The Ordway new era., 1917-04-27
CHAPTER XIV.
On Wildcat Creek.

Indian prisoners told the horrible
story of her death to his captors, with
n CLEAN of flendlsh malevolence In his
eyes.
David shuddered rs he had not
| among all the carnage OF battle, and
his limbs tottered beneath him. Some
one of the soldiers raised up his rifle
and struck down the boaster as II he
were crushing snake. No one held
back his hand.
One. with awkward sympathy. put
his hand on the shoulder of the
shaken David and led him back to the
| American camp. Behind them the
ruined village lay smoldcrlng In the
| November sun; but David himself
walked as in dream. Men who met
him stepped aside in silence, to let
him pass, daring to ask no question.
| Behind him rose the waillng of the
Indian women, mourning for their
dead, wailinG among the trampled
maize; and the unutterable sorrow In
| his heart grew heavier beneath their
unendlng lamentation as the stalks of
corn are beaten to the sodden ground
In the cold rains of the dying year.
Mechanically he took up his work of
watching over the wounded in the
heavy wagons. The camp was struck,
the homeward journey begun.
The suffering of the men in the
wagons was torture indescribable.
Over the uneven ground the oxen
dragged the numbering CARTS the
wooden disks that served as wheels
slipping and jolting over rocks and
into bitches with cruelty which was
no less heartrendlng because 1t was
unavoidable. The carts were spring
less. Hot with fever under the icy
wind and racked with the terrific JOLT
ing, the wounded men ravcd. cursed.
sang in delirium. OF the 15l wounded.
% died on the merciless journey from
the battlefield to the blockhouse on
the Vcrmillon river. where the boats
had been left. Day and night David
heard their pltiful moaning. the
snatches Of pleadings. the impreca-
tions and the incoherent wanderings
Of their tortured minds:
"a tubful Of honey in the lean-to
and the bear got it"-"That ball went
through the hoop"-"Make the stock
ade higher"-"From Kaskasky with
George Clark. l tell ye"--"The An
gel Gabriel set his feet on those
stones"-"Thnt calf's got the milk
sick"-"No dearle, there amt no more
meal'-"Teacher, may i get n fresh
qulllT-"fm a old man an I want
some whlsky"-"All the FederalIsts'
schemng"-"Wateri amt there even
some rainwater?"-"Oh, Molly, Molly
Molly Watch the right flank The
right flank !"-"Water! Water!'
Three miles below Tippecanoe tn.
fleeing Prophet made nights camp
on Wildcat creek, the Panse Pichou
or the French. Dubois scouts found
the warm ashes of his campfire there
and close by one of the guides picked
up a bit of lace. The man put it in
the pocket of his shirt and brought it
pack TO the marching column. David
was among the men who crowded
ABOUT him to gaze at the tiny shred
OF cloth; and having seen 1t he put
out his hand and took 1t, and no man
said him no; for they saw that he
mad recognized 1t as part of gar.
ment of Antoinette O'Bannon. whom
ne had loved and who was slain. WI
ilngly the man who had found the
cloth led David, at his request, back
to the ashes of the fire and there left
him in silence; and for long time
Da'iu stood looking at the ground
where Ioinette's feet last had been.
Inc frozen wilderness was very still,
The bare branches of the forest
creaked and groaned in the November
gusts, but there was no sound Of hu-
Evan life. On q dead limb mottled
"oodpecker with scarlet can
searched industriously and vainly for
lts rood. A sleek, brown-furred bea.
yer crawled to the top of the streams
bank, looked inquiringly at the mo.
tlohiess hgure brooding over the ashes
OF the hre, and slid back into the wa
Ter with a splash. Deep in the woods
MOCK or wild turkeys clucked among
lne uhderbrush. And SO standing, Da-
va tasted to the dregs the bitterness
OF his failure. the numbing conscious.
ness OF irremediable loss; tasted the
bitterness of helpless defeat and spent
MS hour Of agony and vain self.
reproach, while the grim forest shut
MIN In with silence.
A rifle cracked.
Inc ball knocked the cap from Da.
vlds mead. An inch to the right and
ne would have fallen, his skull shat.
Tered; but he had bent his head at
tne very moment when the hidden
marksman's finger pressed the trigger
lie was all alone; only his own
speed and quickness Of resource saved
him. "A'oo
fTo BE CONTINUED,
Arbitrament Of Arma
CHARLES was in high snirit. o&