The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1914-09-18


the tide was passed and all made Gel
:" tain, they could turn it over to Kruge
and quit the accursed country.
10 As for the girl, Bud decided tina
% she could take care Of herself withou
any assistance from him, and dis
d missed her from his mind.
It Back at the mine he found Amig,
d guarding camp from the hilltop, ant
d after telling him the gist Of his trou
b bles, the two Of them went to work
e Every day, while one Of them dug ou
4 the ore, the other crushed and washer
r it and watched as he horned out the
e gold. Their rifles they kept beside
them and pistols in their belts; ant
d every time a Mexican dropped into
3 camp, as one did now and then in the
general unrest, he felt the silent men
ace of arms in readiness and continued
on his way.
: For week they labored on together
grim, watchful, expectant-then, at
the break of day, they heard distant
rattle Of arms, like the tearing of a
cloth, and knew that the battle was
on.
The great whistle at Fortuna opened
with its full, bass roar, and Amigo
snatched up his gun and went Looping
down the canyon, drawn irresistibly,
by the sound of conflict. Bud fingered,
climbing higher and higher to get
view OF the country. But his young
blood clamored for action too, and
soon he was mounted and gone.
The fighting was not at the Ameri-
can town. but down the valley by Old
Fortuna, and as Hooker galloped on
toward the sound of the firing he no
tlced that it was on the move. AL
ready the cowardly rebels were re-
treating-the volunteers from Fortuna
were hurrying to get closer to them,
the rurales we're riding to flank them;
and when Bud jumped his horse up
the last hill and looked down into the
broad, cultivated valley he saw the
dust of their flight.
Down the fenced trail that led to the
lower country the mounted insurrectos |
were squirting in rout; across the
newly plowed field, of Aragon the men
on foot were making short cut for the
hills; and all about them, like leaping
grasshoppers. sprang up puffs of dust.
Now they plunged into the willow
brush along the river, where it swung
in against the ridge; and as their Dur.
suers broke into the open they halted
and returned the fire. The bullets
struck up the dust like hailstones in
front OF the oncoming irregulars, a
man or two in the lead went down,
and they faltered. Then, as frantically
as the rebels, they turned and ran for
cover.
While defenders and invaders shot
back and forth across the broad field,
Bud put spurs to his horse and rode
closer, and when he came out on an.
other hilltop he was just in time to see
the rurales come pelting in from the
west and take the revoltosos on the
flank. There was great deal of long
distance firing then, while the rebels
slowly retreated, and finally, with
last defiant volley, the defenders
turned back from their pursuit and
marched triumphantly to Old Fortuna,
There, amid numerous vivas, Don
Cipriano rolled out a cask of mescal
and, after fiery speech, invited the
victors to help themselves. So they
fell to drinking and carousing, and the
one defender who had been wounded
was bandaged and made much of,
while a great crowd from the upper
town looked on in awe and admiration.
At last Manuel del Rey and his
rurales returned from hafassing the :
enemy and with several wounded pris.
oners in their midst, the valor-drunk
Mexicans formed riotous procession
and went marching back to town.
Every horse and mule was carrying
1oub.e, guns were being dropped, y
broad hats knocked of, and ever, as
hey marched, they shouted:
viva Madero! Viva MEXICO! Muerte =
/ los revoltosos!" ;,
1t was an ediiying spectacle to an
American, and with the rest Bud :,
jagged along to the plaza. where they -
lad speeches and cheers galore and =,
more mescal at the company's cantina.
3ut in the midst of it, while he sat !
aughing on his horse by the hotel, :,
Bud felt a gravel strike his broad .,
lat from above and, looking furtively :,
lp, he beheld Gracia Aragon smiling -
lown at him from the balcony. \,
She beckoned him with a swift 4,
Movement and gazed out over the as !.
emblage again, and after a few mo. >,
nents Of deliberation Hooker tied his
orse and wandered into The hotel e,
A Jingle of excitement went over W
i'm as he tramped up to the ladies' 4.
arlor, for he had never met Gracia h;
ace to face. But he disguised his he
ualms by assuming masklike grim.
ess of countenance and, when the :.
lorious Gracia glided out of her room n
D meet him, he only blinked and stood ~,
at. in
A long experience as poker player sc