Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1913-05-22

died unnoticed In the night. II was
farther to the gully than no had sup
posed: his heart was In his throat
fearing he had missed II. half.believing
the depression failed to extend to the
base of the bluf. Then his foot. ex.
ploring blindly, touched the edge Of
the bank. Carefully he laid his bur.
den down, placing his battered cam
paign hat beneath her head. Ho bent
over her again. assuring himself that
she breathed regularly. and then cropt
down alone into the shallow ravine.
His nerves were like steel now. his
hand steady. his heart beating with
out an accelerated throb. He knew
tho work, and rejoiced In It. This was
why no was soldier. Silently. swift
ly, he unbuckled his belt. refastening
1t across the straps 30 as to hold can.
teen and haversack noiseless. and
then, revolver In hand, began creep
ing down under cover of the low
banks. He must explore the path frat
before attempting to bear her along
In his arms; must be sure the passage
was unguarded. After II awerved to
the right there would be little danger.
but while 1t ran straight. some eau
tious savage might have chosen It to
skulk in. To deal with such he need.
cd to be alone, and free.
He must have crawled thus for thir-
ty yards, hands and knees aching hor.
ribly. his eyes ever peering over the
edge Of the bank. his ears tingling to
the slightest noise. The tiny glow OF
the fire far away to the left was alone
visible In the intense blackness; the
wind brought to him no sound of
movement The stiffness was pro-
found. almost uncanny; as he paused
and listened he could distinguish the
throb OF his heart. He was across
the trail at last. for he felt and traced
the ruts OF wheels. and where the
banks had been worked down almost
to level with the prairie. He crossed
this opening like snake. and then
arose to his knees beyond. where the
gully deepened. He remained poised.
motionless. scarcely daring to breathe.
Surely that was something else-that
topping the line OF bank! Was It ten
feet away? Or five? He could not
tell. He stared; there was no move
ment, and yet his eyes began to dis
Germ dimly the outlines-the head and
shoulders of mani The Sergeant
crept forward-an inch. two inches. a
foot. The figure did not stir. Now
hn H.. Ill
lying fiat on the turf. oddly distorted
by feathered war bonnet. The |
strange posture, the utter lack of |
movement, seemed proof that the |
tired warrior had fallen asleep on |
watch. Like cat Hamhn crept up
slowly toward him. poised for spring.
Some sense of the wild must have
stirred the savage into semtconscious-
ness. Suddenly he sat up. gripping the
gun In his hands. Yet even AZ his |
opening eyes saw dimly the Sergeant's
menacing shadow, before he could |
scream his alarm. or spring upright,
the revolver butt struck with dull |
thud. and he went tumbling backward |
into the ditch. his cry OF alarm ending
e.,
out of the dense darkness In front a
voice called. sharp and cultural, as II
its owner had been startled by the
sound of the blow. Il was
tho language of the Arapahoes. and
out of his vague memory of the
tongue. spurred to recollection by the
swift emergency. Hamlin growled a
hoarse answer. hanging breathlessly
above the motionless badly until the
"ughi" of the fellows response proved
him without suspicion. He waited.
the seconds. every muscle
strained with expectancy. listening.
He had a feeling that some one was
crawling over the short grass, wiz.
Cling along like snake, but the faint
sound. II sound It was, grew less dis
tinct. Finally he lifted his head above
the edge of the bank, but saw moth.
ing. not even dim shadow.
"They are closing In, | reckon" he
thought soberly, "and It isn't likely
there will be any more OF these gentry
AZ far back as this; looks as though
this gully turned west Just beyond.
I've got to risk IT,"
He returned more rapidly. knowing
the passage. yet with no less caution.
finding the unconscious girl lying ex.
actly as he had left her As he clasped
her form In his arms, her lips uttered
some incoherent words. but otherwise
she gave no sign of life.
"Yes. yes" he whispered close 10
l. A..
1T IL all right now; only keep still"