Meade County news., 1916-06-15
CHAPTER IV-contlnued.

"You stay here, sergeant, with the
rest of the detachment, on the Ameri-
can side. l will cross over, and If l
find need you l shall start a fire.
You can see it for ten miles. If you
see fire show three times, come right
into Mexico with all the men. shall
take one man with me.
1T is just possible that we may be
able to help the people without getting
ourselves into trouble. In any case,
we must not get into row ON the
wrong side of the line. Be sure to
keep man on the lookout / shall
make two flares If want you. Nolan,
you come with me-"
The old soldier would have liked to
demonstrate with his officer, but the
habits of discipline of twenty years
were too strong. He saluted, and, bid
ding his men dismount and loosen
their cinches, watched his young su-
perior and Nolan as they walked their
horses down the hill in the growing
light.
When they reached the level ground
toey took up the trot, and presently
were out Of sight among the scrubby
cacti and the mesquit bushes that cov-
cred the face Of the land.
It was 4 great risk to take; not that
the danger Of actual conflict was great,
but there was the certainty that If his
interference should become known to
the higher authorities Kynaston would
have to be offered up as sacrifice to
Mexican complaints.
We'll move UP to that hill Just
above the minehouse, Nolan, and see
what we can from there. There go
some more shots. 1t looks to me as
though the place is being attacked
from the southern side. If so, we will
hide under cover on the range to the
north and work down toward the
house. Well hide our horses among
the powders and scout down afoot.
So, moving very carefully along the
bowlder-strewn hillside, they tied their
horses to great mesquit bush that
stood in the bottom of an arroyo. TAX.
ing their rifles from the scabbards
they picked their way warily up the
slope to the summit, a point from
which they could plainly see the at
tack.
The Santa Cruz mine lay some siz
hundred yards below them. A little
cottage built Of adobe showed where
the superintendent lived, and across
from it stood the general store. Be
hind this again, surrounded in from
with adobe walls that marked the cor
rails where the mine mules were kept
stood the long engine house.
Dark, yawning mouths gaping a
them from the hillside showed WHERE
the lines of the ore-cars were loaded
in the drift, for the Santa Cruz wal
fortunate above most mines in that
was possible to tunnel straight int
che breast of the hill without digging
shaft.
Far below the line of the building
Kynaston and Nolan, looking dow
from the vantagepoint of their hill
saw in far hollow a group Of rider
less horses, with one or two dismount
ed men guarding them.
There's their herd. Look, Nolan
Do you see their line2"
Before Nolan could speak the Ion
crack and rattle of rifle fire broke ou
from the line of giant cottonwoo
trees that marked the bottom of th
now dry watercourse.
The bullets whined over the house
some of them kicked up spurts of dui
from the adobe walls. An answerin
shot from the house told that the d
tenders were wide awake. KyRasto
saw the shot take ground on the sloI
below hi1a.
At once awake 70 the necessity
hiding some way of getting to II
house undiscovered, Kynaston scanne
The Erourd In his 'front.' carefully.