Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-23
THE PATHS OF WAR.
PART II.

PSN ptCh empty handed linen came tHt
wiser policy of the surround and long
range pot nunting. stalking their bayed
enemy from rock. bowder. cactus. 'suwar
row filling the air with barbed arrows
and barbarfc yells. slowly reducing the
number of the defenders until, after sturdy,
| resoiute. heroic fighting for over seven
hours, 1t had become apparent to Fame that
py nightfall there would probably be no
! nody left. To save the remnant of his force
ne must at least suffer the loss of his
prisoners, hitherto securely held in a crew
Ice OF the rocks. Even then neither he nor
the veterans among his men had any idea
tHat So-alay, the renowned. OF
them. The whole reservation must be
out. said old Dolan grimly. as early as I
O'Clock, and at IL every rock and bush on
every side seemed to have It's swarthy ten
ant. and every tenant either his sheaf Of
steel-barbed arrows or his long-ranged, but
no more deadly. rife. 1t was a of at
least thirty to one. 1t was well-nigh des-
perate.
Farnham. Schmidt and WEIGH lay dead
among the powders of the tanks: Doyle
and Murray. transfxed by arrows were
gasping In torment: Fullers right shoulder
was smashed by bullet; Higgins shot
with Springfield so through both thighs,
and had bled almost to death. Many an
other was stung or scratched. but still eff
fective. Fame himself had a sharp clip
along the right side, yet hardly noticed It,
The poor horses and half dozen pack
mules, herded for safety in little ravine
below the tanks. one by one. all but four
had dropped and died. some now looking
like magnif1ed pincushions. Half way up
the bowlder-strewn slope to the north. per-
haps 200 yards from the tanks about which
his men were crOuching. Fame had marked
little clump Of cedars and what looked
to be an pverhanging, rocky ledge, far too
small to accommodate the men and horses
of his original command. but big enough as
refuge for those he had left II now
they could only get there and carry thither
the helpless among their wounded. That
was the problem! Already 1t was occupied
by several Apaches, for the exposure Of
head or hand on part of any of the
defense would be followed by instant flash
from the cedars or the rocks around them.
kneeling by his young officer as the sun
climbed toward the zenith was Dolan, vet
eran sergeant Of the great civil war, and
many year the plains. and to him the
subaltern turned, unhesita ting:
"A rush will drive those villains out >"
said he. but how shall we get our wounded
there?"
sir, and then drive the Indian prisoners
ahead of them. It's the only way. Once
there we can turn those beggars loose
1t was the only way! With all its risk
and peril, 1t was the only way! To remain
meant slow humiliation. To cut through
to the cedars meant the possibility of
refuge for all survivors until help could
come. Once there the little band might be
secure from fire from the north and west
and 1t was worth the trial. Fill every
canteen first" was the -murmured order
passed from lip to lip. and Sutton, the boy
trumpeter of the sorrel troop (Alas that so
many of Turner's beautiful horses should
now be lying, hoofs up in that bloody ra-
vine belowD crept from man to man and
then to the stagnant pools of rainwater-
tanks by Arizona monenclature-held in
rocky basins since the April cloudburst
Presently each trooper was supplied with
a dripping canteen, some of the seniors with
two. Saddle blankets We're spread over the
stiffening forms of the dead, and few
aIy,
the only sepulture possible under the cir
cumstances, a mute appeal to savage foe
men not to mutilate the poor remains, and
this, too, accomplished only at the immi-
nent risk of life or limb, for arrow and
bullet Kissed and spit about them as they
crawled from body to body, from rock to
rock. Dolan's hat was torn from his
grizzled poll by well-aimed feather shaft
but the veteran was destined to live to fight
and die-another day. Young Sutton
cried out in sudden pang as the same arrow
that uncrowned his sergeant ripped a cash
In his cheek. then cursed himself for
baby, and. dropping his canteen, picked up
poor Welch's blood-stained carbine and
sighting over the sheltered bowlder sent a
Sharps bullet to the rocks In vain search
for the archer.
Then came the next stage of the desperate
game. Doyle. Higgins and Murray, though
conscious, were helpless, and had to be car
RED Fuller, though in exquisite pain, could
at least use his legs and head Three of the
horses, still able to stagger. were led up
from the ravine to the partial shelter of a
rocky buttress close to the westward tank
and waiting comrades crouched ready to
lift two of the sufferers into saddle but
poor Higgins could not hope to survive the
agony of riding, with both thighs letting
blood One horse fell before he could be
used. Two of the strongest men were told
off to lift the Irishman in blanket. 1t
was the best they could do. 1t left only
seven men to fight; six had to look after
the wounded. Then, leaving the Indian
medicine man silent and glaring on his
litter, Dolan called up the trembling
squaws, the but slightly wounded warrior,
and a wailing Apache lad. Wondering, they
arose and obeyed, though believing they
We're going to their death With the butt
of his carbine the sergeant drove them be-
fore him through the powders to the edge
of the road. and from the cedars before
them and the rocky slopes every side
went up a cry of mingled rage and anguish
What could it mean, but that the white
soldiers were about to shoot their prisoners,
as the Indian would do, despairing of his
own escape? For moment the Apaches
dare not fire, fearing to hit their own. The
young brave had begun his weird death
song. The young officer, with quivering
nerves but teeth close set, carbine in hand,
came crouching to join his sergeant. and
then they heard his voice. Now, men,
It's to be a rush for those cedars. No
matter who drops. the others must keep on.
First get our wounded there. then we can
rescue any who are hit. Up with Doyle and
,
Ready, SIR" came the veterans answer,
as. leaping to his feet. he whacked the
chanting savage between the shoulder
blades with the butt of his gun. Now.
you BLACKBOARD, Ugashie!' he yelled, and
like deer the Indian sprang up the slope
ahead. The two squaws fed screaming
after him. and all in a second, Fane's little
party. firing right and left wherever saw
age headdress swarthy face appeared
with the staggering horses, the half faint
ing riders in their midst. and the blanket
stretcher bearers stumbling blindly after
them. went charging zigzc~ up the slope,
Fame and Dolan. shouting, in the lead.
Desperate as 1t seemed, it was we'll con-
trived. for now the Apaches fired wildly
and without aim. and only from flank and
rear, for those In front were curtained by
the fleeing, shrieking prisoners, expecting
every instant to be shot down by the pur-
suers as they ran. Arrow and bullet both
Missed about the poor shrinking forms in
saddle, and tipped and bounded from the
rocks. Cries of agony and means Of
anguish alike were hushed in the uproar
of the carbines and the meddening clamor
of the charge. No time for backward
gDnce or laggard pause. All eyes now
were fastened on the goal. all muscles
steeled for the final effort. Right and left,
with streaming, dirty-white breech clouts,
sinewy, dusky forms went bounding away
froy,, ha ooda rc-foo woll tho no Oh, t,,o.,