The Elbert County tribune., 1914-09-11

free to mold 1t in his stead; and that
he determined to do--not only hold 1t.
but work 1t for a stake. Then. when
the tide was passed and all made GER
tain. they could turn it over to Kruger
and quit the accursed country.
As for the girl. Bud decided that
she could take care of herself without
any assistance from him. and dis
missed her from his mind.
Back at the mine. he found Amigo
guarding camp from the hilltop. and
after telling him the gist of his trou-
bles, the two of them went to work
Every day. while one of them dug out
the ore, the other crushed and washed
1t and watched as he horned out the
gold. TheF rifles they kept beside
them and pistols In their belts: and
every time Mexican dropped into
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 Iabored on together,
grim. watchful, eNpectant-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 lopeDed
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 a
view of the country. But his young
oil
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.
ticed that II was on the move. Al
ready the cowardly rebels were re-
treating-the volunteers from Fortuna
we're 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
dust of their fight.
Down the fenced trail that led to the
lower country the mounted insurrectos
were squirting in a rout: across the
newly plowed field. of Aragon the men
on foot were making a 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 pur-
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 ahis 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 a
last defiant volley, the defenders
turned back from their pursuit and
marched triumphantly to Old Fortuna.
There, amid numerous vivas, Don
Cipriano rolled out cask of mescal
and after a fiery speech, invited the
victors to help themselves. So they
fell to drinking and carousing, and the
one defender who had been wounded
was bandageds 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 harassing the
enemy and with several wounded pris-
oners in their midst, the valor-drunk
Mexicans formed a riotous procession
and went marching back to town.
Every horse and mule was carrying
double, guns were being dropped,
broad hats knocked off. and ever, as
they marched, they shouted:
viva Maderot Viva Meiico! Muerte
los revoltosos!"
1t was an edifying spectacle to an
American, and with the rest Bud
tagged along to the plaza, where they
had speeches and cheers galore and
more mescal at the company's cantina
But in the midst of it, while he sat
laughing on his horse by the hotel
Bud felt gravel strike his broad
hat from above and, looking furtively
up, he beheld Gracia Aragon smiling
down at him from the balcony.
She beckoned him with a swift
movement and gazed out over the as
semblage again. and after few mo
ments of deliberation Hooker tied his
horse and wandered into the hotel
A tingle of excitement went over
him as he tramped up to the ladies
parlor, for he had never met Gracia
face to face. But he disguised his
qualms by assuming masklike grim
ness of countenance and, when the
glorious Gracia glided out of her room