The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-06-21

come.
Estepan suddenly reined In his
horse. Look !" said he. "Yondcr Is
light"
"What Is Evangelna thinking
about?" Asenslo muttered.
But see, 1t grows brighter"
There followed a moment or two dur
ing which there was no sound except
the breathing OF the horses and the
creak Of saddle feathers as the riders
craned their necks 10 see over the low
tree tops before them. Then Esteban
cried:
"Comel rm-afrald It's our
house" Fear gdpped him. bur he
managed to say, calmly, Perhaps
there has been an-accident.'
Asensio, muttering excitedly, was
trying to crowd past him; for few
wards the two horses brushed along /.
| side by side. The distant point OF |
lIght had become q glare now; IL
winked balefully through the opea- !
ings as the party hurried toward 4.
But It was still a long way of. and
the eastern sky had grown rrsy be-
fore the dense woods Of tho hillside
gave way to the sparser growth or
the low ground.
ESteban turned sick, white face
over his shoul4er and jerked out his
orders: o,sn he kicked his tired
mount into swifter gallop. II was
he who first broke out into the clear
ing. One glance, and the story was
told.
The hut was but a crumblins skel-
eton OF charred poles. Strung out
across the little field of malangas,
, yuccas and sweet potatoes were sew
eral hilarious volunteers, their arms
: filed with loot from the cabin. Be
hind them strobe an officer bearing
: Rosa struggling against his breast.
, Esteban drove his horse headlong
through the soft red earth OF the
garden, His sudden appearance
, seemed briefly to paralyze the ma
l rauders. 1t was moment before
;. they could drop their spOils unsling
e their rifles, and begin to fire at MN.
s and by that time he had covered half
: the distance to his sister. bullet
brought his horse down and the boy
v went flying over its neck. Nothing
8 hut the loose loan saved him from
O in Jury. As he rose to his feet, breath
= less and covered with the red dirt
d there came a swift thudding OF hoofs
y and Asensio swept past him like
!, rocket. Esteban caught one glimpse
e of the negro's face, fleeing vislor
Is OF white teeth barred to the gums, OF
d distended yellow eyes, Of fiat. dlstort
cd features: then Asensio was fairly
T. unon Colonel Cobo. The colonel, wh'
-e had dropped his burden, now tried u
dodge. Asensio slashed once at MN
IN with his long murderous machete
m hut the next instant he was engaged
with n TROOPER who had fred almos
It In his face.
Cobo's men, led by the terrified Pan
cho Cueto, turned and fled Tor cover
r. believing themselves in danger or an
a. nihilation. Nor was the colonel MIN
d. self I'm any condition to rally then
:" for Asensio's blade had cloven on
ou full dark cheek to the bone, ana IN
"a. shock and pain had unnerved him.
=" The field was small, the jungle wa
~
err terlopers had vanished into II, all pt
he one, who lay kicking among the proa
es- malanga leaves. and over whom Asei
nd sio kept squirting his terrified hors
nd hacking downward with insane fur
This was the first hand-to-hand el
counter Esteban's men had had, nj
me their swift victory rendered them fer
an, clous. Flinging their guns aside, th'
ell went crashing into the brush on u
Of trail of their enemies.
md Rosa found herself In her brother
or arms, sobbing out the story OF the OF
dis rage and qulvering at every sound
and the chase. He was caressing her, al
had telling her to have no further rear
ese both Of them we're fairly hysteric
rest | Eyangelina, thanks to her thick sku
the was not dead. In the course or III
! q under Rosa's and Esteban's ministl
ong tIons she regained her senses,
end when the other men returned tn
oop found her lying sick and dazed, Z
ste. otherwise quite whole.
he'd. Then, there beside the ruins OF
'ane hut, was a strange scene OF re1oici
and AsensIo recovered now from his bu
Of savagery. was fearful, compassi
ared ate; his comrades laughed and en-
,gan tered and Dragged about their proc
eady ious deeds Of valor. Over and o
bill they recounted their versions OF
vest encounter. each more fanciful than
ozen other, until II seemed that they m
anne. have left the forest filled with corps
lout- Esteban was grave. He had he
,ally Of Colonel Cobo. and. remember
that denim-clad figure out yonder
saw the trampled garden. he knew that
well rious consequences would follow.
wers volunteers were revengeful; Il
colonel was not the sort OF man
,arty forgive a deep humiliation. Do
first less he would put a price upon
was heads Of oil Of them, and certainl!
The would never allow them another
tired. counter upon anywhere like
hut terms. Then, too. the narrownes'
they. Rosa's escape caused the boys n
ngly. TO dissolve with terror.
weary After q conference with Asensi'
some decided that they must prepare
angth flight, and late that afternoon the!
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