Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-03-19

away, curious little puffs of smoke, one following another, were sailing straight for the zenith, and Blake, screwing his field glasses to the fo- GUS, swept with them the mountain side toward the five-mile distant cliff, and presently the muscles about his mouth began to twitch-sure sign with Blake of gathering excitement.
 You're right. sergeant" he pres ently spoke, repressing the desire to shout, and striving. lest Winsor should be moved to invidious compari- sons, to seem as nonchalent as Billy Ray himself They're coming back already" Then down the mountain side he dove to plan and prepare ap- propriate welcome, leaving Winsor and the glasses to keep doubls-pow- cred watch on the situation.
 6ix-ffty of glorious, keen Novem- Dor morning, and 60 troopers of the old regiment were distributed along spur that crossed, almost at right angles, the line of the Indian trail. Sixty fur-capped, rough-coated fel- lows, with their short brown carbines
 h hand, crouching behind rocks and fallen trees, keeping close to cover and warned to utter silence. Behind them, 200 yards away, their horses were huddled under charge of their disgusted guards, envious of their fel- lows at the front, and cursing hard their luck in counting of as number four. Schreiber had just come slid lng, stumbling down from Winsor's perch to say that they could hear faint sound of sharp volleying far out to the eastward, where the warriors, evidently. were trying to stand of' Febb's sldrmish line until the travois with the wounded and the escort of
 the possible prisoners should succeed in getting back out of harms way and taking surer and higher trail into the
 thick of the wilderness back of Bear Cliff. Some of 'em must come in sight here in . minute. sir," panted the veteran sergeant. We could see them plainly up there-a mule litter and four trayois, and there must be . dozen in saddle.'
 A dozen there were, for along the line of crouching men went sudden thrill of excitement. Shoulders be- gan to heave; nervous thumbs bore down on the heavy carbine hammers. and there was sound of irrepressible stir and murmur. Out among the pines, 800 yards away two mounted Indians popped suddenly into view, two others speedily followed, their well-nigh exhausted ponies feebly shaking their shaggy, protesting heads as their riders piled the sting ing quirt or jabbed with cruel lance; only in a painful jog trot could they zig gag through the trees. Then came two warriors, leading the pony of a crippled comrade. Don't fire don't harm them! Fall back from the trail there and let them in. They'll halt the moment they see our tracks! Get 'em alive, if possible!" were Blake's rapid orders, for his eyes were eagerly fixed on other objects beyond these dejected leaders-upon stum- bling mules, lashed fore and aft be- tweeniong. spliced saplings and bear Ing thus the rude litter-Hay's pet wheelers turned to hospital use. An Indian boy, mounted, led the foremost mule; another watched the second; while, on each side of the occupant of the Sioux palanquin. logged blanketed rider on jaded pony. Here was a parsonage of consequence luckier much than these others fol- lowing, dragged along on travois whose trailing poles came jolting over stone or hummock along the rugged path. It was on these that Blske's glittering eyes were fastened. sPounce on the leaders, you that are pearest!" he ordered, in low. telling tones, the men at his left; then turned to Schreiber. crouching close beside him, the fringe of his buck skin hunting shirt quivering over his bounding heart. There's the prize want" he muttered low. Whatever you do. let no shot reach that litter Charge with me the moment the lead CTS yell You men to the right" he added, slightly raising his voice. ''be ready to jump with me. Don't shoot anybody that doesn't show fight. Nab everything in sight"
 "whoo-oop!" All in a second the mountain woke. the welkin rang, to yell of warning from the lips of the leading Sioux. All in a second they whirled their ponies about and dsrted back. All in that second Blake and his nearnost sprsng to their feet and flung themselevs forward straight for the startled convoy. In vain the few warriors bravely rallied about their foremost wounded. The unwieldy litter could not turn about: the frantic mules. erszed by the in stant psndemOnium of shouts and shot.-the onward rush of charging meD-the awful screams of q brace of squsws. broke from their lead ing reins: crashed with their Iit- ter against the trees. hurling the luckless occupant 10 earth. Bark drove the unhit warriors before the dash of th- cheering line Down went first one pony. then a second. in his bloody tracks. One after another. lit- ter. travels. wounded and prisoner. wa. clutehed and seized by stslwsrs hands. and Blake. pantinz not it. iIe. found himself bending staring over the Prostrate form flung from the spIintered wreck of the litter. a form vrithing in pain that forced no sound whatever from between grimIy