The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-01-01
Randan
Parxssh

intellect he had ever possessed, now
refused to respond. Kennedy broke la
impatiently.
at takes thet boy bout an hour fer
ter tell enything, Cap" he explained
gruffly. IL reckon he's skeered half
ter death In the furst place. an then
thar's sumthin' wrong with him eny-
how. Howsumever, it's whit he seed
an heerd. Cap. tibet sounds mighty
queer ter me. He seq thar wus more'n
fifty bucks in tibet party. an that oil
Black Hawk wus thar hisself. a leadin'
'em-he done saw him.
turned, surprised at this statement,
TO stare into the boys face. He half
grlnned back Mt me. vacantly.
BLACK Hawkl He could scarcely be
down here; what did he look likeT"
Bout SIX feet high. / reckon. with
a big hooked nose, an the blacklist
pair o. NEAR eyes ever We saw. j
reckon he didn't hay' no eyebrows. an
he wore a bunch o. eagle feathers, an
q red blanket. Gosh. mister, but the
devil cudn't look no worse'n he did"
"Wus tibet him. Capr" burst In Tim,
a~nxiously.
"It's not a bad description" I admit
ted, yet not convinced. II can't be
lleve he would be here with a raiding
party. If he was. there must be some
important object in view. Is that all7"
"No, faint; the boy swears thar was
a white man long with 'em, a Teller
with a short mustache, an dressed In
store clothes. He want no prisoner
nuther. but he'd a gun, an talked ter
Black Hawk, most like he wus a chief
hisself. After the KILN wus all over.
he wus the one whut got 'em ter go on
thar to the south. the whole kit an
kaboodle."
~ don't doubt that. There have nj
ways been white ~renegades among the
Sacs and plenty OF half-breeds. If
Black Hawk. and this other fellow are
leading this band. they are after big
game somewhere. and we had better
keep out OF their way. l favor sad
ding up Immediately, and travelling all
night"
$50 do T." and Tim flung q half-hlled
bag from his shoulder to the ground.
But / vote we eat furst. Tain't much,
only a few scraps / found out thar /;
but it's a way better then nuthin'.
Here you, Hall. give me a hand. an
then we'll go out. an round up them
hosses."
II the party Of raiding Indians
whose foul deed we had discovered
had departed In a southerly direction,
as their trail would plainly seem to in
dictate. then our safest course would
seemingly be directed eastward up the
valley. This would give us the pro-
lection OF the bluffs, and take US more
and more our or the territory they
would be likely to cover. Within
twenty minutes we were In saddle, de-
scending the steep hillside through the
darkness, Tim walking ahead with the
lad, his horse trailing behind, and the
long rifle acros his shoulder.
1 do not recall feeling any special
fear. In the first place ! was convinced
TINT we must already be at the ex-
treme limit Of Black Hawks radius,
and that. travelling as we were east
ward. must before morning be well be-
yond any possible danger of falling
into the hands of his warriors. The
other pursuers l had practically dis
missed from thought. Shortly after
midnight my horse strained a tendon,
and could no longer uphold my weight.
On foot, with the poor beast limping
painfully behind me. l pressed on be
side Eloise, both Of as silent. too u
tcrly wearied with the strain for any
yttempt at speech.
The rising sun topped the Summit
c. the bluff, its red q y seeming t.
Ridge with spans Of gussamer the lit
re valley up which we toiled. I hat
lost my interest, and was walking dog
gedly on, with eyes bent upon TIT
ground. when the girl beside me criet
out suddenly, q new excitement In hel
voice.
"Oh, there Is a cabin See! Owe
yonder; Just beyond that big oak
where the bluff turns"
Her eager face was aglow. her out
stretched hand pointing eagerly.
The logs OF which the little building
had been constructed. still In their mn
tive bark. blended so perfectly witt
the drab hillside beyond. that for tn
moment none Of US caught the distan
outlines. Tim possessed the keenes
sight, and his voice was first to speal