The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-05-18
A Reversal
By SAMUEL E. B2ANT
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

size of those made by boys out of
snow, though Lieutenant OsbOrne's
redOubt was composed of loo, stones
gathered from the dry bed of a creek
in which il was located In its center
en- opening had been left, through
which protruded the muZZe CT the
officers rifle. the butt Of which rested
against his shoulder
There was no sound save the rustic
Of the leaves of the trees, no motioL
save slight swGying Of the branch
and the hopping about of chipmunk
/ which finally stopped On a limb. sat
upon its launches. looked at Osbornt
/ out of the side of its head with one CT
! its bright little eyes and seemed TO
! say:
What are you doing tEere?'
This was what the lieutenant was
doing there: He was one of the garri-
son of fort not many miles distant.
! Rosa Hammond. who had been Wis t.
ing her married sister. had that day
! left the fort to return to the east. Os-
borne had the evening before offered
her his heart and hand Not being GER
| tain of her feelings for him-she was
| conscientious girl-she had taken the
benefit of the doubt and refused him.
Her refusal did not make any differ
ence in her lovers feelings for her
He had his doubts as to the safety Of
her journey to the railroad terminal
Rumors were current that Indians
whom the garrison was intended to
! keep in order were meditating rebel
lion. Rebellion meant murder and
scalps. The colonel commanding pooh
| poohed. Nevertheless on the morning
of Miss Hammond's departure Osborne
! arose long before reveille, took his ri
fie and belt of ammunition, mounted
his horse and started alone to act as
a skirmish line over the route the girl
| he loved would pass. She was to trav
Ell in an ambulance with an escort of
half a dozen mounted outriGers and to
start at o'clock in the morning.
! Osborne had ridden over the route
| Miss Hammond was to travel along "A
I ridge looking down on to the plains
| Not caring to put too great a distance
between himself and the ambulance. he
| turned to ride back when below en-
| the open ground he saw band of not
less than fifty warriors huddled to
! gether looking up at the ridge Oh
| which he stood. but at point between
him and the fort. With the quick in
4 stinct of one used to such a life. he in
ferred at once that they were looking
at the ambulance containing what was
] dearer to him than his life.
Osborne was peering through foliage
| and consequently invisible to the In
| dfians. AS he looked they dashed off.
| making straight for the mouth of a
/ canyon leading from the plain up to
4 the ridge. their purpose evidently be
4 ing to come up through tine canyon and
4 ambush the party with the ambulance
| when it came along Osborne hesitat,
ed for "a moment between two plans
Should he ride back and warn the par
| ty, or should he go down the canyon.
4 fortify himself in a narrow gorge and
delay the Indians till the party had
| passed: A move of the Indians decid
| ed him. A dozen or more bucks broke
| away from the body of the savages
| and rode toward the mouth of a can
4 yon leading up to the rear of the trav
| elers Osborne dismounted and tied
| his horse to tree He could not use
| the animal in the canyon. and when the
travellers came along the horse would
| serve as warning to them. Then the
/ lieutenant dropped down into the can
| yOn.
| The route up the canyon from its
| mouth was difficult. and. though the
| distance was not great, the Indians
| made slow progress The point chosen
! for the improvised fortress command
| ed an open space widening downward
| Hearing the breaking of underbrush
at the farther end of the open, Osborne
| put himself on the alert and when a
redskin broke through fired The buck
| pitched forward on his face Two or
three more Indians broke into the open
at brief intervals. and Osborne dropped
every one of them as he appeared.
Indians are not prone to fighting
what they have no knowledge of, and
not another one Of them came into the
open. They were accommodating the
toy fort with one man in it. though
they could not see the man, and he
might be one or dozen. besides more
to come.
1t was about this time that the am
bulance approached the point where
the young officer had taken to the
| canyon. The first of this second Sc
ries of shots came up to the travellers.
The driver drew rein. One of the es-
! cort rode. ahead, saw and recognized
Osborne's horse. Riding back, he
called to the other armed men:
| "For heavens sake, come! Lieuten-
ant Osborne is down there fighting"
Osborne had dropped several Of the
redskins, who were trying to divide
his fire, when another batch emerged
| and behind them another. He believ-
ed that ten minutes more would end
the fight and his scalp would grace
| the girdle of one Of the warriors when
he heard sounds as Of men or animals
breaking through brush above him.
| He shouted, and his voice was an
swered by halloos
| The Indians. ignorant of what force