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VWrep‘aid for what I

 

 

 

 

 I  

AN ADVElV’l'URE on THE PLAINS.

 

for one. 1.. 

 

I had occasion tocross the plains.
My companion and guide upon the journey,
' swell-known. “mountain man” who
was colledb , the cculiar, cliitcrative name
of“‘Hawk .eron. ’ . lie-had the reputation
of being a good hunter and. a most daring
and «determined Indian-fighter. He Was
rather. slight in figure, but wiry, and very
active infill «his movements; and moreover
he was what a woman would have called a
singular-1y handsome mam That is to say,
there was a peculiarity in his appearance
rendering it .at once prepossessing and pic-
turesque. His hunter’s orb, his bronzed
~omnplonion,”and ftdl~besr ed face, added to
this effect. ' v , A .
His nmnner was shrupt‘ and his speech
confined to as few words as possible. Taci-
turnity appeared to be his prevailing char-
acteristic, and I was told, before I left Fort
Badger, that, I would not find Hawk Heron
a. very sociable companion upon the road.
It was evgdenp that,  berg, among the
mountains.”Wflflie‘réppgstion of  odd.
This modem ifl'eren'ce' to mull wever; my
businessyreqt‘iiired that I shouldpush on at
 tothe . issouri, and so longas he Was
glide he might. suit his Wk humor
injreg'ar to conversatiOn upon the Way.  _I ;

1 Isthegbuilding of the Union Pacific

  

,“The'solitude of those Vast plains is all? to » ‘

’rendcr human nature more: congenial, an
 '_ fourlonelycumpetiresot night the guide
f-fi "awéd cinnamon ,and I found, res-any
tonisljmen’if thatwhewas’a man well ,éducs- ,
,ted,,f2iri1:iliar with? the smenities of sociolflife,
ma? fittedfio grgceva' prdmincnt position in

sxfietr~f” . ‘ ' '~ " i.
V ' ‘l out  the World, could ever “have in-
_%\106d ymrtq adopt thewil’d lifebf a hunter,

, cron iml ekelairncdfinvoluntafily. ' j

 He'smiled‘ bitterly. He lay by the fire,
and the flames lit up his features distinctly.
3‘ A, woman l” he answered: with ‘a'forCcd
laughf “ You might have guéésed that.” _ .
_ This then was acase of blighted afiection.
I had hardly deemed him "the kiudpf man
that would throw himself away for a wo-
man, slidil told him so. i i ' ‘
“ I duresay it looks afooliSh to you,” ‘he
replied? I“ And yet why shtiuld it? “To:
men-"control our ,dcstiniesf—sayi what We
will—43nd a-manin love, is a main out of‘his,

‘senses.”‘_"‘ ' ,

“In some respects," I responded; quali!
‘fying hisereinark, which I thought rather-
too sweeping.

“ Let me tell on my story,”».hc cried,
suddenly. “I-wilyl do so, even at the risk
of being thought a fool for my pains.”

I was rather pleased at the idea, fool had
conceived quite a friendship for this ecce‘n-,
trio manduring the few days we had been
thrown into‘eachbther’s company. '

“ Do so; by all means,” I rejoined; “ and»
be assured of finding a patient listener. “I

sweet smile and murmured thanks of the
pretty Alice, and I cared little for ,t‘hestudied
insolcncc of Mr. Yonder. I did7 not like
him from the first. I doomed him filled
with an overwcening conceit of his Own im-
portance. First impressions, I know, are
not always to be depended upon; but I
never found occasion afterward to change
thoscI formed concer‘ning Oliver Vandcr at
that moment. , ’ ~ _ .

“ The accident led to my becoming a
guest at Mr. Layden’s house—~, elegant
mansion on Murray Hill. Of course, I fell
desperately in leve :with Alice, that, was a
natural sequence; and though I knew I had
a. rival in Oliver Yonder, the discovery-of
that circumstance occasiOncd me but little
uneasiness, £1.91 was pretty sure that Alice
did not love him, and I thought she did
love me. Inspired by this hope, I avowed
my passion to her and was blessed With a
favorable answer; but there was an obstacle
in the way, and that obstacle was this in-
suffersble COXCinb of a cousin. The pet-
scheme of MurLayden’s: life was tofunite
the two branches of thev'family by’the mar-
riageof Alice and. Oliver, and thus secure
the Vander property to his randchildrenf—
consolidating once again t e two estates.
He had set his heart upon arich sonrinI-law,
and Iwas a peor'man, though I Could boast
us proud 9. name as his own; but moneys
of more account than blood in  World.
Lhad little hope of gaininghisgcon‘smt. ‘

was her ather’s darling—all he had'in‘life
to love, his wife having died many years

would be his first consideration. -
“I went to him in, an honorable marine

and made known my pretgensions to‘his

daughter’s hand. xTo my great surprise he

but if *I had Secured her reference he
would offer no objeCtion, but, that Alice
couldichoosc for herself. .  ,, . 
“I carried these glad tidings “to Alice, and
from that moment wc,were afianced. It is
not to be supposed that Oliver Vendor
would submit with a good , ' ‘
cessful rivalship. .Rich as he‘vwas'nlresdy,
still he coveted the additional wealth that a
marriage with his cousin Would bring him.
He was continually throwing out slurs about
my poverty before Alice, and sti matizing
me, covertly, as an adventurer an fortunes

did so at the earnest entrcaty of Alice.
“I think he contrived to poison her mind
against me. She was continually going to

     

 

different places of ‘ w cut in his (igni-
pany, to which, s  objectedhpfi‘ some
day aviolent “oltook place  us.

 
 

She taunted?  with or
charged  With caring  o

tune than I _ did for herself. The taunt
stung me to madnesst rushed from her
presence fuliyrtisolv '
her face again. ,1;   , x,
“ Three ,days ,aftgr  e.st

 

merit of'r-‘her
iver Vandé '

 

   
 

    

 

am anxious to hear something of the history
bf so distinguished-a humor as Hawk He":

,9

'I‘On.‘ -

“ Pshaw l” he replied, impatiently. “My
name is not Hawk~my name  Edward
Heron." - ‘  - .

“ Where did the Havvk come from theirs”,

“"011! from somerof the Indians—J led
several attacks upon them, pouncing down
upon them ‘like “a? hawk,’ as my comrades
said, and from that circumstance came the
name. Ones‘siways gets seme distinguish:
big name among dismountain men. The.
Indians call me ‘ Hawk’ altogether.

“ The name seems very applicable,” I r ‘- 3
turned, glancing at his slight figure, sharp-g
cut features, and restless, bright e es. ‘ s

“ Oh, yes,” he answered, careless y. “ You ;
will scarcely credit it, perhaps, but a dozen
of these red warriors of the plains, Sioux or _
Cheyennos, will fly like frightened sheep zit ‘
the snort of my mustan' , (who seems to
hate on Indian instinctive -), never waiting ‘
for the pounce of the ‘ fiaWk.’ I travel.
these plains with impunity, protected by‘
my reputation as an Indian-fighter—a repu— 5
ration acqirire’d by the many reckless iat-
tempts whichI have madevt-o: throw away '
my life. That lifezhns been strangely pre-
served—so strangely that my comrades, in
thme wild fights with the Indians, firmly
believe that I bearacharmed life, andfthat
neither “knife, arrow, 91-1 bullet  depriVe
me of if, , _ ,_  .  .

“ Do you share "in this superstition ?”’_I
asked, curiously. ‘

H 

_ ‘f  course not,” he, answered.
very recklessness of ‘_ danger has proved .m
safeguard. ; I Could not throw away the li e
I was so wear of, although I tried" hard
enough, You ook at, me in wonder; on
can iiot‘understand, probably, that 3.1mm
§§isgside”of thirty should grow tired of his

E . H .

I confeSsed that I bould‘not.

“ The solution is very simple,” he c0n-~
tinned. “I will tell on what drove me to
this Wilderness, and “‘e wild life I am lead-
ing. Five years a o I held a lucrative po-
sition in armerCautile house in New York .
city. Onelduy,7hoving occasion to cross the 
river on~ "some business in Brooklyn, the-
ferry-boat came in contact with a sailing-
boat upon the river, through the mismanage-
ment of the party in the boat, which con—
sisted of two :gcntlcmtm and a lady. The

V

sailing-boat Was upset; ‘ I saw the lady strug- . *

gling in thewater, her male companions:
being unablegto“ render her j any assistanc: i
and, ‘on the spur of the moment, I throw 0%" ’
my coat and plun ed into the river.” ‘
i ‘y‘ It was nobl tone !” I cried. W]
,_“‘,So everyb y said at‘the time,_’"hc con-
tinned, carelessly; “As a swimmer, I Was
very proficient and I had'littlc difficultyin
keeping the lady’s head above the water um
triwe were, drawn on board the. £3 ' boat;
and 3 ve ' pretty head it was, as could
 even in the excitement and peril of our
fif‘Heii finale friends hold; been rescued by
meats/“fog ’rbpes thrown .to them, and we
dripping thewster from our deluged
g rhents,jsurroundedby an admiring and
.cumousg‘throng of spectators on the f‘deck of
the boat: :I‘th‘ein léarned thatpth'é lady I
_ (i saved, 2(forthey would insist upon it
 had saved her ms, was Alice Layden,
mijgughterof =9. prominent and .wealth
“.351  ong’ew York; and that her ma ‘0
00mm“ wereflherfather, and her cousin,
_ .. - OliYet‘Vander, a scionof'an old Knick-
erbockerismp : . . , , , »
. "“ was profuse in hisexe
mgegft  and’éaidathe blamei ’of
 .  f 3' bier”- ‘ "
itentirelytohis care   - an er’ impm “3

d , .  “Vendor treat-
6 .313er??? 3111391131 “13', but I was more

   

, my shoulder, and as, ’I ‘struggled from“ the

, reach this timber they will be so. e.”

~ piece of timber, charge’them fillijtil , and

NewYo
to get} 

. _,,_n§, V
fects into- roe
great West. ,
ing—partyfof ,
and gr ‘ * ‘

  

“ I suppos

“ Then you

“ No; I he”
that dayéto th

“Do you stub _
tlc curiously. 

“No; not a. bit!” ‘  . , _
“but come, I have kept youiilongenoug ,
awake with mystupic story; sleep now,
and I will watch until the day breaks.”

I reclined before the fire, and was soon
fast asleep. Our little camp was in aclump
[of timber on the bank of a small stream.
The trees effectuall hid our fire from‘any
roving bands of In ians that , might chance
to pass along the open prairie. ‘

_How long I slept 1 know not, but I was
Suddenly aroused by a strong grasp upon

    

lethargy of sleep, I heard the report of; ri-
fles, faint in the distance, Coming over the
prairie. I saw the face [of Heron bending
over one, and started" up. The day had
broken, and die gray 1i ht streamed down
throu h the branches 0 i the trees. ; '

“II but is it 2’”: I cried, hurriedly. ' _ .

“ A party of hunters chased by a band of
Indians,” he answered. "‘ Tliey are making
a running fightrof' it, and if the ' can only

“ Can, they do that?” I, asked. ‘

Y He; shook his head ‘dubiouslfy. ,

_ “I‘fcar not,” heireplied. fi'l‘hcir horses
appear I to be jpdcd, and the Indians are
gaining fast upon them. There is a my to
save them,” he added, with a- keen lodk in
my face, “if you dare attempt it with me.”

I“ I’m y‘omfi man,” I‘cried, a little settled
b the doubt implied upon my courage.
“ ’ll second (you in whatever you do.”

' He gras o my hand fervently. "

‘* Good !’ he responded; “ there’s the ring
of true metal in you. My plan is this i' let
us mount our horses, take these Indians in
the flank, which we/can do by skirt! “ this

give them the contents of our rifles. Whey
will be dismayed b this suddeii attack,
and the fugitives‘tvil have time to gain the
[shelterof these trees. Half: odoch deter-
mined men‘oould hold a thousand of these
red horsemen at bay here, for theynever. at-
tack on'foot, and their arrows are not of
much recountpg‘sinst rifle-bullets.”  ,
 The next instsntiwe wcrc in the“; Saddle,
wrtlrrlfle in. hand, riding qui’cklythroug‘h
the trees. wecmer ed‘upon the ’“plainmi
full, view of the fugitives and theirpursucrs.
The fugitives consisted of fpur persOns, and,
(to our; great surprise, One of them ‘ was “a.
woman.  They were nurgixng their horses
tgward‘thc chimp of timber, while close be-
hind their), yelling like demons,‘came twon-
tyégt least, of the fierce, red warriorsiof the
121 ms; v ‘ ‘ ‘ I
"There waslitfle hope for the fogitivoé, if
our charge did not save them. Ishlvered
as I observed the odds against us“, and
glanced at Hawk Heroo, and that, glance
reassured me. His , eyes were fairlyiablazc,
slid. 'every‘featurc "in his face quiveregl, with
oxmtement. His emotion Was contagious.

 

had done by the .

 

. . , 4 _ , . “ Alice—Alice Laydenl”
‘5 Alice however, was more hopeful. ‘ She ‘

before, andshe thought that her happiness _

received 111 propOSition in » aver-y affable;
manner, tol me that hehad ho ed that Al-
ice would, eventually, marry Oliver Yonder, _

grade tolmy suc- .

hunter; it was by a strong effort that I re- i
frsined from quarreling with him; and 1“

' “Now,” he said, “yell as loud as our
lungs will permit, but dornot fire untf we
are close upon them, and then makefsure of
your man. Remember,,there is ugwoman,
and we must save her sny’tvay. 3,6,!” ‘
We went. ‘The'ho‘rses ‘d‘ashed'over the
plain, and the guideshoutedand yelled out
hisname, something after the manner of a
knight of old uttering his bottle-,cry,_and I
‘ screamed until I was hours  The savages,
amazed by this unlocked-mi, attack, reined
hr. their horses, who reared ,yupOn their
hauncheS. We gave them fige‘point-blenk,
emptying two saddles; andthe next mo—
ment the Indians were flyingfleetly over
the plain. .. '  r  '
Never was a victory more c *in achi’cVed.
\Ve rode back to the timber, “‘1’ etc we, found
the fugitives waiting to receive us. , '
V “ You are the very” man We are looking
for,” cried one of the party, an old hunter,
advancing to Heron and saluting him as an
old acquaintance as_he_g.dismounted. ,“ We
’ve‘got afemalellere that’s been a-looking‘
for You.’.,’ . .  " f __ ‘ 
“ A female ?”_ echoed Heron, in the great-
est surprise. _ ‘ '
The woman who had forme

d Lone  the

pursued party now Itimidly approached
Heron. _ ‘_ i  ‘ _, " 
“ Edward l’l..she murmured, gen

“ Geod heavens !‘——"—Alice 1” Vhe‘zexc aimed.
“ Yes,” she answered, with oligarch smile.

The next, instant they were locked. in
each other’s arms. Thohunters and my;
self dregw back discreetly and allowedthe
lovers to enjoy this unexpected re—union.

- Heron 8.9023 beckoned to me, '59 5.0.111! ihfim;
introduced me to the pretty lice, and
made known to medic explanation shelled
given him. i
. Their. separation had been the resultof
an ingenious plot between Mr. Layden and
Oliver Vander. Her father had never 
tended that she ,slrbuld marry Heron, but
had been.too..pclitie to openly oppose their
union, knowing that love always thrives un-
der persecution ;'butccvertly he used every
effort to pershadehis daughter that his
moneynnd nether affection was the object
“of .Heron’s attention. Oliver Vendor did
his best to confirm this impression in her
mind, and thus led her to entertain suspi-
cionswlriehlcd to the quarrel andestrange-
ment. The announcement in the newspo:
perzhadzbeen inserted by Oliver, without
anyfoun‘dation in truth; andwhcn she saw
it, she refused to hold any further acquaint»

once with him. '  .. . .

She strove in vain to ascertain whither,
Heron had gone, the roving life he had
adopted making it impossible to trace him;
but when her father died and, she was left
in solo possessi I his property, she do»
terminde to man ,Wlidh she was

 
     
   

  
 

  

     

 

 

or to look upon ,

the onnounce- ,
riagc with 01 .

   

    
 

  

‘ glanced over his sleeping companions. ,

' theirhorrid ritesl‘j And  these  are

n. oaniders .

fi ' e curs of his
pi’easbre to

g " (1 guide  x ‘

  
    
 
 

sass

 j _  . young man, who v'
toward-'iufmountain range abouts
distant. _

“ Do you think those Indians are camped
over yonder ‘2” was the Yankee-like reply.

“ That’s what I sed, want it? Yes, I jest
abéut‘know it. But what of um: ‘2”

“ I was thinking about the prisoner they
had with "them; Tell! ye what, Hicklcy,
’twas a white girl; I’m sure? of it t” ' ,

“Mont be; but ‘more like ’twas a she-
‘greaser'they lied.” - w

“ You‘bct,” spoke the'other'trapper, Wat
Neals‘on. “One they swooped up from
pome “out—o’-the-'way ranche doer the val-
e.” , , I ,__, _

' “ I stood nearerthan you to the partyfre-
member, When they passed our place ,of
concealment,” was Mortimer Renf‘rew’s’ re-
ply. “ I’ll bct‘tiie price of our unite‘slipacks
’twas a white girl.”  ‘ _

“ Oh, yerwill,‘ei1?” said"‘IealSOn.‘ “ Wal,
how’rc ye gwine iter git at“ t, 11653? T/iwr’s
the p’int.” ' ” ' '

“Exactly. I’ll, tell you. ' By leaving our
‘ packs here and ‘ sterdinrr a march on their
camp 2‘ Tell *you what Itis, boys, I feel I an
interest in that prisoner, whoever she is, “that
I can’t account for. And then we might
get a chance; to liberatehcr; who knows!”
' “ Ur ye a dumedj fool, Mort, say, or ye?”
askedHickley, in scruff voice. “I know
now yOu’re iniairnist. ’ ' 5

“Then you think the risk too great, do
you ‘3’? .  , ,

“ Tew great! Huh! Talk of us three
tryin’ tcr git upris’ner lwnyfmm fifty N av—
ajer Injuns;j_- Idon’t doubtifscch things hes
ben dun ’mon the eastern tribes ;, but the
idea of tryin’ it on 7mong a passel of Nava-
jer hossmcn’ on the War-trail! Ole Ike Hick~
1ey’s worked tew hard fur the past tew
mcnths t‘er reek his skulp a‘u’ beaver on eny
sichoirdertakin’ l Thar ’tisiuplumb' l” ' '

“ Bes’ thing we kin devv‘s tor bunk down;
’cos ’afore this-time ter-morrer I’m bound tor
be in Santa Fe with these traps!” said Neal-
son. ~ " "

But little moi-ewes said. ‘ Mort Renfrew,
whatever his thoughtsn'elapsed into'silence,
and his companions Were soon buried, in
slumber. ‘ p i  I

An hour passed, finding young‘Renfrcw
~et awake and somewhat ‘entci‘te‘d. ’ At
engtli he rose to a sitting posture and

“It’s strange!" he muScd.’ “I Seem to
see the face of that (girl-Iprimncr, and can’t
get it out o’ my min . , no to think she’s
at this very moment “not more than five
miles aWay~destilied tube the mistreSS of
a chieflor perh'nps-Tsscrificed: in some of

rights-to measure any

- r fling for’hc‘ratoo
Wildmbwndr’ ‘   - :

 

If the Indians had been a hundred instead
of twenty, I should not have hesitated;

 

 
   
       
  
    
  
 
  
         
     
 

  
   

 

 

_ > He lay down gamma, his compamofis;
But sleep he could not. , Flitting before his

 

,mental vision‘was, a wild,ag6piziidflface,
‘ with ‘eyes’impmring him for help,“
u.

, ,. He had
not ‘ been near enough “ to dist guish the
features of the prisoner as she was hurried
along ; l but, pow, in his excited imagination,
he Saw't’hgfii as those of one he had long
lost sight Of and hopcd't‘o forget. I r ' r
“Good‘Go‘d 1" he at last muttered, half-
oloud, a ain rising upf “Is it a presenti-
ment ‘8 hen why do those, loved'features,
full of agony, present themselves as they
have not before during three years? No—
no_—‘—’tis impossible! It‘s allfancy—fan'c of
the worst ‘kindffor it‘revives the old reel-
ing which 1, till now, thought buried (for—
ever??~ ‘ ',.‘ * _ is .‘ r _-~
Glancing again over his) sleeping com-
rades, he; Walked lightly afwa to“ where
their horses were tethered‘in a ‘ eepthicket.
He assured himself the animals were secure
and then turned back; but do what he
might, the piCtfiTe Of  face, white with
fear, became more undfmbre impressed on
his niind.‘ A ; if   " “

"“- I’ll go i” he muttered at lost; “go alone,
to the Navajo campfif Idie’for‘itl, Some-
thing s’e‘cms’to urgé’md and I’ll obey. If it
be onlya morbid fanc , I'nlonewshall suffer
for it. ,Andfsupposc "do die? who’s there
to mourn for  ‘_eXCept;;’thesc *ttvo rough,
though ‘noblcihcarted, men. bio—I won’t
woke, thcm.‘ Theyld only oppre me,gand.I
ought not try top‘ersuude them? Besides, if
any thingoan‘ be done, cone:szqu ’be' more
apt td‘succe‘ed than three.“ ' 3’

, He hgd, while, thuswmusing,itu ed back
toihe sideii‘Of his horse, which hoy‘now led
noiselessly away, till, he reaclidd ‘th e; ‘ stream
running itfitofig‘il‘t‘fhé ' 08119114 ', Then 1 111911.111:-
ing,” he rode , into the water andgdirécted‘his
éOtirSe- ddwnestreamg After going ‘j’af mile,
he" turned from, tlie;cunbh, and enteredjtlhfe
heavy timber be‘YOnd- A’n‘ hounloriger, and
he feun‘d himse f“ at’the‘edge-of‘ a narrow
valley whose “op )o‘s'ite‘ side was overshadow-
ed by rocky cliffs, a thousand feet high.

,Igie halted in the decp‘gloom of the tim-
b‘er,‘a;nd'gazed intently northward; ’ Half a
mile away, the, valley secmpd to; end in. low
cliffs, and huge- bevvlders' thanked“ evidently
thundered down from the‘dizzy hights on
his left. but he,sawnssignfasiyeg, for: the
Navajo coin“  ,Hfad‘, the band ‘IDaSSBd on ‘3
They‘;,were fggrjt‘ifinl fno't. on.th side of the

wouiil have deteetcd them

valley, else _ I ,
through the pale starlight. ' ‘   ,

'~ But his searChing eye Soon distinguished
an openingto theextremc north-west of the
valley,’le_adincr,”hejdoubted'not, out of the
mOu‘ntains.‘ ' QPerhaps the \ Navajocs were
camped near the spot, tetlicring"their horses
in the cactus thicket which he made out,
just beyond.

He saw that,b scouting up half a mile
along the edge 0 the timber,  could turn
to theleftand gain a: point ofbbservstion
from the lowchfi's and bgwlders. - Securing
his horsefli‘e begun to’stcitl‘furward on foot,
first seeing that  knife and revolvers were
in their accustomed pgaces. ‘

It wasp} ,  halfv‘our before/:hegained
ihe covet, “position- Looking down, his

iscene which thrilled him with

distant appeared a low, has-
tent, hitherto concealed
groups of cactus. Around
 la {Broiled in their
’\ _  " jinslumber!

 {therefi ’ “muttered the] young
 .‘f The tent we “rooted to shield
her from {the cold air' These wretches
Yue their." ri'ze. ‘ be done ‘2”
r ’ The ex-

 en

     
    
    

       
 
     
  
 
 

  

 
   
 

      

  

> e- 
erssjust? a
-. _ _ r gthe tent, and, once
," edit- ,s‘ooudetcrmine the number
Within. Asfor the rest—God help me i”
VVit-h the softness and agility of a cat, he
left his position, and began worming him-
self through the coarse grass toward the
tent.
when, a dark figure arose near the tent, and,
glancing ,fpr zigmomcnt over the ‘slumbéring
warriors, darted within! :‘But,  the mo-
mentary pause ,made, the trapper saw that
it was that of ‘an Indian girl! ' ‘
He lay‘close‘to‘the grOund, notyet darin‘
to move. Meantime Wild speculationsfilled

 
  
  
   

  

his mind as to the Indian girl’s object ‘
What meant her stealthy movements? ,Did '

she design to help the “prisoner I to escape?
If so, what strange metivc prompted her?
To advance further asyc't would‘be’ use:
less; and in deep suspense he awaited de-
velopments.  ‘_ ‘ p _
Ten minutes passed, seeming! an hour to
the excitedtrapper. Then he sawthe In-
dian girl,cautiously cmer emfr'om the rude
tent and glance anxious y ’ around. Evi-
dently  satisfied that none of the war-
riors had proved, she made a gesture to
someone behind, who began at once to fol—
low her, both crowding 'onvhand’ and knee
toward the base of the low clifl'sl
They'crcpt on, in a line that would take
them close to the lurking white. He mark-
ed their progress, alm‘OSt holding his breath.
At 19.51; the passed him, and having gained
the clifi‘s, c arted n‘oiselessly Up among the
dwarfed shrubberycovcring its sides! ‘ I
The moment they disappeared, their silent
watcher crept hurriedly after them. He
hadnoted a circumstance which confirmed

r his theory in rco‘ard to, the Indian girl. She

had disguised/the pri’soner'uifliom she was
assisting to escape. Neverthelessthe trap-

per had penetrated - it sufficiently  know

that the 'priSOner= was white”! ,  V _,
“ “ It is she ! " Merciful God, ,Ifalm'ost know
if!” he almbst; uttered in his'fexcitement‘.’

“ That souwihz‘ngiwhifll urged me upon  ,

adventure—Jams spresrantnnentl” V ,

With a, silent prayérfioGod for success,
he‘darted‘ou to overtake and relieve the In-
dian girl of her self-imposed task. ‘

He did notfor a moment forget the neces—
sity‘of extreme caution. He must not only
oycrtake the two, but manage to make
known, fhis‘ ,preSenc’ef and object without
alarming  Jiqi‘kne‘jw the avajoes
spoke Spanish"; and; ltljllat tongue, doubted
not to make himself uridersfobd by the In-
(“anéfifl-. fl. ". “‘ . ,

_ ' Thesethoughtssuggestod themselves 'with
lightning rapidity. ‘ 0t three minutes .
elapsed before he caught, sight Of the fugi—
tives as they disappeared gthrou h a cleft m
the rocks, which opened into t e, northern
passage from the valley.  ‘ , _ ,

With cat-like bounds he followed, and in
a moment  through the Cleft. But a

 

But, he had not advanced five yards, :

- FREE

 scene me: his view which" heidi'i‘lrim moqu
‘ less withwondcr and new fearsl ,

A powerfully—built Indian warrior stOod
beside a horse about twentyfeet distant, on
the opposite side of the assage. And to—

' ward him, the Indian gir [was partly lead-
: ing, partly dragging, the startled prisoner!

The young I trapper had just time to take
in the “scene when the Warrior advanced.
meeting the Indian girl and her ‘recoiling
charge! , ' ,_ A ' I

“ You have done Well, Mencken!” said
the warrior, softly, in good Spanish. 5‘ You
see I am‘ ready. Do you think your win--
riors suspect that the Apacheichief, "War
Tongue, has fellovved them for days?”

“ No l” she saic , “ nor that Mcnbkeu,.Wife
of a Navajo chief, fears a white rival,~ I
might have‘killed‘thewhite sqhaw, but'n‘ot
without being suspected. The tokens——
quick 2” ’ " L

"‘ Here i” he answered,handing her an ar-
row and war-plume. , ’

“ It is well,’? she said. “New go quick!
Take the pale squat-w where Big Paw can
never s‘ce lie-regain! With these Comanche
tokens, he will vbelieve‘so‘me during” warrior
of that tribe has stolen his prize 1”

She turnedaway, leaving “(or Tongue
grasping the arm of his prisoner, who glanced
wildly after“ the retreating figure of Mono-
ken. As the latter disappeared,,." the poor
girl made‘a sudden sprin”,”but was quickly
secured by the Apache chief, who smothered
{he despairing scream' that burst from her

ipsl'w __  ‘ ‘ - f

At that moment a‘ figure b’Ound‘ed behind
the Indian; fingers of steel clutched his
throat, ands. keen blade-Was buried to the
hilt in his heart. A brief struggle and the
wretch lay motionless before Mort chfrew!

“Hist, girl i” said the latter, in an ex-
cited, though assuring veice, as he raised
her from the ground. ‘ ‘“ It is a friend—yOu
aresaved—come on!”  ' ’ 

The English voice reaSSured her at once,

and she obeyed, hurrying with his assistance,
through the narrow cleft. As they did so,
a. wild commution was heard“ in the camp
below. , , j-
7 “ Thank Heaven !” whispered tlre'trap‘per,
as they halted for a moment. “They have
missed you, but have heard the gallop ,' of
W’ar Tonguc’s horse up the ravine at the same
time. The whole pack ’11 follow in that di-
rection, an’ now’s our time 1”

They pressed on with little fear of‘being
seen or heard; fer already were the Nava-

‘ joes galloping in the centrary direction.

In a short time the daring trapper reach-
ed the spot where‘his faithful horse awaited
him.» But not the steed alone. Two crouch-
ing fi ure's sprung up !

“ 4 ort Renfrew ! is it you ‘3”

“ Hicklcy! Nealson !”

“’Tis him, Wat; ’tis the cuss, an’ he’s
done it i” cried the old man, joyfully, as he
saw the panting figure in the young man’s
arms.

“Who?” gasped the girl. “ That'nam‘e!
18 it Mortimer?” r ‘ ‘

“ Yes, Clam Edson, for it 2'3 you, thank
God i” .

With a suppressed cry of joy she threw
herself upon his breast. "

“’Oh, Mortimer, my prayers are answer-
ed! ‘ ‘ '

“For which I will ever thank God, who
sent inc a prescn’timcnt that a loved one
was in danger,” he said, holding her to his
heart.

“ Wal, Hickley,” whispered Nealson.

“ No more 0’ that—now—Mort—ole boy,”
said the other, with a suspicious tremor in
his voice. “Take my horse, as ’ll carry
double. We must git cont 0’ this in double
quick!” _

In an hour they passed their former
camp, pressing on with all speed toward
Santa Fe, some forty miles distant. At.
daylight they halted and breathedthcir
animals, having heard no signs of pursuit.
And then Clara Edson’s story was told. ‘

Her father, a wealthy ‘St.’ Louis merchant,
had been ruined in business, and, with his
‘wife and child, came on to try his fortunes
in the Far West. Twoda ’3 out from *‘El
Paso, their train had been attacked by In-
dians; and, though they succeeded in heat-
ing the Navajoes off, it was net till a num-
ber had been killed, and Clara taken pris:
oncr. For nearly a week had she beenin
the hands of the Navajoes. . ,

Before noon the little party entered Santa
Fe, where Clara found lief“ parents, who
were nearly distracted with grief. Their
jo may be imagined. _  _ ” 

infred Ed'son hadpno longer ‘any‘scrw
ples in permitting 'younv Mortimer Renfrew
to become his sen-inflow; for the once
proud and haughty ‘m‘erchsnt Was ng'w
changed. The young .couple were soon
united in marriage, and in a few years ic-
turned to the city of their birth,i,ribh,'not
only in worldly posseSsions, butin domestic
love and happiness. ‘  1’ , 7 , ' 

 

 

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BEADLE’S DIME I .
BABE-BALL [PLAYER FOR' 1871.

This edition comprises the-New Rules and Aver-

 

‘ ages. Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual Con.

Ventlon, together Wilh the Amended rules Adopted,
Rules for the Formation of Clubs, Instructionsfor
Pla era, and the Base-bull Averages of 1870». Edited
by enry Chadwick. . .,
The tenth animal edition of the Dime Ease-Ball
Player for 1871 will soon be published, and will
prove to be the most accurate and reliable edition in
the market, having 1‘ r Several yearsbeen the recog-
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throughout the country. Price Ten; Cents. ,

For sale by all newsdeulers and booksellers ; or
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