries
set to keep the pass. Dick drew his
claymore, but he was chilling again
and the hand that grasped the
great blade was shaking as with a
palsy. Yet he would mutter, as the
teeth-chattering suffered him.:
What say you, Jack? Shall we rush
them? There's naugnt else for t." And
then, with a g~ritting oath: oh, damn
this cursed chillingt"
/ whispered back that we would wait
till he was better fit, He was loath TO
admit the necessity, but, as it CHANGED,
the momentary delay saved u lives
in that strait. While we paused, hug
gin the shadows in the crooking ell
bow, the gloomy depths beyond the
sentries were suddenly starred win
haring hambeaux lighting the a for
a hasting rabble of sayages; and had
we been entangled in the struggle with
the two SentinelS we would haV been
taken red handed.
AS it was, we had to make the quick
est play TO save ourselves. In the same
breath. we both remembered the nar-
row side passage just behind in which
we were nigh to losing our way, and
llllO NlllS We PAA"l6Co ~ VI IS'|
sible pitfalls. We were no more than
safely out Of the main corridor when
the unnerS some of them, as we
guessed, trooped past our covert in full
cry, leaving us half smothered in the
smoky trail of their pitch-pine lam
hoax.
Now what a-devil has set this hor-
nets nest OF theirs abuzz so suddenly"
/ whispered, when the ~smoke-choke
gave us liberty to speak without
coughing TO betray ourselves.
Our pony-riding Tuckaseges, doubt
less" was Richards ready answer. by
all the chances, they should have met
the Great Bear and his peace-offering
cut yonder on the trace-Which same
they did not. So when they bring this
tale to camp there is the devil to pay
and no pitch hot. God help our tough
old Ephriam and the CataWba If these
~bloodhounds win out in time to over
take hem"
Aye" said /: and then we crept out
of our dodge-holej and made ready to
go about our business with the SEN
tries.
But when we came to peer again
around the crooking elbow it would
seem this the hurrying search party
had fought our battle for us. The
watch-fire was there to light a little
circle in the gloom, but the Watchers
were gone. We CHANGED a guess that
they had joined the hue and cry, n so
we pressed forward, past the handful
Of embers and into the pit-black depths
beyond.
Twenty PAGES farther on it came to
playing blind mans buff with the rocky
walls again, and measured by the trip
pings and standings twas a long sab
bath days journey to that final turn III
the great. earth-burroW whence we
could see the glimmering Of the enemy's
campfires in the sunken valley.
Now God be praised" quoth Rich
ard most f~ervently. Another hour in
this cursed kennel with the fever on me
and l would be a yammering loose
wit And /, too, was glad enough to
see the stars again, n 10 be at large
beneath them.
Emerging from the s~ubterranean
way, we held to the camp side of the
stream, making an ample circuit to the
left to come down upon the enemy's
position from the wooded slope behind
the encampment. We met no let or
hindrance in this approach. Secure In
their stronghold, the Indians a no
patrols out; n as for the Englishmen,
every mothers son of them, it seemed,
was basking in the light of a great fire
built before the pine-bough shelters.
Favored by a dense thicketing of
laurel We llldGG u ILGdl -Idilu lSNOlllACAio-
san"a of the little wigwam which held
our dear lady. AS l have said, this was
pitched in the thinning of the forest
which covered the steep slope behind
the encampment, n so was the farth-
est removed from the stream, n from
the Indian lodges disposed in a half
st the waters edge. Here all was
quiet as the grave, n the clamor of
the Indian camp came softened by the
Hic+a moo To a lnny T1nnnfnnnnG# hmm
ming like the buzZing of a bee hive.
The flap Of the tepee lodge was closely
drawn, and the bit of fire before it
had burned out to a heap Of white
ashed embers.
They are safe as yet, thank Cod"
says Richard, hcaying a most paipabie
sigh of relief. Then, with the fever in
mis- veins to whip his natural ardor into
hasty action: Twill be hours before
Eph and the Catawba "a come in by
your UPPER raVine, Jack, and we shall
never have a better chance than this.
Hold you quiet here, whilst l."
But / laid fast hold of him and would
not hear to any such a foolhardy la
ring Of Ephriam YeateS' plan.
Heavens boy! are you gone clean
mad?" l would say. Twill be risky
enough with midnight in our favor;
with the camp well asleep, and that
great fire burned down to give us some
thing less thar broad daylight to work
in"
He turned upon me like a pettish
child. "Oh, TO the devil with you
blocks, John Ireton! You
are always for holding back. BY
heaven. I'll swear you have no drop
of lovers blood liz your yeinSi"
$50 YOU nave said before. But let
that pass, we must abide by our from
Use TO Yeates, which was not to inter-
fere unless MargerY stood in present
peril. Moreover, we should learn the
lay of the land better while we have
the freight to help. When the time for
action comes we must he able to make
the play with our eyes shut, if need be.
Come"
Twas ike pulling sound teeth to get
him away, but he yielded at length
and we crept on to have some better
sight OF the troop camp. We had it;
had also a glimpse of the baronet-cap-
taia playing loo with his lieutenant and
another. The tableau at the fire gave
us better courage The men had laid
their arms aside and were sprawling
at their ease: and while the arch
scoundrel was In the gaming mood.
Margery had less TO fear from him
/ said as much for Dick. and for an
'swer he pointed 10 the flask of usque-
baugh which was at that moment max
ing the round of the loo players.
II know Frank F%alconnet better han
you do, Jack, for L have known him
later. He is all kinds of a villain sober,
but he is a fiend incarnate with liquor
in him. Ills lucky we are here. If he do
but drink deep enough, Margery is like
to have neeG-"
Hist said I; some of these loung-
ing rascals may not be so drowsy as
they look
He nodded. and we backed away to