The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-19

able to hep til ..sople without getting
ourselves into trouble. In any case,
we must not get into a row on the
wrong side of the line. Be sure to
keep a man on the lookout. l shall
make two flares il 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 SUI
perior and Nolan as they walked their
horses down the hill in the growing
light.
When they reached the level ground
they took up the trot, and presently
were out Of sight among the scrubby
cacti and the slesquit bushes that COW
cred the face of the land.
It was a great risk to take; not that
the danger of actual conflict was great,
but there was the certainty that II 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. It 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 a 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, q point from
which they could plainly see the at
tack
The Santa Cruz mine lay some six
hundred yards below them A little
cottage built of adobe showed where
the superintendent lived, and across
from 1t stood the general store. Be-
hind this again, surrounded in front
with adobe walls that marked the cor
rails where the mine mules were kept,
stood the long engine house.
Dark. yawning mouths gaping at
them from the hillside showed where
the lines Of the ore-cars were loaded
in the drift, for the Santa Cruz was
fortunate above most mines in that Il
was possible to tunnel straight into
the breast of the hill without digging
shaft
Far below the line of the buildings
Kynaston and Nolan. looking down
from the vantage-point 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 line?"
Before Nolan could speak the long
crack and rattle of rifle fire broke out
from the line of giant cottonwood
trees that marked the bottom of the
now dry watercourse.
The bullets whined over the house;
some of them kicked up spurts of dust |
from the adobe walls. An answering
shot from the house told that the de-
tenders were wide awake. Kynaston |
saw the shot take ground on the slope !
below him.
AT q 90 %
finding some way of getting to the |
house undiscovered, Kynaston scanned |
the ground in his front carefully
The hillside where he lay was cut |
up by many acequias, or little bitches,
made by the rains of past years. These |
little bitches ran straight down the
slope toward the house. Where these
ran out into the burned alfalfa patches
stood the cottage, and beyond this
again the corrals and the stables.
Still farther to the south, beyond
the lines of the adobe walls, the
ground sloped more gently to a little
stream bed bordered with cotton
woods, along which the attacking
party had taken up its position.
HIM! It's good thing for us that
the house is between us and harm.
We will try to work our way down
that aceQuia to our left Come on,
So, belly down, as coyotes crawl on
their game, the two Americans very
slowly began their advance on the be-
leaguered house.
One, two, three hundred yards they
crept down the hillside. Presently,
when they reached a point where the
acequia opened out into the grass
land, Kynaston would go no further.
We've got to stay here till we can
attract their attention" he explained.
If we go any farther we'll be shot
at While I don't Nartfcularlv ynind