The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-01-09

pressing OLE long na1r oock IRON o1o
forehead to stanch the bleeding wound.
sought the protection " the middle
lookout. He congratulated himself.
Lucky for me they didn't follow the
drst rush Immediately with q second.
Now I know to- wait for their signal
Six and possibly seven Of them are
left. and they win storm my works in
two more attempts Here they come"
The call again sounded Six Aparhps
leaped forward. and from the rock that
concealed the wounded warrior shot
rang out In advance OF the first dis
charge from Lanes Winchester The
Indians bullet scored the, top of the
turret and filed the eyes of the man
behind 1t with powdered stone The
prospector. already dazed by his wound
fred wildly and missed his mark
Quickly recovering himself. he fired
again and again. severely wounding
two Apaches. These lay clawing the
ground within twenty yards OF the
wall The four remaining Indians
were safely concealed at the same dis
lance. protected no less by the f0rtifi-
cation than by the loose powders he
hind which they crouched for the final
spring. Lane realized the fact that his
next shots to he effective must be at
q downward angle and to fre them he
must expose himself.
"This is my finish." he thought to
himself Better be killed instantly
than tortured hope all four wilt
bit me. Goodby. Jinny"-crack went
his ride. "Goodby. Nance" - crack
again.
At the two shots. surmising that the
prospector had shot himself and his
horse. the Apaches did not walt for
the signal. but sprang forward and
climbed upon the wall before Lane
had had time to mount It. Two Of
them he shot as they leaped down
within the Enclosure. AS he reversed
his Winchester to kill himself With
the last cartridge he noted that the two
remaining Apaches had dropped their
rides and were leaping upon him to
take him alive He brought his club
bed weapon down upon the head Of
one Of them. crushing his skull. At
the same instant Lane was borne to
the ground by the other Apache. who.
seixing him by the throat. began
throttling him into insensibility. In
desperation Lane bethought himself Of
the ciin and BY mighty effort whirled
over upon his captor toward rhe preci-
pice. The ground sloped slightly In
that direction. and the combatants
rolled over and over to the very edge
Of the clin. where the Indian. for the
flrst time realizing that the prospect
of's purpose was to huri both Of them
to destruction, loosened his hold upon
the prospector's throat that he might
use bis hands to brace himself against
the otherwise inevitable plunge into
the valley below. In an instant Lanes
hands were at the Indians throat.
and In another turn he was uppermost
and kneeling upon bis foe at the very
verge Of the precipice.
Both combatants were now thor
oughly exhausted. Lane concentrated
all hts remaining strength in throttling
the savage. But just as the tense
form beneath him grew lax with evil
dent Inconsistencies and the head
fell Imply back. extending over the
edge Of the cliff. his own head was
jerked violently backward by moose
cast around his lacerated neck.
When Lane recovered consciousness
he found himself lying on his back.
bound hand and foot by lariat and
looking up into a grinning face that
he recognized.
"Buck Mckee,. he gasped. This Is
certainly white Of you considering the
circumstances of our last meeting.
Did you come with the ruralesY
mo: come ahead Nv 'em! In fact.
Dick Lane, you air jeS' leetle bit of
in yer idees about which party l be-
long to. When you cussed me fer
thievin' half breed an run me Off the
range an tole me to go to the lnjuns,
whar l belonged. TUX yer advice.
I'm what You might call the rear
guard Nv the outfit you've jes' been
havin' yer shootin' match with--or l
wuz the rear guard. fer you've wiped
out the whole battalion. so fer as
can see Served 'em right fer detailin'
me. the only decent shooter in the
bunch, to watch the horses. l got one
shot in as it wuz. Well. as the last Nv
the outfit own string Of ten ponies.
ALI l need now to set up in business
Is to have some prospector who hain't
long to live leave me his leetle pile Nv
dust an nuggets an the claims he's
located back in the mountains. You
hook a leetle mite like the man. It'll
save vallible time II you make yer
dear friend Buck Mckee administrator
Nv yer estate without too much per-
suadin'. You had some objection
oncet to my slittin' a calf's tongue.
Well. you needn't be scared jes' yet.
That's the last thug I'll do to you.
Come. whar's yer cache? know
you've got one hereabouts. fer I foun'
signs Nv the dust in yer pack"
Lane set his teeth In a firm resolu-
ton not to say word. The taunts
Of his captor were harder to bear in