The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-08-19

Apache to show the way to his vii.
lage.
The old nan regarded him in
stolid disbelief. He could not i'm
agine an enemy so sc~ft-hearted as to
set him free. He believed that a
v~ainglorious Kiowa wished to take
him within sight of his OWL village.
and that there, in refinement Of saw
agery, having given him the hope Of
liberty, the chief, trusting to his
swift horse to escape, would kill him
within view of his friends. Such
things had been done, and doubtless
would be done again.
I'm vain Kicking Bird cut the
thongs which bound the man and set
him in the lead. The old Apache
pretended to point cut the way, and
he grinned Gardonically when, after
nearly e day of travel. no teepees
were in sight.
AT night Kicking Bird tied him
fast and camped until daylight. He
again eXpostulated with the Apache,
~endeavoring to impress him with the
story of the return of his own cap
tured relatives.
But the wizened warrior either
could not or would not understand
his sign-talk. Though highly eXas-
perated. Kicking Bird again loosed
the Apache's bonds and rode with
him over the prairies, himself seek
ing for signs of the hostile camp.
1T was neal to midday when a
hunting party of ten or a dozen
horsemen were sighted, riding swift
ly along the fiat lands of a valley.
Kicking Bird and his charge were
at the time passing yer an old trail
leading along the base of a ledge
which skirted or capped the bluffs of
a creek valley.
1.-THE Kiowa nov turned to the
Apache and urged him to make the
peace sign, to show to his tribesmen
for they were easily recognizable
that no harm had been intended
to himself. The hunters below had
now sighted the two, and had halted
to take observation. Though he sat
his horse free to act, and the Kiowa
urged him to make a demonstration,
the old man still refused to credit
friendly intention. He refused to
lift his hand in a sign, and eyed
| Kicking Bird with hostile and fshy
suspicion.
Fool! Don't you see that I
would kill you at once if I wished to
do so?' shouted Kicking Bird, for
getting the mans ignorance Of his
tongue. AS the enemy were now
coming toward him, the Kiowa saw
!! that he must flee if he would escape
a speedy attack.
HE looked for an outlet among
the rocks above, but there was none
to be seen, and suddenly he realized
that he was trapped by a continuous
terrace of rocks, which stretched
| along the rim of the bluff. He shot
ahead, leaving the old Apache, and
spurred his horse on at its utmost
| speed. Though his pony was the
| swiftest of his herd, the angle Of the
ledge cut him off from successful re-
treat.
He saw the enemy stringing along
below, and quickly noted that several
of the foremost would surely cut him
off from rounding the nearest point
ahead. He cast an eye on the slope,
wheeled his horse, and dashed down
toward where the line of the attack
ing party was weakest.
1.-TWO of the Apaches were neal
enough to cast themselves in front of
him, where they sat their horses and
affixed arrows to their bows. Kick
ing Bird. almost upon them, let out
a yell of defiance, raised himself in
his stirrups, and bent his bow to
launch an arrow, when his pony,
going headlong down a rough steep.
stumbled and flung him rolling under
the hoofs of the enemy's horses.
when he came to himself, his
hands were bound and a dozen grin.
ming Apaches were prodding him to
life with their lances. The old man
whom he had taken such pains to de-
li.Ar was most vicious in the jecrs
and insults which were heaped upon
him.
with teeth set and in logged 81.
lence the Kiowa bore with the kicks,
! prods and insults of his captors, who
finally, in no gentle fashion, put him
| up on his horse and set out for their
village.
Kicking Bird, having no knowl-
edge Of the Apache tongue, and re-
pudiated as an enemy by the man he
had saved, had no hope of survival.
He expected to be put to the torture,
and he was steeling himself for en-
Gurance.
/ His arrival at the hunters camp
had been heralded by a runner, and
a crowd of the villagers had gathered
to feast their eyes and to yell their
triumph. Among them, however, a
woman stood looking earnestly and
with kindness on the prisoner. At
a second glance Kicking Bird recog-
nized in her a former member of his
tribe who had been taken by the
| Apaches some six or seven years
before.
He spoke to her. calling her by
name, and the woman came forward
eagerly, having recognized him, and
they began a c%olloqry, to which those
round listened c%uriously, ceasing for
The moment to revile the prisoner.