The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-08-31
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 naught else for it." And
then, with a gritting oath: "Oh, damn
his cursed chilling!"
I 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 our lives
In that strait. While we paused. hug
ging the shadows in the crooking ell
bow, the gloomy depths beyond the
sentries We're suddenly starred Win
faring f1ambeauy lighting the way for
a hasting rahble of savages; and had
we been entangled in the struggle with
the two sentinels we would have 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 mar
row side passage just behind in which
we were nigh to losing our way, and
1lilo lis wv " PSS
sible pitfalls. We were no more than
safely out Of the main corridor when
the 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 fam
beaX.
'Now what a-devil has set this hor-
nets nest OF theirs abuzz SO suddenly"
1 whispered, when the smoke-choke
gave us liberty to speak without
coughing to betray ourselves.
Our pony-riding T~uckaseges, doubt
less was Richards ready answer. "By
all the chances, they should have met
the Great Bear and his peace-offering
out 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
bl~oodhounds win out in time to over-
take then!"
Aye" said I; and then we crept out
Of u dodge-hole 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 that the h%urrying search party
had fought our battle for US. The
w~atch-fire was there to light a little
circle in the gloom, but h watchers
We're gone, We CHANGED a guess that
they had joined the hue and cry, and SO
we pressed forward, past the handful
Of embers and into the pit-black depths
beyond.
Twenty PAGES farther on 1t came to
playing blind mans huff with the rocky
walls again, and measured by the trip
pings and stumblings twas a long Sab
bath days journey to that final turn in
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 fervently. Another hour in
this cursed kennel with the fever on me
and I would be a yammering loose
wit" And I, too, was glad enough to
see the stars again, and to be at large
beneath them.
Emerging from h suhterranean
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 had no
patrols out; and as for the Englishmen,
every mothers son Of them, it seemed,
was basking in the light of a great fire
built before the plle-bough shelters.
Favored by a dense thicketing of
laurel we made a near-hand ~reconnais-
sance of the little wigWam which held
our dear lady. AS I have said, this was
pitched in the thinning of the forest
which covered the steep slope behind
the encampment, and SO was the farth-
est removed from the stream, n from
the Indian lodges disposed in a half
moon at the waters edge. Here all was
quiet as the grave, and the clamor OF
the Indian camp came softened by the
distance to a low monotonous hum
ming like the buzzing Of a bee hive.
The flap Of the tepee lodge was closely
drawn, and the bit of fire before ii
, had burned u to a heap of white
! ashed embers.
They are safe as yet. thank God.
say Richard, heaving a most palpable
sigh of relief. Then, with the fever in
his veins to whip his natural ardor into
hasty action: "'Twill be hours before
Eph and the Catawba can cone in by
Your upper raVine, Jack, and we shall.
never have a better chance than this
Hold you quiet here, whilst l.
But I laid fast hold of him and would
not hear to any such a foolhardy mar
ring Of Ephriam Yeates' plan.
Heavens boy! are O gone clear
mad?" 1 would say. "'Twill b. risky
enough with midnight in our, favor;
with the camp well asleep, and that
great fire burned down to give US some.
lIlIS 1898 ludll OlOdu OdSllSlL W NOIF
in"
He turned upon me like a pettist
child. ooh, to the devi with YOU
stumpling-blocks, John Ireton! Yor
are always for holding back. BY
heaven! I'll swear you have no dro1
of lovers blood in your veins"
S you have said before. But le'
that pass, we must abide by our prom.
Use to Yeates, which was not to inter.
fere unless Margery stood in presen'
peril. Moreover, we should learn the
lay of the land better While we have
the freight to help. When the time 70,
action comes we must be able to max,
the play with our eyes shut, if need be
| Come
Twas like pulling sound teeth to ge
him away, but he yielded at lengtl
and. we crept on to have some bette,
sight Of the troop camp. We had it
had also a glimpse Of the baronet-cap
tain playing loo with his lieutenant ani
another. The tableau at the fire CAV,
US better courage. The men had lait
their arms aside and were sprawlint
at their ease: n while the arcl
scoundrel was in the gaming mood
Margery had less to fear from him.
I y 49,.