The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1914-08-27
chung to me, her head pressing against

chung to me, her head pressing against
nay sleeve.
Eyes, monsieur!"
Then she was gone; I reached out
for her, but she was no longer there
Tomahawks crashed into the wood Of
the door; there was a sound of spin,
tering. Brady ripped out an oath. E
wild yell of triumph echoed without
Through a nearby loop-hole some say.
age thrust his gun, and fired blindly,
the sudden flash lighting the murk. In
tho instant red glow | caught {
glimpse of the interior-of body ly-
ing before the fireplace, of Schultz still
on his knees, rife in hand, of Brady
gripping an ak, his head bare, ghast.
ly wound on the side of his face Then
the smoke hid all
Something crashed against the door,
shaking the whole cabin; again and
again the blow fell, the tough wooL
bursting asunder. the stout bar bend
ing, yet swapping back once more as
the sockets held. Amid the. din OF
shouts. the crash of wood, MY eyes
met Brady's.
You re hurt?"
could answer. Jaw shot. Where's
the French girl?"
jerked my hand back in gesture
with her fathers body. l reckon;
she promised me to keep out of it."
Good" his eyes smiling in spite OF
the intense pain of his wound. This
Is like to be our last fight boy. Do
you hear that? Another blow as hard,
and those devils will be at us. Don't
quit until you de-
Il know" and l reached out m,
hand to him. His eyes were cool, grim
ly smiling, and the clasp of his fin.
gers like wise.
I'VE are men," he said slowly. Don't
forget. lad. They will know about
this sometime down ON the Ohio-here
the fiends comet"
The door crashed in, the great butt
Of tree coming with it, and hall
blocking the passage. All that re
manned was instantly filed with say.
age figures. Into the mass of them
fired my last shot, the flame of dis
charge soaring the hideous faces
Then l was hurled to the right, shout
der to shoulder with Schultz, gripping
my gun barrel with both hands, swing.
ing it like fail. crushed the skull
of savage, drove the butt into the
face of another; saw the fash OF o
tomahawk, held up for an instant the
soldiers Keeling body, only to throw ii
aside; smashed the red hand held
out to grip him as he went down; drew
back a step in search of more room,
and, with one mighty sweep of my
weapon cleared a circle before me.
God! 1t was CHASTITY. inhuman, devil
ish! Those behind pushed and yelled;
there was no escape! l saw painted
faces, naked shoulders; wild eyes
glared hatred into mine; tomahawk
and knife flashed. The butt of my CUR
smashed. gripped the iron, my teetL
clinched, and blood on fire. l had nc
sense of fear left, no consciousness Of
peril. l wanted to strike, to kill, to
bruise those hideous faces, to batter
them into pulp. The rage of conflict
seized me; there swept over me the
ferocity of the insane.
gave back, compelled by the mere
force of numbers hurled against me,
yet kept clear space no savage left
unhurt. felt in my arms the strength
of a dozen men, and not the grip of n
red hand reached me. The fiends
snarled and struggled, but the fierce
swing Of the iron bar crushed them
back. 1t was twilight where stood at
bay, the narrow opening, almost blot
ted out by those struggling figures
striving to enter, to me, was a mere
blotch, an inferno of movement and
sound. Through dim, red haze, where
blood dripped before my eyes, I had
glimpses of uplifted arms, of distort-
ed faces. Of glittering weapons. Once
there was gun shot, the sudden flash
Naming into my eyes; twice toma.
hawks, turning in the air, grazed my
cheek; a knife, desperately hurled