FOES IN AMBUSH.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 26, 22 September 1894, Page 13

FOES IN AMBUSH.

BY CAPTAIN CHARLES KING

Author of * The Deserter ’ ‘ The Colonel’s Daughter ,’ ‘ A Soldier’s Secret,’ Bfc.

[ALL BIGHTS BESEBVED.]

CHAPTER VI.

A new May morning was breaking, its faint rosy light warming the crests of Santa Maria, when Lieutenant Drummond, signalled ' halt to his little band, the first halt since leaving Moreno’s at half past two. Down in a rocky canyon a number of hoofsprints on the trail diverged to the left and followed an abrupt descent, while the waggons had kept to the right and by a winding and more gradual road seemed to have sought a crossing farther to the west. It was easy to divine that, with such elements in the gang, there had been no long separation between the horsemen and the treasure they were guarding, and eager as he was to overtake the renef;ades, Drummond promptly decided o follow the hoof-tracks, rightly conjecturing, too, that they would bring him to water in the rocky tanks below. Dismounting and leading his big sorrel he sprang lightly from ledge to ledge down what seemed to be a mere goat trail, each man in , succession dismounting at the same point, and, with more or less elasticity, coming on in the footsteps of his leader. The faint wan light of early dawn was rendering neighbouring objects visible on the sandy plain behind them, but had not yet penetrated into the depths of the gorge. Lying far to the west of the Tucson road, this was a section of the country unknown to any of the troops, and with every prospect of a broiling ride across the desert, ahead so soon as the sun was up, no chance for watering their horses could ■he thrown away. J ust as h• expected, Drummond found the descent becoming more gradual, and in a moment or two the bottom of the dark rift was found, and presently, keeping a keen look-out for the reflection of the stars still lingering overhead, the leading men were rewarded and halted at the edge of a shining pool of clear, though not very cool water, and the horses thrust their hot muzzles deep into the wave. Here, shaded by the broad-brimmed hats of white felt, such as the Arizona trooper of the old days generally affected, a match or two was struck and the neighbourhood searched for sign. The rocks around the tank were dry, the little drifts of sand blown down from the overhanging height were smooth. Whatever splashing had been done by the horses of the outlaws, there had been abundant time for it to evaporate, therefore the command could not thus far have gained very rapidly on the pursued. But Drummond felt no discouragement. Up to this point the way had been smooth, sufficiently hard to make wheeling an easy matter. The waggons had been lugged along at brisk trot, the attendant cavaliers riding at lively lope. Now, however, there would be no likelihood of their making such time. The ambulance could only go at a slow walk the rest of the way, and the guards must remain alongside to protect the stolen funds, not so much from envious outsiders as from one another. Pasqual Morales showed his accustomed shrewdness when he forbade that anyone should try to burst into the safe and extract the money, for well he knew that if divided among the men there would be no longer a loadstone to hold them together, to call for their fiercest fighting powers if assailed. The instant the money was scattered, the gang would follow suit, and be left to meet the cavalry single-handed. The horses of the little detachment were not long in slaking their thirst. The noiseless signal to mount was given, and, following in the lead of their young lieutenant, the troopers rode silently down the winding canyon, Drummond and Sergeant Lee bending low over their chargers’ necks to see

ithat they did not mjes.tTTehoof -prints. Little by little the light 6f ’ the’ dawn' began to penetrate the dark depths in which they were scouting, and trailing became an easier matter. Presently the sergeant pointed to the face of the opposite slope, now visible from base to'summit, where an abrupt bend threw it against the eastern light.

‘ Yonder’s where the ambulance came down, sir.’ ‘ I see, and we can’t be far from where it crossed. Trot ahead and take a look. Let Patterson igo with you. If you find a chance for short cuts, signal.’ Another half-hour passed away, and still the trail led along this sti’ange, rock-ribbed groove stream. When first met it seemed to be cutting directly across their line of march, now it had turned southward, and, for several miles ahead, south or west of south was its general course. The light was now broad and clear, though the sun had not yet peeped across the mountain range to their left. The pace was rapid, Drummond frequently urging his men to the trot or canterF Out to the front four or five hundred yards, often lost to view in the windings of the way, Sergeant Lee with a single tiooper rode in the advance ; but not once had he signalled a discovery worth recording. Both waggon and hoof-tracks here pursued a common road. It was evident that some horsemen had found it necessary to ride alongside. It was evident, too, that the outlaws were travelling at full speed, as though anxious to reach some familiar lair before turning to face their expected pursuers. Every one in the gang from Pasqual down to the humblest packer well knew that it could not be long before cavalry in strong force would come trotting in chase. The squadron at Stoneman would surely be on the march by the coming sunset. As for ‘ C ’ troop, they had little to fear. Pasqual laughed with savage glee as he thought how he had lured them in scattered detachments far up to the Gila or over to the Christobal. No need to fear the coming of the escort of the paymaster. By this time those not dead, drugged, or drunk were worn out with fatigue. Over the body of his bandit brother, the swarthy Ramon, he had fiercely rejoiced that seven to one he had avenged his death, and Pasqual counted on the fingers of his brown and bloody hand the number of the victims of the night. Donovan and his fellowtrooper killed on the open plain. The pay-master and his clerk, Mullan and the other soldier dead in their tracks and burned to ashes by this time, and best ot all, ‘ that pig of a sergeant,’ as Moreno called him, that hound and murderer, Feeny ; he who had slain Ramon—bound, gagged, and left to miserable death by torture. Indeed, as he was jolted along in the ambulance, groaning and cursing by turns, Pasqual wdndered why he had not insisted that Harvey, too, should be given the coup de grace before their start. It was an unpardonable omission. Never mind! There in the brand new Concord that came clattering along there was booty that outrivalled all. There was wealth far exceeding the treasury notes —old Harvey’s daughters. It was with mad, feverish joy that when the sun came pouring in a flood of light over the desert of the Cababi he listened to the report of a trusted subordinate. ‘ I could see every mile of the road with my glasses, capitan , from the cliff top yonder; every mile from Moreno’s to where we struck the canyon. There isn’t a sign of duct—there isn’t a sign of pursuing party.’ '■Bueno! Then we rest when we reach the cave. This is even better than I hoped.’ But there were two elements in the problem Captain Pasqual had failed to consider —Lieutenant Drummond’s scout in the Christobal, and Cochises’ band of Chiricahua’s in the Santa Maria. Who could have foreseen that the little troop, finishing its duties at the northern end of the range and about turning south to rescout the Santa Maria, had ridden out upon the plain, summoned by the beacon at Picacho Pass, and less than two hours

.after their Hurried start from the hurtling rains ing on their tfail. 'The best, field-' glasses eVer stolen froth the paternal government could not reveal to the fleeting outlaw that, bnly two or three miles back in tiie dim recesses of the crooked gorge, the blue-coats Were following in hot pursuit. Who could have dreamed that a hand of Apaches, cut off from their native' wilds by detachments front. Bowie, Lowell, and Crittenden, and;forCed to make a wild detour to the southwest: had sought refuge in the very gorge of the Oababi, whither Pasqual with all his speed was urging his men ? ‘ We rest when we reach the cave.’ Ah, even the torment, of his wound could not have wrung from the robber chief this longed for order had he dreamed what was coming at his back. ‘ How are the girls getting on ?’ he asked of his hot and wearied aide. ‘ Are they tranquil now ?’ ‘ They have to be,’ was the grim reply. ‘ The little one dare not open her eyes, and Sanchez has his knife at the elder’s throat.’ And the sunrise had brought with it hew inspiration—new purpose to those who came trotting to the rescueJust as the cliffs on the western side were tipped and fringed with rose and Sergeant Lee, riding rapidly far ahead from point to point, always carefully peeving around each bend before signalling ‘come on,’ was seen suddenly to halt and throw himself from his horse. The next instant he stood erect waving some white object high in the air. Spurring forward, Drummond joined him. ‘ A lady’s handkerchief, lieutenant,’ he quietly said. ‘ They seem to have halted' here for a moment; you can tell by the hoof prints. One of their nurnbei rode over towards that high point yonder and rejoined him here. 1 don’t believe they are more than half an hour ahead. Drummond reverently took the dainty kerchief, hurriedly searched for an initial or a name, and found the letters ‘ R.H. ’ in monogram in one corner. ‘ Push on then, Lee! Here, one more of you —you, Bennet, join the sergeant. Look alive, now, but do hot let yourselves be seen from the front.

Then as they hastened away he stowed the filmy trifle in the pocket of his blouse, and drawing his Colt from the holster, closely inspected its loaded chambers. Only a boy, barely twenty-three, yet rich in soldierly experience already was Drummond. He had entered West Point when just seventeen. His father’s death, occurring immediately , before the memorable summer of their first-class camp, had thrown him perforce into the society of the so-called bachelor club, and he was graduated in the June of the following with a heart as whole as his physique was fine. But there were some cares to clodd his young life in the army — a sister whose needs were many and whose means were few. He found that rigid economy and self-denial were to be his portion from the start, and was not sorry that his assignment took him to the far away land of Arizona where, as his new captain wrote him, ‘ you can live like a prince on bacon and fHoles, dress like a cowboy on next to nothing or like an Apache %n next to nothing, spend all your days and none of your money in mountain scouting and come out of it all in two or three years rich in health and strength and experience and infinitely better off financially than you could ever have been anywhere else. Leave whiskey and poker alone and you’re all right.’ He had left whiskey and poker alone, severely alone. He had sought every opportunity for field service : had shown indomitable push, pluck, and skill in pursuit of Apaches and cool courage in action. He had been able to send even more than he needed, or that he had hoped, to his sister’s guardian, and was pioud and happy in the consciousness of a duty well done. There were no young girls in the scattered garrisons of those days, no feminine attractions to unsettle his peace of mind. The few women who

accompanied tHeir 'l6rds~£6~sncli "exileasArizona were discreet matrons whom he-was courtesy- itself l Gn thSf few occasionS when they met, bbitr-. only once had he been brought unde# the influence of girlish eyes or of girlish society, and that was on the memorable trip to San Francisco during the previous year; -when he had had. the great good fortune to be summoned as a witness before a general courtmartial convened at the Presidio. HA had been presented to the Harvey sisters by the captain of the 'NAwburit and, would fain have shown them some attention, but there had been much rough weather in the ‘ Gulf, which kept the girls below and not till after passing Cape San Lucas and they were steaming up the sunny Pacific did he see either of them again. Then one glorious day the trolling lines were out astern, theelders were amidship playing ‘ horse billiards,’ and ‘ Tuck,’ the genial purser was devoting himself tdPaquita, when Drummond heard a scream of excitement and delight and saw the younger sister bracing her tiny, slender feet and hanging on to a line with all her strength. In an. instant he was at her side and together, hand over hand, they finally succeeded in pulling aboard a beautiful dolphin and landed him leaping* flapping, splashing madly about in the midst of the merry party on deck.. It was the first time Ruth had seen the gorgeous hues of this celebrated fish, and her excitement and pleasureover being heralded as its captor were most natural. From that time on she had pinned her girlish faith to the coat sleeve of the tall, reserved young cavalryman. To him she was a child* even younger by a year thin the little sister he had left, and of whom he soon began to tell her. To her he was a young knight-errant, the hero of a building maiden’s shyest* sweetest, fondest fancy, and ere longthe idol of the dreams- and thoughts she dared not whisper even to herself. Paquita, with the wisdom of elder sisterhood, more than half believed she read the younger’s heart, but wisely held her peace. No wonder the little maid had so suddenly been, silenced by the announcement at the pass, that that very night she might again see the soldier boy to whom* in the absence of all others, her heart had been so constant. No wonder theride forward to Moreno’s was one of thrilling excitement and shy delight and anticipation; no wonder her reason, her Very life seemed wrecked in the tragic fate that there befel them.

And now as lie rode swiftly in pursuit Drummond was thinking overthe incidents of that delightful voyage and marvelling at the strangefate that had brought the Harvey" girls again into his life and undercircumstances so thrilling. Never for an instant would he doubt that beforethe sun could reach meridian he would overtake and rescue them from the hands of their cowardly captors* Never would he entertain the thought of sustained defence on the part of" the outlaw band. Full of high contempt for such cattle, he argued that no sooner were they assured that the cavalry were close at their heels than, most of their number would scatter for their lives, leaving Pasqual to his fate, and probably abandoning the waggons and their precious contents on the road. A sudden dash* a surprise, would ensure success. The only fear he had was that in the excitement of attack some harm might befall those precious lives. To avert this he gave orders to be passed back along the column to fire no shot untilthey had closed with the band and then to be most careful to aim wide of the waggons. Every man in the little troop well knew how much was at stake, and men, all mercy to their beasts at other times, were now plying the cruel spur. Five, six o’clock had come and gone. The chase was still one of sight ahead, yet every moment seemed to bring them close upon their heels. At every bend of the tortuous trail the leader’s, eye -was strained to see the dust clouds rising ahead. But jutting points or rolling shoulders of bluff or hillside

erer interposed. Drummond had just glanced at his watch for the twentieth time since daybreak, and was replacing it in his pocket when an exclam* ation from Sergeant Meinecke startled Mm. * Look at Lee!’

The head of the column, moving at the moment to a walk to rest the panting horses, had just turned a rocky knoll and was following the trail into a broader reach of the canyon which now seemed opening out to the west. Instead of keeping in the bottom as heretofore, the waggon track now followed a gentle ascent, and disappeared over a spur four hundred yards ahead. Here Lee had suddenly flung himself from his horse, thrown the reins to Patterson and, crouching behind a boulder, was gazing eagerly to the front, while with hat in hand he was signalling, ‘ Stop; keep down.’ Up went Drummond s gauntlet in the well-known cavalry signal ‘Halt.’ Then, bidding Meinecke dismount the men and reset the blankets and saddles, the young officer gave ‘ Chester ’ rein, and was soon kneeling by the side of his trusty subordinate.

Lee said no word at all—simply pointed ahead. And here was a sight to make a soldier’s pnlse hound. Not a quarter mile away the rocky, desolate gorge -which they had been fellowing since dawn opened out into a wide valley hounded at the west by a range of rugged heights whose sides were bearded with dark growth of stunted pine or cedar. On each side of their path a tall, precipitous rock stood sentry over the entrance and framed the view of the valley beyond. For full a mile ahead the trail swept straight away, descending gently to the valley level and there, just pushing forth upon the wide expanse, with dots of hersemen on flank and front and rear, dimly seen through the hot dust cloud rising in their wake, were the waggons. The foremost, with its white canvas top was undoubtedly the new Concord; the second, a dingy mustard-yellow, the battered old ambulance of the paymaster; the third and last, with no cover at all, Moreno’s buckboard. It was what was left of the notorious Morales gang, speeding with its plunder to some refuge in the rocky range across the farther valley. Somewhere in the few evenings Drummond had spent in the garrisons of Lowell, Bowie, or Stoneman, he had heard mention of a mysterious hid-ing-place in the Cababi mountains -whither, when pressed by sheriffs posses, Pasqual Morales had been wont to flee with his chosen followers and there bid defiance to pursuit. Anri now the young soldier saw with a glance that the chase was heading along a fairly well defined track, straight for a dark, frowning gorge in the mountains some three or four miles ahead of them. If allowed to .gain that refuge it might be possible for Morales to successfully resist that attack. With quick decision, Drum.mond turned to the men still seated cin saddle. . ‘ Dismount where you are, you two. >Reset all four saddles. We mount again here, sergeant, and we 11 take the gallop as soon as the troop comes up’

‘ It’s the only way, I believe, sir,’ answered Lee, his eyes kindling 1 , his lips quivering with pent excitement. Most of ihem will stampede, I reckon, if we strike them in the open. But once they get among the rocks we’d have no chance at all. Drummond merely nodded. Fieldglasses in hrnd, he was closely studying the receding party, moving now ata leisurely gait as though assured of safety. * His heart was heating hard, his blood was hounding in his veins. He had some lively brushes the Indian foe, but no such scrimmage as this promised to be. Hever once had there been at stake anything to compare with what lay here before his eyes. Sometimes in boyish day dreams he had pictured to himself adventures of this character the rescue of imperilled beauty from marauding foe ; but never had he thought it possible that it would

actually be his fortune to stand first in the field, riding to the rescue of the fair daughters of one of the oldest and most respected citizens of the Territory. In view of their peril the paymaster's funds were not to be considered. Jim Drummond hardly gave a single thought to the recapture of the safe. So far as could be judged the forces were about equally matched. Some saddle-horses led along after the waggons seemed to indicate that their usual riders were, perhaps, with others of the band resting in the waggons themselves. Surprise was now out of the question. He would marshal his men behind the low ridge on which he lay, form line, then move forward at the lope. Ho matter how noiseless might be the advance, or how wearied or absent their quarry, someone in the outlaw gang would surely see them long before they could come within close range. Then he felt sure that a portion at least would stampede for the hills, and that he would not have to fight mere than ten or a dozen. His plan was, at all hazards, to cut out, recapture and hold Harvey’s waggon. That, first of all, and then, if possible, the others. And now the time had come. In eager but suppressed excitement Meinecke and the men came trotting up the slope. ‘Halt!’ signalled Drummond. Then ‘ forward into line,’ and presently the lieutenant stood looking into the suntanned faces of' less than twenty veteran troopers —four sets of four, with two sergeants, dusty and devil-me-care, with horses jaded, yet sniffing mischief ahead and pricking up their ears in excitement. Drummond had been the troop leader in scout after scout, and several lively skirmishes during the year gone by. There was not one of his troopers he could not swear by, thought he, but then the recollection of Bland’s treachery brought his teeth together with veng'eful force. He found his voice a trifle tremulous as he spoke, but his woids had the brave ring the men had learned to look for, and every one listened with haded breath. ‘ Our work’s cut out for us here, Hot more than a mile ahead now is just the worst band of scoundrels in all the West, and, in their midst, George Harvey’s daughters. Yon all know him by reputation. They are in the white-topped waggon, and this is the one we must and shall have. Don’t charge till I give the word. Don’t waste a shot. Some of them will scatter —let them go. What we want is their captives.’ With that he swung quickly into saddle. ‘ Ready now P Ho, don’t draw pistols till you’re close in on them, and no carbines at all this time. All right. Now steady. Keep your alignment. Take the pace from me. Forward!’

Up the gentle slope they rode, straining their eyes for the first sight of the hunted quarry, opening out instinctively from the centre so that each trooper might have fighting space. No squares of disciplined infantry, no opposing squadrons, no fire-flashing lines were to be met and overthrown by compact and instantaneous shock. It was to be a melee, as each soldier well knew, in which, though obedient to the general plan of their leader, the little detachment would be hurled forward at the signal ‘charge,’ and then it would practically be a case of ‘ every man for himself.’

‘ I want you four fellows to stick close to me now,’ said Drummond, turning in the saddle and indicating the desired set with a single gesture. ‘We move straight for the leading waggon. See that you don’t fire into it or near it.’ And these were the last instructions as they reached the ridge, and a hoarse murmur flew along the eager rank, a murmur that, but for Drummond’s raised and restraining hand and Sergeant Lee’s prompt ‘Steady there, silence!’ might have burst into a cheer. And then the leader shook loose his rein, and just touching ‘ Chester’s ’ glossy flank with the spur, bounded forward at the lope. Out on the sandy barren, winding among the cactus plants, the weary

male teams with drooping heads were tugging at the traces. Bearded men, some still with coal-blackened faces, rode drowsily alongside the creaking waggons. In one of these, the foremost, an arm in blue flannel suddenly thrust aside the hanging canvas curtain, and a dark, swarthy face, grooved from eartip to jaw with a ragged scar, appeared at the narrow opening.

‘ How much further have we to go, Domingo ?’ ‘ Only across this stretch, two — three miles, perhaps.’ ‘ Well, I want to know exactly. The sun is getting blazing hot, and these girls can’t hold out longer. Tell Pasqual I say there is more danger of his killing them with exhaustion than there is of making way with themselves. Say, the little one’s about dead now. Here, take this canteen and get some fresher water out of the barrel under the waggon.’ The fellow hailed as Domingo leaned to the right, took the canteen strap, and then reined in his foaming broncho.

‘ Hold your team one minute, Jake,’ was the order to the driver, and, nothing loth, the mules stopped short in their tracks. Pasqual’s ambulance was a few rods behind, and, to save time, Domingo dismounted, and placing the canteen under the spigot, drew it full of water, rewarded himself with a long pull, handed it up to the waiting hand above and swung again in the saddle just as the second ambulance, closing on the first, came also to a willing halt, and the lead mules of the buckboard, wheron lay two wounded bandits, attended by Moreno’s womenfolk, bumped their noses against the projecting boot. ‘ Some cool water, for Heaven’s sake !’ gasped one of the prostrate men and a comrade rode to the leading waggon to beg a little from Harvey’s well-filled barrel. One or two men threw themselves from the saddle to the sand for brief rest. The dust cloud slowly settled earthwards in their wake. Mules, horses and men blinked, sleepily, wearily. There hung in the heavy air a dull, low rumble as of thunder in the far off mountains. There seemed a faint quiver and tremor of the soil. Was there a distant earthquake P Suddenly a wild yell, a scream from Moreno’s buckboard, a half-stifled shriek from the white-covered waggon The man in blue leaped forth and made a mad dash for the nearest riderless horse. Whips cracked and bit and stung. The maddened mules flew at their collars and tore away, the waggons bounding* after them, and Pasqual Morales, thrusting forth his head'to learn the cause of all the panic, .grabbed his revolver at his belt with one fierce curse. ‘ Oarajo !’ (To be continued.)