The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-01-30

ply got to fight 1t out alone, l reckon,
and hang on to our last shots. What
do you make of those reds?"
The three men stared for some time
at the distant group over their rifles,
In silence.
They amt all A~rapahoes. that's GER
tain" said Moylan at last. Some of
'em are ~Cheyennes. I've seen that
chief before-it's Roman Nose"
THE big buck bumped up on the
roam"
That's the one, and he is a bad
actor; saw him once over at Fort
kearney two years ago. Had a coun-
Gil there. Say!" In surprise, "ain't
that an Ogalla Sioux war bonnet bob
bin there to the right, Sergeant"
Hamlin studied the distant feath-
cred head-dress indicated, shading his
eyes with n hand.
Il reckon maybe 1t Is, Moylan," he
acknowledged at last gravely. Those
fellows have evidently got together;
we're going to have the biggest scrap
this summer the old army has had yet.
Looks as though it was going to begin
right here-and now. See there! The
dance is on, boys; there they come;
they will try 1t on foot this time"
He tested his rife, resting one knee
on the seat; Moylan pushed the bar
rel Of his Winchester out through the
ragged hole in the back Of the coach,
and the little Mexican lay fiat, his
eyes on the level with the window-cas-
ing. The girl alone remained motion
less, crouched on the floor, her white
face uplifted.
The entire field stretching to the
river was clear to the view, the short,
dry buffalo-grass Offering no conceal
ment. To the right OF the coach, some
fifty feet away, was the only depres-
sion, a shallow gully leading down
from the bluff, but this slight advan-
tage was unavailable. The sun had al
ready dropped from view, and the
gathering twilight distorted the fig
ures, making them almost grotesque
In their savagery. Yet they could be
clearly distinguished, stealing silent
ly forward, guns in hand. spreading
out In a wide half-circle, obedient to
the gestures of Roman Nose, who, still
mounted upon his pony, was travers-
ing the river bank, his every motion
outlined against the dull CLEAN of wa
ter behind him. From the black
depths of the coach the three men
watched in almost breathless silence,
gripping their weapons, fascinated,
determined not to waste q shot. Con-
zales, under the strain, uttered a fierce
Spanish curse, but Hamlin crushed his
arm between iron fingers.
Keep still, you fool!" he muttered,
never ~glancing around. Let your gun
talk!"
The assailants came creeping on,
snakes rather than men, appearing
less and less human In the increasing
shadows. Twice the Sergeant lifted
his Henry, sighting along the brown
barrel, lowering the weapon again in
doubt Of the distance. He was con-
scious Of exultation, Of a swifter pulse
Of the heart, yet his nerves were like
steel, his grip steady. Only a dim
f1eeting memory of the girl, half hid
den in the darkness behind, gave him
uneasiness-he could not turn and
look into her eyes. Roman Nose was
advancing now at the center OF that
creeping half circle, a hulking figure
perched on his pony's back, yet well
out of rifle range. He spread his
hands apart, clasping a blanket, look
ing like a great bird tapping its wings,
and the ground in front famed, the
red fare splitting the gray gloom. The
speeding bullets crashed through the
leather Of the coach, splintering the
wood; the Mexican rolled to the floor,
uttering one inhuman cry, and lay mo-
tionless; a great volume Of black
smoke wavered in the still air.
wait! Wait until they get to their
feet!" Hamlin cried eagerly. "Ah!
there they come-now unlimber."
He saw only those black, indistinct
figures, leaping out of the smoke, con-
verging on the coach, their naked
arms uplifted, their voices mingling in
savage yells. Like lightning he worked
his rife, heart throbbing to the ex-
element, oblivious to all else; almost
without realization he heard the deep
er below Of Moylan's Winchester, the
sharp bark of a revolver at his very
ear. Gonzales was all right, then!
Good! He never thought of the girl.
never saw her grip the pistol from the
M~exican's dead hand. and crawl white
faced, over his body, to that front seat.
All he really knew was that those dew
lis were coming, leaping. crowding
through the smoke wreathes; he saw
them stumble, and rise again; he saw
one leap into the air, and then crash
face down; he saw them break, cir.
cling to right and left, crouching as
they ran. Two reached the stage
only one! One pitched forward, a re-
volver bullet between his eyes, his
head wedged in the spokes Of the
wheel; the other Hamlin struck with
emptied rife-barrel as his red hand
gripped the door, sending him sprawl
ing back into the dirt. 1t was all the
work of a minute, an awful minute, in
tense, breathless-then silence, the
smoke drifting away, the dark night