The Norman Democrat-Topic (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 24, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, April 25, 1913 Page: 4 of 6
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PAGE FOUR
THE NORMAN DEMOCRAT TOPIC. NORMAN. OKLAHOMA. FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1913.
Molly McDonald
A TAIL or THE FR0NHEK
By
_ _ >ALlBVRteI$n
Ju/Aorof "Keith o/%
to—■;£ordc r" My Lady of
Doubt'.' My Lady of ffio
iSouffi'.' e/c.e/c.
w(L- , . J
Il/ustmfiontf <av
/. l.Barncti
"He's not tliar now; been
ferred to Wallace, but, I reckon, any o'
those army people would look after
yer. Ye've really made up yer mind
to try It, then?"
"Yob, yes; I positively cannot stny
here. I shall go aa far as Dodge at
least. If—if we are going to travel to-
gether, I ought, to know your name."
"Sure yer had," with a laugh. "I
fergot all 'bout that—it's Moylan,
miss; William Moylan; 'Sutler Bill'
they call me mostly, west o' the river.
Let's go out an' see 'bout thet stage."
As he rounded the table, Mllly rose
to her feet, and held out her hand.
"I am so glnd I spoke to you, Mr.
Moylan," she said simply. "I am not
at all afraid now. If you will wait un-
til I get my hat, I'll be down In a min-
ute."
"Sutler Bill" stood In the narrow
hall watching her run Bwlftly upstairs,
twirling his hat in his hands, his good-
natured face flushjpl Once he glanced
In the direction of the bar-room, wip-
ing his Hps with his cuff, and his feet
shuffled. Out he resisted tho tempta-
tion, and was still there wheu Miss
McDonald came down.
CHAPTER IV.
The Attack.
Slightly more than sixty miles, as
the route ran, stretched between old
Fort Dodge and the ford crossing the
Arkansas leading down to the Cimar-
ron; another sixty miles distant,
across a desert of alkali and sand, lay
Devere. The main Santa Pe trail,
broad and deeply rutted by the In-
numerable wheels of early spring
caravans, followed the general course
of the river, occasionally touching the
higher level plains, but mostly keep-
ing close beneath tho protection of the
northern bluffs, or else skirting the
edge of the water. Night or day the
route was easily followed, and. in oth-
er years, the traveler wa seldom for
long out of sight of tolling wngons.
Now scarcely a wheel turned in all
that lonoly distance.
The west-bound stage left the sta-
tion at Deer Creek at four o'clock In
the afternoon with no Intimation of
danger ahead. It occupants had eat-
en dinner In company with those of
the east-bound coach, eighteen miles
down the river it Canon Bluff, and the
ln-oomlng driver Imd reported an open
road, and no unusual trouble. No In-
dian signs had been observed, not
•ven signal fires during the night, and
the conductor, who had come stralghi
from Santa Fe, reported that troops
from Fort Union had driven the only
known bunch of raiders back from
the neighborhood of the trail, and had
them already safely corralled In the
mountains. This report, seemingly au-
thentic and official, served to r it
the nerves, and tho west bound driver
COPXRIOHT 1912 BY A.C.MT.LUPG & CO-
trans warn those fellows at I.ow Water. I tut
when 1 got sight of that station from
off the bluffs yonder It had been wiped
out. Then I thought about this stago
going west today, and came on to meet
you. Must have ridden a hundred an'
twenty miles since yesterday; the
mustang Is all In."
Moylan stuck his head out the near-
est window.
"Look like they had much of a fight
ut the Crossing?" he asked.
"Not much; more like a night raid;
two whites killed, and scalped. The
third man either wns taken away, or
his body got burnt In the building.
Horses all gone."
"What tribe?"
"Arapahoes, frorp the way they
scalped; that's what made it so seri-
ous—if those Northern Indians have
broken loose there is going to be war
this time lor sure."
The men on the box looked at each
other queatlonlngly.
"I don't see no use tryin' to go on,
Jake, do you?" asked the driver sober-
ly. "Even If we do git through, thar
ain't no bosses to be had."
The other shook his head, rubbing
his gun-stock.
"Most likely those same red devils
are lnyln' for us now somewhar be-
tween yere an' Low Water; whar the
trail runs in between them two big
rocks, most probable," ho concluded.
"Not huvin' no ha'r to lose, I'm fer
goin' back."
With an oath of relief, tho driver re-
leased his brake and skilfully swung
the leaders around, the coach groan-
ing as it took the sharp turn. Tho
roan on the ground caught a swiftly
passing glimpse of the young wom-
an's face within, and strode hurriedly
forward as the coach started.
"Hold on there, pardner," he com-
manded sternly, "This poor bronc*
won't travel another mile. There's
plenty of room for me Inside, and I'll
turn the tired devil loose. Hold on,
I say!"
The driver once again slapped on
the brake, growling and reluctant, his
anxious eyes searching the trail in
both directions. Hamlin quietly un-
cinched his saddle, flinging it to the
coach roof; tho bridle followed, and
then, with a slap on the haunch of the
released animal, he strode to the stage
door, thrust his Henry rifle within,
and took the vacant seat beside Gon-
zales. With a sudden crack of the
driver's whip the four horses leaped
forwurd, and the conch careened on
the slope of the trail, causing the pas-
sengers to clutch wildly to keep from
being precipitated Into a mass on the
floor. As the traces straightened,
MIbb Molly, clinging desperately to n
Btrap, caught her first fair glance at
the newcomer. His hat was tilted
back, the light revealing lines of
weariness and a coating of the gray,
Bang to himself as he guided the four ! powdery dust of the alkali desert, but
horses forward, while the conductor, i beneath It appeared the brown, sun-
a sawed-off gun planted between his scorched skin, while the gray eyes
kneeB, nodded drowsily. Inside there | looking straight at her, were resolute
were but three passengers, Jerking
back and forth, as the wheels Btruck
the deep ruts of the trail, occasionally
exchanging a word or two, but usual-
ly staring gloomily forth at the mo-
notonous scene. Miss McDonald and
Moylan occupied the back seat, some
baggage wodgod tightly bet ween to
keep them more secure on the slip-
pery cushion, while facing them, and
clinging to his support with both
hands, was a pock-marked Mexican, i Moylan. "Not an
with rather villainous face and ornate route at present,
and smiling. His rough shirt, open at
the throat, might have been the prod-
uct of any sutler's counter; he wore
no jacket, and the broad yellow stripe
down the leg of the faded blue trou-
sers alone proclaimed him a soldier.
He smiled across at her. and she low-
ered her eyes, while his glance wan-
dered on toward the others.
"Don't seem to be very crowded to-
day," he began, genially addressing
xtremely popular
reckon. Mining,
dress, and excessively polite manners, pardner?"
He had joined the little party at ' "No; post-trader at Fort Marcy."
Dodge, smiling happily at sight of "Oh, that's it," bin eyebrows lifting
Miss Molly's face when she unveiled, slightly. "This Indian business is a
although his small knowledge of Eng- l,ad Job for you then." His eyes fell
llsh prevented any extended effort at < on hlB seatmate. "Well, If this Isn't
conversation. Moylan, however, after
careful scrutiny, engaged him shortly
in Spanish, and later explained to the
girl, in low tones, that the man was a
Santa Fe gambler known as Gonzales,
with a reputation to be hinted at but
not openly discussed.
They were some six (niles to the
west of Deer Creek, the horses still
moving with spirit, the driver's foot
on the brake, when the stage took a
sudden plunge down a sloping bank
where the valley perceptibly narrowed.
To the left, beyond a flat expanse of'
brown, sun-scorched grass, flowed
the w+dely-spreadlng waters of the Ar- '
kansas, barely covering the treacher-
ous sandy bottom, and from the other
side came tho more distant gleam of
alkali plains; to the right arose the
bluffs, here both steep and rugged,
completely shutting off the view, bar-
ren of vegetation except for a few
scattered patches of grass. Suddenly
a man rode out of a rift in the bank,
directly in front, and held up his hand.
Surprised, staitled, the driver in-
stantaneously clamped on his brake,
and brought his horses to a quick
stop; the conductor, nearly flung from
his seat, yank >d his gun forward.
"None of that now," called out the
man in saddle quickly, both hands up-
lifted to show their emptiness. "This
is no hold-up. I've got news."
He spurnd hit pony forward slow-
ly, the animal seemingly barely able I u'na half utt
to move, and swung out of the saddle ! the girl t
little Gonzales!—You've got a good
ways from home "
"SI, senor!" returned the Mexican
brokenly. "I tink I not remem."
"No, I reckon not I'm not one of
your class; cards and 1 never did
agree. I shot up your game once down
at Union; night HaBsinger was killed.
Remember now, don't you?"
"Si, senor," spreading his hands. "It
was mos' unfortunate."
"Would have been more so, if the
boys had got hold of you—Saint Anne!
but that fellow on the box Is driving
some."
The thud of the horses' feet under
the lash, coupled with the reckless
lurching of the coach, ended all fur-
ther attempt at conversation, and the
four passengers h ld on grimly, and
stared out of the windows, as If ex-
pecting every Instant that some acci-
dent would hurl them headlong. The
frightened driver was apparently
sparing neither whip nor tongue, the
galloping teams Jerking the stage aft-
er them In a mad race up the trail.
Hamlin thrust his head out of the
nearest window, but a sudden lurch
hurled him back, the coach taking a
sharp curve on two wheels, and com-
ing down level once again with a
bump which brought the whole four
together. The little Mexican started
to scream out a Spanish oath, but
Hamlin grlpp.d his throat before It
•red, while Moylan pressed
•k into her seat, bracing
himself upright, leaned out. Ho caught
a momentary glimp3e of two men rid-
ing swiftly up the trail; th« box above
was empty, the wheelers alone re-
mained in harness, and they were
running uncontrolled
"By God!" he muttered. "Those
two damn cowards have cut loose and
left us!"
Even as the unrestrained words
leaped from his lips he realized the
only hope—the reins still dangled,
caught securely In the brake lever.
Inch by Inch, foot by foot, he wiggled
out; Moylan, comprehending, caught
his legs, holding him steady against
the mad pitching. His fingers gripped
the iron top rail, and, exerting all his
strength, he slowly pulled his body up,
until lie fell forward Into the driver's
seut. Swift as he had been, the action
I
beside the front wheel, staggering a himself to hold her firm.
bit as though his limbs were cramped "What the devil—" he began angrl-
as his feet felt the ground. ly% and then the careening coach
"I'm from Fort Union," he said, stopped as Buddenly as though it had
"Seventh Cavalry, sent through by struck the bank, again tearing loc
way of Cimarron Springs. There Is
hell to pay west of here; the stations
at Arkansas Crossing and Low Water
were burned last night."
"The devil you say," burst out the
driver hoarsely, his startled eyes
sweeping the horizon. "Injuns?"
"Sure, plenty of signs, but I haven't
seen any bucks myself. As soon as I
discovered what had happened at the
Crossing I struck out on to the pla-
teau, and came around that way to
their handhold on the seats and fling-
ing them headlong. They heard the
creaking clamp of the brakes, the
dancing of frightened horses, a perfect
volley of oaths, the crunch of feet as
men leaped from tho top to the
ground; then, all at once, the stago
lurched forward, swerving sharply to
the left, and struck out across the
flat directly toward the bluff.
Hamlin struggled to the nearest win-
dow. and. grasuiug the sill to hold
"There Is Hell to Pay West of Here."
was not quickly enough conceived to
avert dlBaster. Ho had the reins in
his grip when the swinging pole struck
tho steep side of tho bluff, snapping
off with a sharp crack, and flinging
down the frightened animals, the
wheels crashing against them, as the
coach came to a sudden halt. Hamlin
hung on grimly, flung forward to tho
foot rail by tho force of the shock, his
body bruised and aching. One horse
lay motionless, head under, apparently
Instantly killed; his mato struggled to
his feet, tore frantically loose from
the traces, and went flying madly
down tho slope, the broken harness
dangling at his he«ls. The Sergeant
sat up and Btared about, sweeping tho
blood from a slight gash out of his
eyes. Then ho came to himself with a
gasp—understanding instantly what it
all meant, why those men had cut
looBe the horses and ridden away,
why the wheelers had plunged for-
ward in that mad run-away race—be-
tween tho bluffs and the river a swarm
of Indiana were lashing their ponies,
spreading out like the sticks of a fan.
CHAPTER V.
The Defense of the Stage.
There were times when Hamlin's
mental processes seemed slow, almost
sluggish, but this was never true in
moments of emergency and peril.
Then he became swift, impetuous,
seemingly borne forward by some In-
spiring Instinct. It was for such ex-
periences as this that he remained in
the service—his whole naturo respond
lng almost joyously to tho bugle call
of action, of Imminent danger, his
nerves steadying Into rock. These
were the characteristics which had
won him his chevrons In the unre-
warded service of the frontier, and,
when scarcely more than a boy, had
put a captain's bars on the gray col-
lar of his Confederate uniform.
Now, as he struggled to his knees, j
gripping the iron foot-rail with one j
hand, a single glance .gave him a dis-
tinct impression of their desperate sit-
uation. With that knowledge, thero
likewise flashed over his mind the
only possible means of defense. The
Indians, numbering at least thirty, had
ridden recklessly out from under the
protection of the river bank, spread-
ing to right and left, aa their ponies'
hoofs struck the turf, and were now
charging down upon the disabled
coach, yelling madly and brandishing
their guns. The very reckless aban-
don of their advanco expressed the
conception they had of the situation—
they had witnessed the flight of the
two fugitives, the runaway of the
wheelers, and believed the remaining
passengers would be helpless victims.
They came on. savage and confident,
not anticipating a fight, but a massa-
cre—shrieking prisoners, and a glut of
revenge.
With ono swing of his body, Hamlin
was upon the ground, and had jerked
open the inside door of the coach. |
forcing it back against the dirt of tho I
bluff which towered in protection j
Above. Hi;; eyes were Quick '>> per-1
celve the peculiar advantage of posi-
tion; that their assailants would be
compelled to advance from only one |
direction The three within were bare- !
ly struggling to their feet, dazed, be-1
wlldered, failing as yet to comprehend !
fully those distant yells, when lie
sprang into their midst, uttering his I
swift orders, and unceremoniously
Jerking tho inen into position for de-
fense.
"Here, quick now! Don't waste
time! It's a matter of seconds, I tell
you! They're coming—a horde of
them. Here, Moylan, take this rifle
barrel and knock a hole through the
back there big enough to sight out of.
Hit it hard, damn you, it's a case of
life or death! What have you got, (ion '
sales? A revolver? Into that win-
dow there, and blaze away; you've got
the reputation of a gun-man; now let's
see you prove it. Get back in the cor-:
ner, miss, so I can slip past—no, 11.* j
down below the fire line!"
"But—-but I will not!" and she faced
him, her face white, but her eyes shin- J
ing. "I can shoot! See!" and she i
flushed a pearl handled revolver defi-
antly. The Sergeant thrust her un- !
ceremoniously aside and plunged
across to tho opposite window, grip
ping his Henry rifle.
"Do as I say," he growled. "This
is our fight. Get down! Now, you
terriers, let them have it!"
There was a wild skurrying of
mounted figures almost at the coach
wheels, huir streaming, feathers wav-
ing, lean, red erms thrown up, the air I
vocal with shrill outcries—then the I
dull bark of a henry, the boom of
Winchester, the sharp spitting of a
Colt. The smoke rolled out In a
cloud, pungent, concealing, nervous
fingers pressing tho triggers again
and again. They could see reeling
horses, men gripping their ponies'
inanes to keep erect, staring, fright-
ened eyes, animals flung back on their
haunches, rearing madly In the air.
I he fierce yell of exultation changed
into a savage scream, bullets crashed
into the thin sides of the coach; It
rocked with the contact of a half-
naked body flung forward by a plung-
lfig horse; the Mexican swore wildly
in Spanish, and then—tho smoke blew
aside and they saw the field; the dead
and dying ponies, three motionless
bodies huddled on the grass, a few
dismounted stragglers racing on foot
for the river bank, and a squad of rid-
ers circling beyond tho trail. Hamlin
swept the mingled swfat and blood
out of his eyes, smiled grimly, and
glanced back into the coach, Instinct-
ively slipping fresh cartridges into his
hot rifle.
"That's one time those fellows ran
Into a hornet's nest," ho commented
quietly, all trace of excitement van-
ished. "Better load up, boys, for we're
not through yet—they'll only be more
careful next time. Anybody hurt?'
"Somethin' creased my back,"
piled Moylan, complalnlngly, and try-
ing vainly to put a hand on the spot.
"Felt like a streak e' flre." The Ser-
geant reached across, fingering tho
torn shirt cautiously.
Seared tho flesh, pardner, but no
blood worth mentioning. They've got
soino heavy artillery out there from
tho sound—old army muskets likely. It
1b our repealing rifles that will win
out—those red devils don't understand
them yet."
"Senor, you tink we win out den?"
and Gonzales peered up blinking Into
tho other's face. "°acre! dey vll fight
doeferent do nex' time. Ze Ameri-
Calne inuskeet, eet carry so far—ess
eet not so?"
Hamlin patted his brown barrel af-
fectionately as if it were an old
friend, and smiled across Into the
questioning eyes of the girl.
I m willing to back this weapon
against the best of them for distance,"
ho replied eaaily, "and it's accurate be-
sides. How about It, Moylan?"
"I'd about as soon be In front as be-
hind one of them cannon," answered
the sutler soberly. "I toted one four
years. But say, pardner, what's yer
nani^e? Yer a cavalryman, ain't yer?"
"Sergeant—forgot I wasn't properly
Introduced," and he bent his head
slightly, glancing again toward the
girl. "Hamlin is the rest of it."
" 'BrLk' Hamlin?"
"Sometimes—delicate reference to
my hair, miss," and he took off his
hat, his gray eyes laughing. "Born
that way, but doesn't seem to inter-
fere with me much, since I was a kid.
You've heard of me then, Moylan? So
has our little friend. Gonzales, here."
The sober-faced sutler merely nod-
ded, evidently In no mood for pleas-
antry.
"Oh, ye're all right," he said finally.
"I've heard 'em say you was a fighter
down round Santa Fe, an' I know it
myself now. But what the hell are we
goin' to do. This yere stagecoach
"That's the one, and he is a bad
actor; saw him once over at Fort
Kearney t vo years ago. Had a coun-
cil there. Say!" in surprise, "ain't
that an Ogalla Sioux war bonnet bob-
bin' there to the right, Sergeant?"
Hamlin studied the distant feath-
ered head-dress indicated, shading uls
eyes with one hand.
"I reckon maybe it is, Moylan," he
acknowledged at last gravely. "Those
fellows have evidently got together;
We're going to huve the biggest scrap
this summer the old army has had yet,
Looks as though it was gohig to begin
right here—and now. See there! The
dance Is on, boys; there they come;
they will try it on foot this time."
He tested his rifle, resting one knee
on tho seat; Moylan pushed the bar-
rel of his Winchester out through the
ragged hole In the back of tho coach
and the little Mexican luy flat, his
eyes on tho level with the window-cas-
ing. The girl alone remained motion-
less, crouched on the floor, her white
face uplifted.
The entire field stretching to the
river was clear to the view, the short,
dry buffalo-grass offering no conceal-
ment. To the right or the coach, some
fifty feet away, was the only depres-
sion, a shallow gully leading down
from the bluff, but this slight advan-
tage was unavailable. The sun had al-
ready dropped from view, and the
gathering twilight distorted the fig-
ures, making them almost grotesque
in their savagery. Yet they could be
clearly distinguished, stealing silent-
ly forward, guns la hand, spreading
out In a wide half-circle, obedient to
the gestures of Roman Nose, who. still
mounted upon his pony, was travers-
ing the river bank, his every motion
outlined against the dull gleam of wa-
ter behind him. From the black
depths of the coach the three men
watched in almost breathless silence,
gripping their weapons, fascinated,
determined not to waste a shot. Gon-
zales, under the strain, uttered a fierce
Spanish curse, but ilamlln crushed his
arm between iron fingers.
"Keep still, you fool!" ho muttered,
never glancing around. "Let your gun
talk!"
The assailants came creeping on,
snakes rather than men, appearing
less and less human in the increasing
shadows. Twice the Sergeant lifted
his Henry, sighting along the brown
barrel, lowering the weapon again in
doubt of the distance. He was con-
scious of exultation, of a swifter pulse
of the heart, ye* his nerves were like
steel, his grip steady. Only a dim
fleeting memory of the girl, half hid-
den In the darkness behind, gave him
uneasiness—he could not turn and
look Into her eyes. Roman Nose was
advancing now at the center of that
creeping half circle, a hulking figure
perched on his pony's back, yet well
out of rifle range. He spread his
hands apart, clasping a blanket, look-
ing like a great bird flapping its wings,
and the ground in front flamed, the
red flare splitting the gray gloom. The
speeding bullets crashed through the
leather of the coach, splintering the
wood; the Mexican rolled to the floor,
uttering one inhuman cry, and lay mo-
tionless; a great volume of black
smoke wavered in the still air.
"Wait! Wait until they get to their
feet!" Hamlin cried eagerly. "Ah!
there they come—now unlimber."
He saw only those black, Indistinct
figures, leaping out of the smoke, con-
verging on the coach, their naked
arms uplifted, their voices mingling in
savage yells. Like lightning he worked
Ills rifle, heart throbbing to the ex-
citement, oblivious to all else; almost
without realization he heard the deep-
r bellow of Moylan's Winchester, the
sharp bark of a revolver at his very
Gonzales was all right, then!
Good! He never thought of the girl,
never saw her grip the pistol from the
Mexican's dead hand, and crawl white-
faced, over his body, to that front seat.
All he really knew was that those dev-
ils were coming, leaping, crowding
through tho smoke wreathes; he saw
them stumble, and rise again; he saw
one leap into the air, and then crash
face down; he saw them break, cir-
cling to right and left, crouching as
they ran. Two reached the stage—
only one! One pitched forward, a re-
volver bullet between his eyes, his
head wedged in the spokes of the
wheel; the Other Hamlin struck with
niptied rifle-barrel as his red hand
gripped the door, Bending him sprawl-
ing back into the dirt. It was all the
work of a minute, an awful minute, in-
tense, breathless—then silence, the
smoke drifting away, the dark night
hiding the skulking runners.
CHAPTER VI.
The Condition in the Coach.
Mechanically—scarcely conscious of
"Do As I Say," He Growled. "This li
Our Fight.'
ain't much of a fort to keep off a
bunch o' redskins once they git their
mad up. Them muskot bullets go
through like the sides was paper, an' I
reckon we ain't got no oversupply o'
ammunition—I know I ain't fer this
Winchester. How long do yer reckon
we kin hold out?"
Hamlin's face became grave, his
eyes also turning toward the river.
The sun was already sinking low In
the west, and tho Indians, gathered In
council out of rifle-shot, wore like the action—the Sergeant slipped fresh
shadows against the glimmering water i cartridges into the hot rifle chamber,
beyond. ! swept the tumbled hair out of his eyes
"They'll try us again Just before i wlth hia 8h,rt sU eve« and 8tari>d !nto
dark," he afHrmed slowly, "but more | n*8ht. "e °°uld hardly compre-
cautlously. If that attack falls, then | hend yet that the affair was ended,
they'll endeavor to creep in, and take I 80C0n(l attack repulsed. It was
us by surprise. It's going to be a a delirium fever; he almost ex-
clear night, and there Is small chance ,),>cted to Heo tho8<' motionless bodies
for even an Indian to hide in that buf- outstretched on the grass spring up,
falo-grass with the stars shining. They defiance. Then he gripped
have got to come up from below, for | himself flrmly^, realizing the truth it
no buck could climb down this bluff
without making a noise. I don't see
why, with decent luck, we can't hold
out as we are until help gets here;
those fellows who rode away will re-
port at Canon Bluff and send a rider
on to Dodge for help. There ought to
be soldiers out here by noon tomor-
row What troops are at Dodge now?"
'Only a single company—Infantry,
was over with for the present; away
off there In the haze obscuring the riv-
er bank those indistinct black smudges
were fleeing savages, their voices wail-
ing through the night. Just in front,
fprmless, huddled where they had
fallen, were the bodies of dead and
dying, smitten ponies and half nakrd
All He Really Knew Was That Those
Devils Were Coming, Leaping,
Crowding.
on the floor for both his feet. He
could perceive now a distant star
showing clear through the ragged
opening Jabbed In the back of the
coach, but no outline of the sutler's
burly shoulders.
"Moylan!" he called, hardly above a
whisper. "What is the trouble? Have
you been hit, man?"
There was no answer, no responding
sound, and he stood up, reaching kind-
ly over across the seat. Then he
knew, and felt a shudder run through
him from head to foot. Bent double
over the iron back of the middle seat,
w ith hands still gripping his hot rifle,
the man hung, limp and lifeless. Al-
most without realizing the act, Ham-
lin lifted the heavy body, laid it dowji
upon the cushion, and unclasped the
dead fingers gripping the Winchester
stock.
"Every shot gone," he whispered to
himself dazedly, "every shot gone!
Ain't that helH"
Then It came to him in a sudden
flash of intelligence—he was alone;
alone except for the girl. They were
out there yet, skulking in the night,
planning revenge, those savage foe-
men—Arapahoes, Cheyennes, Ogallas.
They had been beaten back, defeated,
wnltten with death, but they were In-
dians still They would come back for
the bodies of their slain, and then—
what? They could not know who were
living, who dead, in the coach; yet
must have discovered long since that
It had only contained three defenders.
They would guess that ammunition
would be limited. Ills knowledge of
the fighting tactics of the Plains
tribes gave clear vision of what would
probably occur. They would wait,
scattered out In a wide circle from
bluff to bluff, lying snake-like in the
grass. Some of the bolder might creep
in to drag away the bodies of dead
warriors, risking a chance shot, but
there would be no open attack in the
dark. That would be averse to all In-
dian strategy, all precedent. Even
now the mournful wailing had ceased;
Roman Nose had rallied his warriors,
instilled into theni his own uncon-
querable savagery, and set them on
watch. With the first gray dawn they
would come again, leaping to the
coach's wheels, yelling, triumphant,
mad with new ferocity—and he was
alone, except for the girl.
And where was she? He felt for
her on the floor, but only touched the
Mexican's feet. He had to lean across
the seat where Moylan's body lay,
shrouded in darkness, before his grop-
ing fingers came in contact with the
skirt of her dress. She was on the
front seat, close to the window;
against the lightness of the outer sky,
her head seemed lying upon the wood-
en frame. She did not move, he could
not even tell that she breathed, and
for an Instant his dry Hps failed him
utterly, his blood seemed to stop. Good
God! Had she been killed also? How,
in Heaven's name, did she ever get
there? Then suddenly she lifted her
head slightly, brushing back her hair
with one arm; the faint starlight
gleamed on a steel barrel. The Ser-
geant expelled his breath swiftly, wet-
ting his dry lips.
"Are you hurt?" he questioned
anxiously. "Lord but you gave me a
scare!"
She seemed to hear his voice, yet
scarcely to understand, like one
aroused suddenly from sleep.
"What! you spoke—then—then—
there are others? I—I am not here
all alone?" .
"Not if you count me," ho said, a
trace of recklessness in tho answer.
"I haven't even a scratch so far as I
know. Did ;hey touch you?"
"No; th.it is, I am not quite sure;
it—it was all so horrible I cannot re-
member. Who are you? Are you tho
—the soldier?"
"Yes—I'm Hamlin. Would you mind
telling me how you ever got over
there?"
She straightened up, seemed to no
tice the heavy revolver in her fingers,
and let it fall to the floor.
"Oh, It Is like a dream—an awful
dream. I couldn't help myself. When
the Mexican rolled off on to the floor,
I knew he was dead, and—and there
was his revolver held right out to mo
in his hand. Before I realized 1 had
it, and was up here—I—I killed one—•
he—he fell In the wheel; 1—I can
never forget that!"
"Don't try," broke in Hamlin earn-
u a „ a u . i ! ©Btly. 'You re all right," he added,
men. He drew a deep breath through „ ,„,i ,, , ,, .....
j admiration in his voice. "And so it
replied Moylan gloomily. "All the rest fcuiBh his comrades.
are out scouting 'long the Solomon.
Damned if I believe they'll send us a
man. Those two cowards will likely
report us all dead—otherwise they
•uldn't have any excuse for runnln
The interior of the coach was black,
and soundless, except for some one's
swift, excited breathing. As he ex-
tended his cramped legs to the floor
he touched a motionless body. Not
■and the commander will satisfy u,'til then had he realized the possi-
away
himself by sendln* a courier to the fel-
lers In tho field."
"Well, then," commented the Ser-
geant, his eyes gleaming, "we've slra-
ply got to flght It out alone, I reckon,
and hang on to our last shots. What
do you make of those reds?" ^
The three men stared for some time
nt the distant group over their rifles,
in silence.
"They ain't all Arapahoes, that's cor
tain," Bald Moylan at last. "Some of
'em are Cheyennes. I've seen that
chief before—it's Roman Nose.
blllty of death also within He felt
downward with one hand, his nerves
suddenly throbbing, and his finger
touched a cold face—the Mexican. It
must have been that last volley, for
he could distinctly recall the sharp
bark of Gonzales' revolver between
his own shotB.
"The little devil," he muttered sober-
ly. "It was a squarer death than he
deserved. He waB a game little cock."
Then he thought of Moylan, won-
...
clinched teeth, endeavoring to distin- „,„a „ ... ..
was you there with the small gun. I
heard it bark, but never knew Gon
sales was hit. When did it happen?"
"When—when they fired first. It—
it was all enioke out there when I got
to the window; they—they looked like
—like wild beasts, and it didn't seem
to me I was myself at all."
The man laughed lightly.
"You did the right thing, that's all,
he consoled, anxious to control her j
excitement. "Now you and 1 must j
decide what to do next—we are all |
alone."
"Alone! Has Mr. Moylan been hit j
also ?"
"Yes," lie answered, feeling it was
better to tell her frankly. "He was
shot, and is beyond our help. But
. come," and he reached over and took
"Tine Why the man did not move, or . her hand, "you must not give up now."
8Peak. That wan not like Moylan, He j She offered no resistance, but sat
"The big buck humped up on the! be;it forward, half afraid In the still- j motionless, her face turned away
roan?" ! ness, endeavoring to discover space | Vet she knew she trembled from head
to foot, the reaction mastering ner. A
red tongue of flame seemed to slit th«
outside blackness; there was a single
sharp report, echoing back from th*
bluff, but no sound of the striking bni
lot. Just an Instant he caught a
glimpse of her face, as she drew back,
Btartled.
"Oh, they are coming again! What
Bhall we do?"
"No," he Insisted, Btlll retaining her
hand, confident in his judgment
"Those fellows will not attempt to
rush us again tonight. You must
keep cool, for we shall need all our
wits to get away. An Indian never
rlBks a night assault, unless It is a
surprise. He wants to see what he Is
up against. Those bucks have got all
they want of this outfit; they have
no reason to suppose any of us were
hit. They are as much afraid as we
are, but when It gets daylight, and
they can see the shape we're In, then
they'll come yelling."
"But they can He out there in ths
dark and shoot," she protested. "That
shot was aimed at us, wasn't It?"
"I reckon It was, but it never got
here. Don't let that worry you; if an
Indian ever hits anything with a gun
it's going to be by pure accident." He
stared out of the window. "They're
liable to bang away occasionally, and
I suppose It Is up to us to make some
response Just to tell them we're
awake and ready. But they ain't flr-
"'Have to Guess the Distance,"
Muttered In Explanation.
lng expecting to do damage—only to
attract attention while they haul off
their dead. There's a red snake yon-
der now creeping along In the grass—
see!"
"No," hysterically, "It Is Just black
to me."
"You haven't got the plainsman's
eyes yet. Watch, now; I'm going to
stir the fellow up."
He leaned forward, the stock of the
Henry held to his shoulder, and she
clutched the window-casing. An In-
stant the muzzle.of the rifle wavered
slightly, then steadied into position.
"Have to guess the distance," he
muttered In explanation, and pulled
the trigger.
There was a light flash, a sharp
ringing report, a yell In the distance,
followed by the sound of scrambling.
Hamlin laughed, as he lowered his
gun.
"Made him hump, anyway," he com-
mented cheerfully. "Now what comes
next?"
"I—I do not know," she answered,
ns though the question had been asked
her, "do you?"
Somehow Bhe was not as fright-
ened as she had been. The calm
steady coolness of the man was hav-
ing its natural effect, was helping to
control her own nerves. She felt his
strength, hiB confidence, and was be-
ginning to lean upon him—he seemed
to know exactly what he was about.
"Well, no, honestly I don't; not
yet," he returned, hesitating slightly.
"Thero Is no use denying we are in a
mighty bad hole. If Moylan hadn't
got shot we might have held out till
help arrived; I've got about twenty
cartridges left; but you and I alone
never could do it. I've got to think it
out, I reckon; this has been a blind
fight so far; nothing to it but blaz-
ing away as fast as I could pull trig-
ger. Now, maybe, I can use my brains
a bit."
She could not Beo him, but Bome in-
stinct led her to put out her hand and
touch the rough sleeve of his shirt. It
made her sure of his presence, hia
protection. The man felt the move-
ment, and understood Its meaning,
his heart throbbing strangely.
"You are going to trust me?"
"Of—of course; how could
doubt that?"
"Well," still half questioning,
Bee I'm only an enlisted man,
Bometimes officers' ladles think
are mostly pretty poor stuff, just food
for powder."
Sho tightened her grip on hlB
Bleeve, drawing a quick breath of sur-
prise.
"Oh, but I am not like that; truly
I am not. I—saw your face this after-
noon, and—and I liked you then.
will do whatever you say."
"Thank you," ho said simply.
know that makes everything so much
easier for me. We shali have to work
together from now on. You keep sharp
watch at the window there, while I
think a bit—there's ordinarily a
chance somewhere, you know, If one
is only bright enough to uncover it"
How still the night was, snd dark;
athough tho Bky was cloudless, the
Btars sIwno clearly away up in the
black vault. Not even the howl of a
distant coyote broke the silence. To
tho left, seemingly H full half-mile dis-
tant, was tho red flicker of a flre,
barely visible behind a projection of
bank Hut in front not even the keen
eyes of the Sergeant could distinguish
any sign of movement. Apparently
the Indians nad abandoned their at-
tempt to recover tho bodies of their
dead.
(To be Continued.)
you
"you
and
I
"To
210 Acres for Sale in McClain County
$17.50 Per Acre.
This land is in section 21, township
8, range .V Large portion in cultiva-
tion. Long time on $2,100 at 7
cent; 8 miles from Norman. For
ticular* write Simmons & Bronaugh,
Hugo, Okla. 14.41
per
par-
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The Norman Democrat-Topic (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 24, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, April 25, 1913, newspaper, April 25, 1913; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc120174/m1/4/: accessed March 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.