Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-10-16

was a youngster we ulster shoot up
inter the trees whar the varmints was
hid, but If we c'u'd "a got at 'em this
way there wouldn't "a been a rtngtail
left in the hull state"
But as the time wore on and we got
nearer where l expected Payton TO be
l stopped the firing lest the explosion
of the shells should give the alarm. l
now determined to resort to the device
which had twice already proved so eff
fecdve-that Of looking out for a light
after night came on. The nights were
cold, and if Payton believed that we
had gone of southwark he would build
fires, both for warmth and for cook
ing.
1t was after midnight before our
/ vigilance was rewarded. Ethan touch
ed me on the arm as we stood together
beside the gun in the bow and whis.
pered, ''Thar's the glim, lootenant"
Sure enough. not 200 rods away, q
faint CLEAN showed on the trunk of
an unusually tail pine, surrounded with
bushes. Instantly / brought the Crow
to a hover.
shall l send him a shelly" asked
Ethan eagerly, swinging the gun to an
aim.
Not yet" whispered Wen
creep a little nearer. | want to be
sure. l shouldn't care to kill innocent
men, although | suppose there is not
one chance in a thousand of any trap
pers or hunters being herea bouts"
Moving with extreme caution lust
oil 2 he
silently drew nearer. Presently the
fire began to show in CLEANS through
the mass Of twigs and foliage. and
quite suddenly we came in line with
an opening through which the whole
camp was visible as through a window.
A birch log was burning brightly,
and over it bent man busy with cook.
ing piece of meat held on the point
of stick The flames lent a ruddier
tint to the dark countenance of Indian
John
couple Of yards back of the fire
and so seated that his face was fully
illuminated sat Alfonso Payton. The
glare Of the fire in his eyes would have
prevented him from seeing. US if he
had looked up, but from our side we
Never in my life have ! been so
struck by a human countenance 1t
was face in which beauty. manliness,
dignity. intellectually, fmpressiveness,
self mastery, courage. strength. SEEM
ed equally blended. There was moth
ing repulsive or wicked about it.
My God. what liars mems faces can
be""' l thought
Ethan, who was less impressionable.
begged me in a whisper to let him
blow him 10 pieces with a she'll
Nor l returned forcefully 81 for.
bid it absolutelyP
In the energy of my refusal nv
voice rose too high, and Payton heard
the sound. Instantly be stood erect.
and bis eyes peered straight at the
Crow. But the fire blinded him, and
he did not see US.
Crouch / whispered in Ethan's
ear, and lie still"
PaytoD stepped quickly round on our
side of the fire. The indian dropped
his meat and also turned to look Then
both vanished.
"skeedaddled. by lingo" exclaimed
Ethan.
Which way had they gone? Prob,
ably directly ahead. because only in
that direction would they have the con
ttnued shelter of the brush. This ex-
tended away in a comparatively mar
row belt as far as we could see. and it
was unusually thick and tall. 1 or I
dered the steersman to skim close /
above II at a speed q little exceeding /
that Of a good runner But when we
had advanced nearly as far as 1 thought /
that the fugitives could have gone we |
stopped and lowered. carefully watch /
ing and listening But there was no I
movement and no sound.
The brush. intermingled with a few |
stunted trees. extended, as have said. /
in a belt which was not more than
ten rods broad. but apparently inter
minable toward the southwest l made
up my mind that it followed the course
Of a sluggish stream or a chain of
swamps. On either side of 1t lay a
stretch OF bare country. and the moon.