Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-06-27

soy h4AtAL LA4SlE are sun lOuI VI Us >,
that is double the number Of those WYATT
ing for US down there. and We are sufi-
Gent to master them"
Don't be too sure, my good friend.
Iaragate," the capataz said with a grin ;
they are men made of iron, who must
be killed twice over before they fall"
The Tigrero and his companions had
heard shots and seen the poems bite the
dust.
There is Valentine" said the French
man
Il believe so,' Don Martial replied
"Shall we charger
Eyes"
And digging in their spurs, they dashed
at the poems.
Valentine and his two comrades Bel
humeur and Black Elk (for the French
man was not mistaken, it was really the
hunter coming up, whom the Canadian
had warned) fell on the poems simulta-
neously with Don Martial and his com
panion.
A terrible, silent and obstinate strug-
gle went On for some minutes between
these nine men the foes had seized each
other round the body, as they were too
| close to use firearms, and tried to stab
| each other. Nothing was heard but an
| cry curses and painting for what is the
use of insulting when you can kill?
The Zaragate, so soon as he recognized
tie hunter, dashed at him. Valentine,
| although taken off his guard, offered a
vigorous resistance; the two men we're
entwined like serpents, and in their eff
fa,.t. 70 IL L
fell. and rolled beneath the feet of the
| combatants who, without thinking of
them, or perceiving their fall, continued
to attack each other furiously.
The Zaragate, some years younger than
Valentine, and possessed of his full bod
| lily strength, while urged on by the love
of rich reward, made superhuman eff
| forts to master his opponent and plunge
his navajo into his heart
Still Valentine felt that his strength
was becoming exhausted, the unexpected
resistance he met with from an enemy ap-
| parently so little worthy of him exasper-
| ated him and made him lose his GOODNESS.
| Collecting all his remaining vigor to at
| tempt a final and decisive effort, he sue
ceeded in getting his enemy once again
| ul@dCA hiili, anu plhhCu Hill uOWu [,
at the same moment. Valentine uttered a
cry of pain and rolled on the ground
a horses kick had broken his left arm.
The Zaragate sprang up with a tiger
| bound, and bursting into yell of de-
| light, placed his knee on his enemy's
chest, at the same time as he prepared
to bury his navajo in his heart. Valen-
tine felt that he was lost, and did not at
tempt to avoid the death that threatened
him.
"Ab, ah!' the Zaragate said, with a
| ferocious grin. 81 hold my vengeance
"a length. accursed Trail-hun-ar."
| He did not complete the sentence
suddenly seized by his long hair, while
a knee, thrust between his shoulders, fore
ed him to bend back, he saw, as in a
horrible dream, a ferocious face grinning
above his head. With a fearful groan he
rolled on the ground; knife had been
buried in his heart, while his scaIp.
which was suddenly removed, left his
denuded skull to inundate with blood the
ground around.
! Curumilla raised in his arms the body
of his friend, whose life he had just saved
once again, and bore it to the side of the
| road. valentine had tainted.
The chief, so soon as he saw his friends
charge the peons left his ambush, and
while careful to remain behind them, fol-
lowed to the battlefield. He had watched
eagerly the long struggle between the
| hunter and the Zaragate; trying vainly
| to assist his friend, but never able to
succeed. The two enemies were so en-
twined, their movements were so rapid.
and they changed their positions so sud-
denly that the chief was afraid lest he
might wound his friend in attempting to
help him. Finally the Araucano bounded
| like wild beast on the Mexican. and
without hesitation scalped and stabbed
him with the agility characteristic of
the redskins, and which he himself pos
sessed in so high a degree.
Almost at the same moment the horse
men also finished their fight. The poems
had offered vigorous resistance, but
| being badly supported by the capataz.
who was disabled at the beginning of the
skirmish by Don Martial. and seeing the
Zaragate dead and three of their friends
dismounted and incapable of coming to
their assistance, they gave in.
| The capataz had been wounded at his
| own request by Don Martial, in order
to save appearances with the general
he had a wide cash on his right arm.
very severe at the first glance, but in
significant in reality. A peoa had been
almost smashed by Belhumeur, so that
the field of battle remained in the hands
of the hunters.
| When their victory was assured. they
assembled anxiously round Valentine, for
they were alarmed at his condition, and
most anxious to be reassured. Valentine,
whose arm Curumilla had at once set,
with the skill and GOODNESS of an old
practitioner, soon reopened his eyes, reas-
sured his friends by smile, and offered
the Indian chief his right hand. which
the latter laid on his heart with an ex-
preston of indescribable happiness. as
he uttered his favorite exclamation of
Ugh ~ the only word he permitted him
self to use in joy or in sorrow, when he
felt himself choking with internal emo
ton.
"Senores," the hunter said, at is only
an arm broken: thanks to the chief. I
have had an easy escape. Let US re-
sumo our journey before other enemies
come up"
And We, senor?" the capataz cried
humbly.
Valentine rose with the chiefs assist
ance, and took a furious glance at the
poems. AS for you. miserable assassins, -
he said with a terrible accent. return
TO your master and tell him in what way
you were received. But it is not suff-
cient to have chastised your perfdy,
| must revenge for the odious snare into
which my friends and l all but fell.
will learn whether in open day. and some
half dozen miles from Mexico. bandits
can thus attack peaceable travellers with
impunity. Begone -
So soon as the poems. in obedience to
the hunters orders, had left the battle
field, he, on his part, gave his companions
| the signal to start. Don Martial had
| hurried to reassure the ladies. who were
standing more dead than alive at the
spot where the chief had concealed them.
He made them get into the carriage