Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-25

DlOtCn upon the pldln LudI, TeuldiliHS
motionless, indicated that the Indians
had halted and unsaddled for midday
rest. Dismounting, separating, they
, advanced at foot pace to avoid kick
ing up dust until they had come with
In two miles of the Indians, when they,
too. off-saddled in a shallow swale and
stretched themselves for the hours
halt, or more, they knew the Indians
were sure to make.
So far they were coming on IA
mously and made sure they should be
able to fathom the enemies plans
within a short run, on the route they
were following, of Fort McRae. Tired
of their nights vigil, both stretched
comfortably on the ground and fell
silent
And both, as it turned out, dropped
off in a doze-a doZe that upset all
their contrivings for the discontinue
of the Navajos and came near costing
them their lives.
Presently Fountain was awakened
by he knew not what. Lying half
conscious. directly his ear was attract
ed by low rhythmic cracking and he
lay wondering whatever the SOUND
could be, for time, all senses dulled,
without suspicion of its terrible signi.
ficance.
But when, shortly, thick cloud of
smoke swept over him, he sprang to
his feet and hurried toward his COM
rade, to find wide line of fire sweep
ing upon him, swiftly driven by the
wind.
A prairie fire, the last worst thing
that could have happened to them,
Arollo had unwittingly started by the
fall into the dry grama grass OF
lighted cigarette, released by his sleep
number fingers.
Their game was up. Doubtless the
Indians were already riding toward
them, full tilt, and their chance OF
escape was reduced to a matter, OF
seconds.
And as they threw on their saddles,
both agreed that their only hope OF
escape lay in making hard run
straight north, by which they might
circle around the Indians, to the west.
ward, and reach Fort McRae, at the
Ojo del Muerte.
Both we'll knew that they could not
hope to win by more than neck, 1or
to the north Of them the longest
straight lava ledge on the tornado ran
due east and west, without break,
impossible to horsemen except at one
point, for more than ten miles. They
must either swing around and past
the Indians to the south Of the barrier
or must make the pass, where, through
clutter of great boulders, led horse
could pick his way.
Quickly they were in the saddle and
squirting away into the north. And
none too soon for at the first lofty
roll of the plain they crossed, glance
back showed them score OF NaVaJos
living low on their horses withers,
heels kicking and quirts plying mercl'
lessly at every jump, headed for the
smoke they were leaving, and a scant
half-mile from it.
There was no such luck as that they
should be permitted to cross the
ridge unseen. The Indians discovered !
them the moment they were flashing
across the crest, and the band quickly
swerved. But oddly it seemed to
Fountain and Arollo at first, not In
direct pursuit of them. Instead they
headed across their rear.
Was it move to try to turn them
back on the main command, or to-
make it impossible for them to turn
the east end of the ledge? And what
was the main band doing? Had it de-
tached another force to bear up to the
west of them?
On they rode at the top speed they
dared put their horses to, and yet save
them for the long pull they knew they
would have to make. Had the pur-
suers who had swung round their rear
to the east of them ridden directly
after them, it seemed certain they
must have been oyertaken in the first
three miles, for, notwithstanding the
wide detour necessary to their man.
euvver, they had materially reduced
the intervening distance.
It soon became perfectly certain
that at the first glimpse of the smoke
the Navajos had jumped to the con-
clusion that it must be the work of a
small patrol of troops, who would re-
alize they could not expect to escape
to the south, and who, the moment
they learned they were being pursued,
would be sure either to strive to turn
the east end of the barrier, toward
Fort Stanton, to race north to and
through the gap or to swing west and
try to make Fort McRae, at Ojo de Ia
Muerte.
With their native cunning they were
carrying out maneuvers almost certain
to checkmate them. Through the
broken country on their west, one
band was undoubtedly raising straight
for the gap, and another must be fol-
lowing more leisurely on their left
flank.
The blazing hot afternoon wore on.
Pace of both pursued and pursuers
slackened, for no beasts could long
continue at their top speed in the heat
and across the sandy reaches of the
tornado. Indeed, toward evening
Fountain and his companion began to
take heart, for they were steadily gain
ing; in the long squirt to gain their
right flank evidently the Indians had
ridden the heart out of their mounts.
The ominous black wall Of the lava
ledge now doomed palmer at each hard
bound of their painting horses.
Turn eastward they could not, for that
would be to lose to the pursuing party
the distance they had gained and
mean a finish fight with no better COW
er than the perpendicular wall of the