The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1916-06-01
CHAPTER v.
The Nleht Attack.

CHAPTER v.
The Might Attack.
The incidents of that ride do not 70
main With me In any special clearness
os detail We rode steadily. keeping
we'll together. conscious that in ali
probability we were watched BY hos
Tile eyes. peering OUT from behind rock
and thscket. We forased through Do.
serted shacks. finding poor reward.
yet managed to subsist, although with
munger unsatisfied The men grum.
Ned and Fox swore. as. long before
night came. he comprehended the fact
mat We we're on . fools errand; that
his little squad was being lured deeper
ana deeper into . hostile country, but
no opportunity to turn aside present.
- Itself. The night overlook u IN
ths midst Of mountain solitude. The
scouts had discovered q spring at the
bottom Of 4 rocky hollow. and there
Fox reluctantly ordered camp to be
made. the horses finding scant mas
turase beyond. The grumblins and
cursins soon ceased. however, and
those not on duty slept fitfully
made the round Of the sentries with
FOX. slipping and stumbling over tho
rough way. through the darkness.
This weird place gets on the
nerves." he said. a. II half ashamed of
the confession. DO you know. Ray.
mond. have felt for the last hour a.
II We we're riding into some trap" He
glanced nervously behind him. II
don't believe there has ever been .
Federal detachment down a. far a.
this before. We're in old Ned Covap's
country"
"Confederate?" I asked, interested
at once BY the name.
Heaven knows! To the best of nv
oeiief the fellow doesn't give q whoop
for either side He's Just a natural
born devil and this war gave him 4
chance to get the hell out Of bis sys.
TEN. Still. l guess. he calls himself
. Reb."
And bis followers?"
Mountain men mostly. together
With q bunch Of deserters and con
scripts from both sides. Nobody
knows how big band he has, but 1t
would take an army to run them out
- these mountains. We had orders
70 do tt-but piffie! Ramsay came
down a. far as Fayette Court House
with q regiment of infantry, and 4
cavalry guard, and sent out a Tag of
truce asking the old devil to come in
and talk with him He actually did
come: rode right up to headquarters
with q dozen Of his ragged followers,
heard what Ramsay had to say, and
then simply told the general to 70 to
he'll and rode of again."
Were you there? Did you see the
men!"
mo. but the sergeant did; he was
dNtailed at that time as headquarters
orderly"
"Yes." said. determined on my
course = was talking with Hayden
during the noon halt. He described
CoWan to me. and I believe he is the
same man encountered at Hot
Springs. Captain Fox-the fellow Tay-
lor we are in pursuit Of"
The captain stared into the black
nigot. silent for several minutes.
1--WE been suspecting the same thing
70, the last three hours" he admitted
At last slowly. land that he hoped we
would follow him The fellow hasn I
hidden fast. and has purposely left a
plain trail. More than that he was
expected along this road and there
were relays Of horses waiting He
only changed once. but he was met by
another party near that ruined mill
Ever since then | have felt that w
were being watched by unseen eyes.
Did you observe the curl OF smoke to
our right Just before dark-how 1t
rose and fell in rings?"
81 saw the smoke. yes-a thin spiral,
but supposed 1t to be from the chin
ney Of some mountain shack"
well. it was not That was an out.
side fire and the smoke was smoth
cred and then thrown up by blankets.
That Is their way Of signaling tell
you, lieutenant. this murder Of Har.
wood Is more than an army matter. II
was either the elimination of a feud
done for personal revense-or else
the major had papers in his posses
siou bearing on the situation here that
could only be gained over his dead
body The man who killed him was
old Ned Cowan."
But Harwood must have known
him. ] protested
"Of course be did: they were neigh
bors before the war and met there BY
appointment For all ] know the ma
5oF may have had some confidential
eommuntcation from the var depart
nent God knows what II was Al
~ snro about 10 hat ! would give q