The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-02-27

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would confront them later, when they
ventured out into the open.
How light she seemed, as though
he clasped a child. Bearing
her was going to be easier
than he had supposed; the excitement
yielded him a new measure of
strength, yet he went forward very
slowly, feeling along, inch by inch,
planting his feet with exceeding care.
The earth was hard-packed and would
leave little trail; there were no leaves,
no dead grass to rustic. Beyond the
protection afforded by the stage he
felt the full sweep Of the wind and
permitted her head to rest lower on
one arm SO that he could look about
more clearly. She had not even
moaned, although he had felt her
breath upon his face. Once he STUN
bled slightly W. some fallen earth,
and farther along a foot slipped on a
~treacherous stone, but the slight noise
died unnoticed in the night. 1t was
farther to the gully than he had sup
posed; his heart was in his throat
fearing he had missed it, half-believing
the depression failed to extend to the
base Of the bluff. 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. He bent
over her again, assuring himself that
she breathed regularly, and then crept
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
the work, and rejoiced in it. This was
why he was a soldier. Silently, swift
ly, he u%nbuckled his belt, refastening
it across the straps so 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 first
before attempting to bear her along
in his arms; must be sure the passage
was unguarded. After 1t swerved 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
ed to be alone, and free.
He must have crawled thus for thir-
ty yards, hands and knees aching hor-
ribly, his eyes eve peering owe 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 a level with the prairie. He crossed
this opening like a 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-thas
shapeless blotch of shadow, barely
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 dimlv the o~utlines-the head and
shoulders Of a man! The Sergeant
crept forward-an inch, two inches, a
foot. The figure did not stir. Now
he was sure the fellows head was
lying fiat on the turf, oddly distorted
by a feathered war bonnet. The
strange posture, the utter lack Of
movement, seemed proof that the
tired warrior had fallen asleep On
watch. Like a cat Hamlin crept up
slowly toward him, poised for a spring.
Some sense of the wild must have
stirred the savage into semi-conscious-
ness. Suddenly he sat up, gripping the
gun in his hands. Yet even as 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
In q hoarse croak. From somewhere,
gu of the dense darkness in front a
voice called, sharp end cultural, as II
its owner had been startled by the
mysterious sound of the blow. 1t was
the 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
"ugh!" Of the fellows response proved
him without suspicion. He waited,
counting the seconds. every muscle
strained with expectancy, listening.
He had a feeling that some n was
crawling over the short grass, wig
Cling along like q snake, but the faint
sound, IL sound 1t was, grew less dis
tinct. Finally he lifted his head above
the edge Of the bank. but saw moth
Ing, not even q dim shadow.
They are closing in, I reckon" he
thought soberly. "and It isn't likely
there will be any more of these gentry
az far back az this; looks as though.
this gully turned west just beyond.
Anyhow I've got to risk It,"