The Taney County republican., 1913-03-20
He Saw the Crowd About the Coach
LeaPlng and Yelling With Fury.

re OaW lne CTO"u ABOUT the COaCh
LeapIng and Yelling With Fury.
blanketed arm, scattered, running
west toward the gully. There was no
hesitancy now; some savage instinct
seemed to tell them where the fugI-
tives had gone. They dragged the dead
warrior from the ditch, screaming say
agely at the discovery. A dozen
scrambled for the river bank, others
ran for the pony herd, while one or
two remained beside the dead warrior.
Even at that distance Hamlin could
distinguish Roman Nose, and tell what
were his orders by every gesture OF
his arm The Sergeant grasped the
girls hand, his own eyes barely above
the sand ridge, his lips whispering
back.
"No, don't move; III tell you every.
thing. The stage has been gutted and
set on fire. Now they are coming with
The ponies. Most of them are direct
- NpBc9AIN cNAhs A4lb AAlt maj 40 VIZ
left on the sand of the bank. Yes.
they look across here, but the chief Is
sure we have gone the other way; he
is waving his hand up the river now,
and talking. Now he is getting on his
horse; there are ten or twelve Of
them. One fellow is pointing across
here, but no one agrees With him
Nov Roman Nose Is giving orders
Hear that yell! They're off now. rid
Ing up stream, lashing their ponies in.
to a run. All Of them? No; quite a
bunch are going back to the coach.
don't believe they are going to hang
around here long, though for they are
driving in all their ponies"
But won't those others come back
when they discover we have not gone
up the river?"
Il wish | could answer that" he re-
piled earnestly. But 1t all depends
on what those devils know OF the
whereabouts OF troops. They are North
ern Indians, and must have broken
through the scouting details sent out
from Wallace and Dodge Some OF the
boys are bound to be after them, and
there is more chance for them To get
back safely along the mountains than
In the other direction. don't sup
pose an Indian in the bunch was ever
south Of the Arkansas. Wait! Those
fellows are going to move now; going
for good, too-thcy are taking the
dead Indians with them"
They were little more than black
dots at that distance, yet the sun was
up by this time and his keen vision
could distinguish every movement.
Creep up here, and you can see
ALSO" he said quietly. They are far
enough away now so that it is safe.'
There was q moment Of breathless
quiet, the two fugitiycs pcering eau.
tiously over the sand ridge. To the
girl it was confusion of figures rush
ing back and forth about the smoking
ruins of the stage; occasionally faint
yell echoed across the river, and she
could distinguish a savage on his
pony gestculatinR as he rode back
and forth. But the Sergeant compre-
hended the scene. His eyes met hers
and read her bewilderment.
They are going all right, and In a
hurry. It's plain enough they are
afraid to stay there any longer. See,
they are lashing bodies on to the
ponies. All, that is what | wanted to
be sure about--that fellow is heading
west on the trail; now the others are
moving"
Then you are sure Roman Nose
will not return? That-that we are
safe?"
"Yes; wouldn't hesitate to 20 back
as soon as the last of them disappear
over the ridge" pointing up the river.
They knew they had to go that way;
Roman Nose and his band hoped we'd
taken that direction, and hurried on
ahead to catch us If he could. They
are afraid to stay about here any long.
er. Look how they are lashlng those
ponies; there, the last of them are
leaving"
They lay there In the sand, already
becoming warm under the rays of the
sun, trying to assure themselves that
all danger Of discovery had vanished
There was no movement on the oppo-
site shore, only the blue spiral Of
smoke curling up against the bluff,
marking where the stage had stood.
About this, outlined upon the brown
grass, appeared darker patches rep
resentlng dead ponies and the bodies
Of Moylan and Gonzales, where they
had been tumbled, scalped and other
wise mutilated. Down by the river a
wounded pony tried to follow the dis.
appearing cavalcade, but fell, giving
vent to one scream of agony. Then all
was silent, motioDless, the last strag-
gler clubbing his horse pltilessly as he
vanished over the ridge.
Hamlin sat up, his eyes smiling.
I'VE are the lucky ones, Miss Nc
Donald" he said, his manner rncon-