Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-27
AUTHOR OF WHEN WILDERNESS WAS KING

away in distant echoes. while the hideous
roar of conflict diminished to the occasional
sharp cracking OF single rifles. Now and
then s!newy brown arm might incau-
tiously project across the cleaning surface
of rock or a mop of coarse black hair
appear above the edge of a gully, either
incident resulting in quick Interchange of
fire. That was all. yet the experienced
fronteIsmen knew that eyes as keen as
those Of any wild animal Of the jungle
were watching murderously their slightest
movement
Wyman. now RECLINING in agony against
the base of the oVerhansing cliff, directed
the movements of his little command ilmly
and with sober military judgment. Little
by little under protection of the rifles Of
the three civilians, the uninjured infantry
men crept cautiously about, rolling loosened
powders forward Into position, until they
finally succeeded in thus erecting rude
barricade between them and the enemy
! The wounded who could be reached were
laboriously drawn back within this impro-
vised shelter, and when the black shadows
of the night finally shut down all remain
ing alive were once more clustered to-
gether, the injured lying moaning and
CHASTITY beneath the overhanging shelf of
rock and the girl, who possessed all the
patient stoicism of frontier training resting
in silence. her widely opened eyes on those
far-or stars peeping above the brink of the
chasm. her head pillowed on old ellis
knee.
Few details of those long hours of wait
ing ever came forth from that black CANYON
of death. Many of the men sorely wound
ed. all wearied, powder-stained, faint with
hunger and parched with thirst they sim
ply fought out to the bitter ending their
desperate struggle against despair. The
towering, overhanging wall at their back
assured protection from above, but upon the
opposite cliff summit, and easily within
rifle range. the cunning foe early discovered
lodgment, and from that safe vantage point
poured down a merciless fire, causing each
man to crouch lower behind his protecting
bowlder. No motion could be yentured
without it's checking bullet, yet hour after
hour the besieged held their ground and
with ever-ready rifles left more than one
reckless. brave dead among the rocks. The
longed-for night came dark and early at the
bottom OF the narrow cleft, while hardly
so much as faint star twinkled in the
| little slit of sky overhead. The cunning
besiegers crept closer through the enshroud-
ing gloom and tainted their entrapped VIC
tins with savage cries and threats of COM
Ing torture. but no warrior among them
proved sufficiently bold to rush in and sIay
Why should they? Easier, safer far, to
rest secure behind their shelters and wait
| in patience until the little band had fired
its last shot. Now they skulked timorously.
| but then they might walk upright and elut
their fiendish lust for blood
Twice during that long night volunteers
sought vainly to pierce those lines of savage
watchers. A long wailing cry of agony
| from out the thick darkness told the fate
of their first messenger, while Casey of the
* l." crept slowly painfully back with an
Indian bullet embedded deep in his shoulder.
Just before the coming Of dawn Hampton.
without uttering word, calmly turned up
! the collar Of his tightly buttoned coat, so
as better to conceal the white collar he
wore, gripped his revolver between his
teeth and crept like some wriggling snake