Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1914-01-14

4
bareback, whole pineapple and an
] ~ -fldoned kettle with some boiled rice
remaining in it,
Despite the suggestions OF the prox-
| unity OF the Spaniards. Holton sat
down and ate the most satisfactory
meal OF his life.
! Having eaten, he retired a little dis
lance and lay back in the shadows.
The sun warmed him, and the stiffness
caused by the damp OF the night left
him. II, as he had feared, fever had
been in his blood, 1t had gone now and
| this inspired him wonderfully
he was about to descend when the
nash OF something below caught his
eye almost beneath his feet He looked
closely and caught the fash again, fol
lowed by another fash. then by sew
eral. A fash In this jungle meant pol
ished metal OF some sort. and metal of
any sort here meant only one thing
soldiers.
He strained his eyes downward and
then caught glimpses OF a trail, partial
ly hidden from his view by bushes. On
the side OF the trail nearest to the
eastward the land fell sharply away
into a wide valley, the opposite sides
of which were bush and tree-covered
hills just as on his side.
| And now as he looked, the situation
dawned clear upon him. For he could
see men moving, falling back along the
| trail. and eventually debouching into
bushes on either side.
| Holton's heart beat quickly He re
membered what the Spaniards had said
of Americans marching from the direc-
| ton OF Siboney, and he knew that
right before his eyes the Spaniards
we're arranging an ambush for them.
But what could he do? Almost any
moment detachment of Spanish sol
diers might come upon him. His
slightest movement would tend to at
tract the attention OF some of them
| What was happening? Suddenly
| from the distance there came what
sounded to Holton like the clatter of
steel on steel. He at once recognized
1t as the sound a scabbard makes
when 1t strikes against a spur.
Hastily he looked down at the Span
ish position, but not sign OF a soldier
| could he see. The trail was deserted.
the surroundings were as quiet. as
| peaceful as the heart of a Jungle 1t
was too quiet, Holton thought
Suddenly the situation dawned clear
his countrymen were walking into a
deadly trap! And he was powerless to
help them.
| Then, as though voice had whis-
pered in his ear. he started up. Was
! he helpless? Yes. if he was consider
| inn
| 10 him personally were TO be weighed.
he was perfectly helpless But not
otherwise. Providence could not have
smiled more benignly upon the Ameri-
cans than in placing him just where
| he was-provided he justified the
| pTovidential processes with the nerve
OF hero
! He rolled half on his side. loosened
! his revolver in its holster, and then
drew it out. No more sounds come
from the trail, and yet, somehow. there
was the impression Of movement down
there a subconscious feeling of the ap-
proach of men
HoltOn. his eyes strained ahead. his
| ears alert for the slightest sound.
started convulsiyely as a campaign hat
appeared for an instant through a rift
| In the high grasses on the valley side
! of the trail
Then, flatteniug himself rigidly upon
! the ground, he pointed his pistol in
4 the direction OF the Spaniards beneath
him, and pulled the trigger. The sharp
report Of the fortyfour tore through
| the dead stiffness with nerve-racking
violence II clattered across the val.
/ ley in a hundred echoes And then. az
| though both nature and man had been
shochcd into hamilton. there followed
"a few seconds Of pulseless silence.
Again Holton's pistol rang out This
time. from the direction OF the hidden
/ advancing forces there came several
/ short sharp commands AS HoItor
| lay hidden. thankful that the Spauiards
/ bad evidently attributed the shots TO
/ some ovcranXious soldier on their own
side nc saw two Cubans steal along
the trail and behind Thorn a gigantic
young sergeant in the uniform OF q
| Rough Rider
Close behind him we're four men
They were picking thcir way stealth
/ hy. There was no question that Hol
/ tons shots had The desired effect
/ Then. ar he looked. several long
/ lanceliko lines OF flame darted out Of
/ tho bushes 10 which The Spaniards lay
/ The valley resouuded with Il racketing
/ uproar He saw the big Rough Rider
/ soreeant stop short with look NJ qur.
f prise upon his face. saw fis laws set
. frmiy saw him advance q step. and
. then heave forward on his face. block.
/ ing The trail with his body
The bushes beneath Bolton we're
/ no" darting sheets OF flame and the
f. gases from The smokeless powder drift
. Cd upward and into his nostrils
From The American side he heard
. crashing as Tho main body rushed ~