Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1915-02-12
CHAPTER v.
The rraIl Of = War Party.

packs on our shoulders. Brady led the
way, t%lreless and watchful, his long
rife held ready In the crook Of his
arm. his alert eyes searching out the
ground ahead. Behind him numbered
Schultz. heaYy-footed, and grumbllng
Dutch oaths at every misstep, yet
somehow managing TO keep up; while
| brought up the rear, my gaze intent
on tho surrounding ridges.
For three days we encountered moth.
Ing to alarm. Brady purposely kept
away from all trails, trusting implicitly
TO his instinct as a woodsman TO dis.
cover a safe passage. lie possessed
the instincts Of the wild, the subtlety
OF the savage, born OF constant peril
and loneliness.
Once, where we forded a consider.
able stream, which | think now must
have been the Vermillon, we came up
on the blackened remains OF a camp
lre. apparently deserted but a few
hours before. Brady examined II with
great care, trailing the party to the
river bank, and then making a wide
circuit OF the woods, before he finally
returned satisfied.
Less than three hours gone" he
said soberly, "and travelling north"
do you know who they were?" i
rsked. How many we're In the party7"
Miamis and Ojlbwas, | reckon. and
they had a prisoner, bound TO that
small tree out yonder; see here, Hay.
ward, the fellow had boots on. and not
m%occasins. From the trail they made
here OF the bank there must have been
twelve or fifteen Indians; ay, and a
white renegade" he bent down again
TO study a track In the mud, FOR this
Is no redskins foot, with the toes
turned out" He swore, the only oath !
had heard thus far from his lips, pluck.
ing a few long hairs from OF a spittle
OF underbrush, and holding them up In
TO the sunlight. "A war party all right.
with scalps. One fellow brushed
against this bush as he came down
the bank; from the color they must
have been raidlng the German settle.
ments."
/ stared at the floating hairs, sled.
derlng in horror. and hands gripped
nara on my rue.
Good Cod and they are going our
way?"
That needn't trouble us, while they
leave n plain trail behind. Those devils
feel safe enough now, or they'd take
o care. We are In no danger while
they keep ahead OF u.s."
We made n detour TO the right,
plunging straight forward into the un.
broken woods. Brady led at q fast
gait, his trained iron muscles ~tireless.
while | urged the GREATNESS soldier Ia
new exertions. frightening him by con
slant reference TO The raiders 30 close
at hand. The Precipitation rolled down
his face. yet he kept close at Brady'i
heels. falling fiat on the ground dur
to be left behind. There was certainly
good stun In the fellow. although hs
swore stiffiy. and had a tread like an
elephant. Just before dark, tho foresI
about us already In gloom, we sudden
ly emerged from out the shadow o.
great trees, and stood on the shore o
a lake girded with woods. A few hun
dred feet from where we stood n small
rocky island, dense with trees. ros,
above the mlrrored surface. After on,
swift glance about the line OF shor,
Brady's eyes rested on this haven
as though questioning It's feasibility Al
a night camp, There was a yellow
tinge TO the intervening water, sug
gestive OF shallowness. and | spokl
first.
IT will be dark In a few mlnutel
more; isn't that u sand fridge lendini
out yonder3"
1T looks 80 TO me" he replied quiet
ly, but the only sure way to tell Is Il
test the passage. In my judgment VI
better get out there II we can. 70
there's no KNOWN where these lnjun
may be-"
lie led the way. and we followed Il
single file. our packs and rifles he'll
high overhead. The water deepene
until II reached Schultz's armplts, bu
there was 10 p%erceptible current, an
/. the sand underfoot was firm as rocl
Deep purple shadows seemed to shu
us In, as we clambored up the stee
bank OF the island. our clothes drill
ping. Brady with o~utstretched han
, helped me TO climb. c%linging with hi
other TO D sapling. Then he polnte
I across tao darkened surface towar
the lower end Of the lake. In the dii