The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-08-18

skimper-SCamper race when 1t is done.
For. looking it up and down and side
to side. we've got to have hosses-some
O. their bosses. at that. l jing, If we
could jest make out somehow r other to
law our claws on the beasteses afore-
hand
We had reached the cliff and were
once more peering down at the enemy's
camp. Though for the c~liff-shadowed
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 ounds of the camp and
prick in all the items.
The camp field was the largest of the
or natural clearings. On the
margin Of the stream the Indian lodges
were pitched in a semicircle to face the
water. Farther back, F~alconnet's troop
was hutted in rough and 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 frs. e sought in vain for the
storing pla,. Of the powder. 1t was the
ilbI CSSS VI lIlS Nold va Via IHtl
deserted it. A rude 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
stream; 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 We're
still working upon their ~pine-bough
shelters, building themselves in as if
for a stay indefinite.
TITS a rest camp" quoth Dick:
though why they should break the
march here is more tina ] can guess"
No" said Ephraim Yeates. ''Tain't
jest rightly a rest camp, eZ l take it.
Iz l 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
and the over-mountain Cherokees amt
always on the best O. farms, and
l was a wondering if the boss
captain hadn't sot down here to
wait whilst he could send a peace
offer O powder and lead on to the
Cowee chiefs to sort O. smooth the
way
No send him yet; going TO send"
was ~tncanoola'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 We're busy with the powder
argo, flashing pack-loads of it upon
w horses. One Of the group, who APP
peared to be directing the labor of the
others, 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 -holding chieftain, he and
W. others mounted, took the burdcned
animals in tow and the small cavalcade
filed off down the stream toward the
apparent Cul de sac at the lower end
of the valley.
Ephraim Yeates was in In %twinkling.
dragging us back from the cliff edge.
up with ye!" he cried. Now's our
chance to kill two pa'tridges with one
stone! If we can make out to get down
into t'other valley in time to see how
them varmints come out. we'll know
the way in. More'n that. we a am
bush EN- and so make sartain sure o.
five O the six bosses were a-going to
need, come night. But we've got to leg
it like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok!"
Thus the old borderer; and being
only too eager to come to handgrips
with the enemy, we were up and run
ming faster than ever Joab's messenger
can. long before the old man finished
with his S]criptural simile.
Not to take the risk of a delay on any
uneXplored short cut, we made straight
for the ravine of our ascent, found it
as by unerring instinct, and were pres
entity racing down to the ndian trace
in the little upland valley above the
gorge.
For all the helter-skelter haste, I
found i'm to remember hat the gorge
as we had last seen it had been we'll