The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-10-19

scarce with them for u In gun prac-
tise; so they won't fire till they've got
T., dead to rights. Let me see; here's
about a dozen left in the party, and [
have fifteen cartridges-that's three in
reserve for my own outfit, IL some of
the others fail to get their men. Those
red devils enjoy skinning an animal
alive as much as torturing a man, and
you can bet they won't save me any
bullets by shooting Nance and jimmy
Reasoning that tie Indians would
rot dare to attack by ray OF the open
trail in front, and hat it would take
some time for them to make the de-
tour necessary to approach him from
above. since they would nave to leave
their ponies below and climb on hands
AID knees over Jutting lodges and
e 1und o granite blocks, Lane
coolly proceeded to drink his coffee
ana eat his lunch of hard bread and
cold ~bacon-rind. After he had finished
he gave a lump of sugar to each OF his
animals n pressed his cheek with an
arectionate hug agc inst the side of
his horses head.
"Old GIRL" he said, "Im sorry we
can't take a parting drink, for I'm
afraid neither of Us will reach our next
water-hole. But you can count on me
that h red Cevils won't get you"
Thvn, going to his pack, he undid 1t
and took out a double handful of yell
low nuggets and a number of canvas
bags. These he deposited in the pot
tole, an. prying up the fiat stone OF
the fireplace, laid 1t over them, and
covered the stone with embers.
TITS a ten t. n shot that they fin
ish me-" he reflected; but the wages
re paid for by a year of hard work
and absence from her side, stay just
as near Echo Allen as ran
bring them alive, and, if there's any
truth in what they say about spirits
disclosing in dreams the place OF
buried treasure, with the chance OF my
getting them to her after l am dead"
Taking the useless boulders from the
edge of the cliff, Blu carefully, so as
not to expose himself to the. fire of
the Apaches. he piled them on top Of
the upper wall in such a fashion as to
form little turrets. He left an opening
in each, through which he could OBJ
serve, in turn, each point of the conn
pass whence danger might be expected,
and could fire his Winchester without
exposing himself. Then he began GO
ing from post to post on a continuous
round of self-imposed sentinel duty.
"If I could only climb the %sahuaro,"
he thought, land fly my red shirt as a
flag, to let the Rurales know I've
fianked the enemy, it might hurry
them along in time to put a crimp in
these devils before they get me. But
it'll nave to be Hold the Fort without
any oh, Say Can You See?' business.
Anyhow, I'm flying the .rattlesnake
flag of Bunker Hill. Don't Tread on
Me- Whether the Rurales see it or
not, I've saved their hides. If the
Apaches had got to this fort first, gae.
how they would have crumpled up the
Greasers as they came along the
trail!"
Rendered thirsty by his exertions,
Lane remembered the canteen in the
bisnaga, which he q forgotten among
his other preparations for defense. He
cautiously reached his hand over the
ledge, and secured the precious vessel,
but, as he was withdrawing it, ping!
came a bullet through the canteen.
knocking it out of his hand. As it fell
gathering down the side of the ledge
ne %groaned: Damned good shooting!
They've probably left their best marks
man below with the ponies. No hope
for escape on that side. Well, there's
some consolation in the thought that
they'll undoubtedly finish me before I
get too damned thirsty. Glad it wasn't
my hand"
Although the period he spent waiting
for the attack was less han an hour
by his watch. it seemed to Lane SO
long that lie had hopes that the Rurales
would appear in time to rescue him.
His spirits rose with the prospect.
Looking about him at the walls, the
fireplace, and the red cross, he reject
ed: Il am not the first man, or ever
the first white man, that has withstood
an attack in his place" In magma
ton he constructed the history of the
fort. Here, in ages remote, a tribe
of Indians, defeated and driven to
the mountains, had constructed an
outpost against their enemies
of the plain, but these had captured the
stronghold, and fortified it against It's
former occupants. Later, a band of
Spanish gold-seekers had made a stand
here against natives whom they had
reused against them by oppression. Or.
perhaps, as indicated by the cross. it
had afforded refuge to the Mission
Fathers, those heroic souls who had
faced the horrors of the i~nfernoliko des-
ert in their sanity efforts to CONVEX its
fiendish inhabitants.
With the symbol of Christianity in his
mind, Lane turned toward the giant
cactus, which he had heretofore re-
garded chiefly in the aspect of a flag
pole, and saw in its columnar trunk
and opposing branches a distinct re-
semblance to a cross. The plant was
dead and dry as punk. Suddenly there
flashed into his mind a hideous sugges-
tion. More cruel than even the Ro-
mans. the inventors of cruciflxion, the
Apaches are wont to bind their captiyes
to these dead cacti, which supply at
once scourging thorns. binding stake
and consuming fuel, and, kindling q fire
at the top, leave it to burn slowly down
to the victim, and, long before it dis
patches him, to twist his body and
limbs into what appear to the Apaches
sense of humor to be exquisitely iudi-
crous contortions.
With his mind occupied by these hor-
rible apprehensions. Lane 0 at the
rattlesnake upon the sahuaro. whose
struggles by this time had diminished
to a feeble movement of the tail.
Poor old RATHER" he thought. II
wish I could spare a cartridge to put
you out Of your misery"