The Southern herald., 1913-02-28

row. What troops are at DooSe no" me
"onIv a single company-infantry'' Wo
-enl,ed Moylan gloomily. "All the rest tel
are out scouting long the Solomon SIN
If | believe they'll send us MT
man Those two towards will likely
report US all dead-otherwlse they
wouldn't have any excuse for runnn
awav-aud the commander will satisfy
himself nv sendin' a courier to the fel-
lers in the field" 80
well, then" commented the ser %
geant. his eyes cleaning, we've SIM s'
ply got to fight it out alone l reChon '. ~
and hang on to our last shots Wha' -
do YOU make of those redsT n u,
The three men stared for some time u
at the distant group over their rifles Il
| in silence.
"They amt all Arapahoes, that's GER o
tain d" said Moylan at last Some OF
'em are Cheyennes. I've seen lna'
chief before-it's Roman Nose.
THE big buck bumped up on the
roam"
ooThat's the one, and he is a bad
actor: saw him once over at foT'
Xearney two years ago. Had coun,
cu there. Say!" in surprise, ain
that an Ogalla Sioux war bonnet OoD'
!. bin there to the right, Sergeant!
= Hamlin studied the distant featn-
e cred bead.dress indicated, shading his
eyes with one hand.
o 81 reckon maybe it Is, Moylan, ne
It acknowledged at last gravely. lhoSe
n fellows have evidently got together;
It we're going to have the biggest scrap
N this summer the old army has had ye''
ID Looks as though it was going to Degln
right here-and now. See there! Inc
?" dance is on. boys; there they come
to tbev will try it on foot this time"
hit He tested his rife, resting one knee
RI m the seat. Moylan pushed the bar
ss rel of his Winchester out through 'he
ragged hole in the back of the coacn
az and the little Mexican lay nat MS
,ld eyas on the level with the window-cas-
he inc. The girl alone remained motion
less. crouched on the floor. her whi'e
ION face uplifted -,
e." The entire field stretching to the
be- river was clear to the view, the shoIt
drv buffalo-grass offering no conceal
be- ment To the right vi the coach, some
red 6ftv feet away, was the only depres
our sion a shallow gully leading doWi
yer from the bluff, but this slight adval
err" tage was unavailable. The sun had a
erly ready dropped from view, ana III
lead gathering twilight distorted tne NJ
the ures making them almost grotesqu
in their savagery Yet they could
clearly distinguished, stealing sllen
to " forward, guns in hand spreadil
his out in a wide half-circle, obedlent
Born the gestures of Roman Nose, who, ST
nter- mounted upon his pony, was traVel
kid. ing the river bank, his every moI'
+? So outlined against the dull CLEAN OF "
ere" tor behind him. From the Dla
nod. don,hs Of the coach the three m
oleas- watched IN almost breathless silen
gr,nping their weapons, fascinat
nally. dotermined not to waste shot G'
ghter zales. under the strain, uttered nel
ow it snanish curse, but Hamlin crushed
re we arm between iron fingers.
coach Keep still, you fool! ne muU'e'
mover glancing around. Let your
talk!"
The assailants came creeping
- snakes rather than men, appear
. less and less human in the increa'
= shadows. Twice the Sergeant IL
70 his Henry, sighting along the Or
- barrel. lowering the weapon agail
90 douht of the distance. He was
scious of exultatson, Of sWltter
of the heart, yet his nerves were
steel his grip steady. Only
q aeeting memory of the girl, halt
den in the dsrkness behind, gave
uneasiness-he could not turn
Iook into hGr eyes. Roman Nose
tRs advancing now at the center OF
zEE creening half circle, hulking
4 tNlAl nercbed on his pony's back, yet
N,3ll out of rife range, he spread
NBtI hands apart, clasping a blanket
SAyIN ing like a great bird Tapping its
$MNl and the ground in front famed
S%M red fare splitting the gray gloon
V&M speeding bullets crashed throue
~ leather of the coach, splinterint
wood: the Mexican rolled TO tne
uttering one inhuman cry ana II
This Is tIonless; great volume OF
smoke wavered in the still air.
"Wait! Wait until they get U
y ~ tAo,n feet!" Hamlin cried eagerly.
,tats e. 90 there they come-now unlimoer
to nsI He saw only those black int
l"n,,,, pe % ., figures, leaping out OF the smoi
supp; spr ,h;s yerging on the coach, their
=. ie. nooSoD % arms uplifted, their voices mini
Ct i''iN' savage yells. Like lightning he
..ro b,s his rife, heart throbbing to
.So ~ r,vor element, oblivious to all else;
1ne -, - without realization he heard Il
us ~" - or below of Moylan's Winchef
a'nei In,a 80 sharp bark OF a revolver at
'.,.' Ne,e ,,a,ar In ear. Gonzales was all right
'"e "''''' Good! He never thought OF
-. hofore never saw her grip the pistol
"s o. v,oro Mexican's dead hand, and cra'
fails, then taceo' o'ei MO ''''