Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-09-13
Captain 5 Double
By L1LL1As CAMPBELL DAVIDSON
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Red Cloud of War.

1t was a day of stirring incident
Colonel Hamilton no sooner reached
the cape to take up the command OF
the Second battalion of his regiment
than the storm burst. The red cloud
that had crept up, small as a mans
hand at first, now grew to the size and
darkness that threatened to blot out
the sun. There had been threatening
rolls Of thunder-muttering not loud
but portentously deep. Now there
came a growl from one side Of the
heavens to the other; a lurid fash-a
glow-a rattle; and the day Of war had
broken-the red cloud had burst.
The regiment was ordered up to
Ritterskloof, small garrison not far
from Ladysmith. Colonel Hamilton
would not let Ursula go with It,, though
those were the days when expectation
was high as to the ease and speedy
termination Of the campaign-the
times when the whole affair was light
ly spoken of as a walk-over and treat
ed like a picnic She must stay at
Wynberg or go back to England. There
was no possibility Of her going up
country-that was decided at once.
She chose Wynberg with as much de-
cision as the choice was offered. Go
back to England? The idea was not
to be entertained for moment. She
would not leave South Africa while
daddy remained.
So she stayed with acquaintances at
Wynberg, and tried to content herself
with what patience was hers, in the
face of the suspense and anxiety. Her
father at Ritterskloof and Noel at
Colenso-for she had heard news of
him since she came out. There had
been no letter from him; he was stern
~ true to his promise not to keep up
communication with her till his name
was cleared. But she heard of him as
being one Of the irregular forces, and
already having drawn attention to him
self by acts of daring and enterprise.
She could guess how he courted dan
ger and difficulty, that he might do
something great.
And still there seemed no outlet to
the dark vista before her. 1t is often
so, in the lives of us all There comes
place where the way seems closed in
by thick, strong wall of doubt and
darkness, and no way shows through
it.. 1t is oftenest then that the light is
just beyond.
Whoever has sailed about the coasts
of Norway, and explored its wild and
lovely fiords, may have tried to make
their way UP the most wonderful,
where passage seems denied. The
frowning cliffs that tower grim and
rigid on either hand, as high as the
eye can reach from the deck below,
grow with every boats length closer
together-there seems no room for a
canoe to pass. There can be no turn
ing for yacht that has found it's way
in-there can be no exit, to the won
dering eye. Closer and still closer the
cliffs knit together-the black wall of
rock rises mpenetrable-then, as the
last. chance goes, there is a sudden
turn, a bend. and the ford opens out
into wide and glorious space. Just so
life treats us-and we must trust for
the beauty and the safety beyond, in
blind clinging to hope that seems to
have no foundation for itself.
It was one evening in the first weeks
Of the war-while still the colony
waited breathlessly for some step
more decisive than the futile skirm.
ishes and forays that had done no
good. Ursula had gone down to the
foot of the garden, for she could not
rest indoors. Her friends we're Eng
lish people, civilians, who had no close
association with the army, and regard
ed the whole campaign as kind OF
military tournament got up for theil
special benefit. There was no inten
tiou to be callous, but the casualties
and losses already suffered by ou1
troops had no intimate Significance tc
them. They were cheerful over the
whole business, which they declared
would put matters on far more ad
5vantageous ground for making rich the
colonIst; and that seemed the CHIEF
thought with them all.
There had been disquieting talk over
the supper table, talk that had thrilled
Ursula's very heart; for the first time
since she had landed in Africa she had
heard Winstanley's name in converse
ton. A man had come in to see the
( Belmonts, who had stayed for the
evening meal. He was just dowI
from Colenso, and he was full of news
Of what was going on there and in the
country roud about.
There had been some descriptions 81
4 his amateur scouting, and how much
had been done by Clay's Horse, d
which the papers gave no account. He
mentioned a bold act Of q certain Cap
tain Winstaniey man who had beer
a soldier at home, but left the service
recently He had undertaken to carr,
dispatches through the enemy's lines
q thing that he might be treated as 4
spy for doing, II he should be caught
'sBut there Isn't much fear theyg
catch him.. He's clever enough to gel
away. "a crack shot and hrst-class