Show The R RA A Romance o of c Braddocks Defeat I N Nh h tt HUGH l 6 v r IRWIN a S S V N u. u s SERVICe Copyright ty by Nugh P Per ded SYNOPSIS Webster Brond Is je serving as a scout and arid spy epy for the army under under under un un- der General Braddock preparing for the advance on Fort Du- Du quesne He has just returned to Alexandria from a visit to the fort rort where posing as a Frenchman French French- man he has secured valuable In In In- formation n. n Braddock bred to European European European Eu Eu- warfare falls faUs to realize the Importance of ot the n news ws Brond Is sent back to Fort Port Duquesne Duquesne Du- Du quesne also bearing a message to George Croghan English emissary among the Indians Brond Joints his friend and fellow fellow fellow fel fel- low scout Round Paw Indian chief and the they set out On the way they fall in with a typical f l' l backwoodsman Balsar who Joins them The party en encounters encounters encounters en- en counters a group croup of ot settlers threatening a young girl Elsie whom they accuse of ot witchcraft Brond saves her from them The girl disappears Webster Webster Web Web- ster delivers his message to Croghan Young Col Cot George Washington rescues Brond from bullying English soldiers He a bully buny in a fight and finds Elsie Brond is 18 sent on a scouting expedition to Fort and encounters a 8 band of Braddocks Braddock's scouts CHAPTER IV Continued IV-Continued Continued 10 r 10 For proof of ot this assertion be pointed to a taint faint Impression In the mo moss s sJ J where something solid like dike the butt ofa ol of ola a rifle bad had rested Then he showed S. S us a a faint abrasion on a limb nearly level with the top of ot my head bend and said It had been made by the barrel of the rifle promptly cried Its the critter who stole my rifles rifle JNo l J No Jack killed the Injun It was the thief and hes he's taking my rifle riOe to Duquesne to trade It to the French ding him 1 I It t was with that I 1 restrained restrained restraIned re re- strained him from making an Immediate Imme Bate diate search for the fellows fellow's trail and thereby reby hindering the Onondaga In his bis work Ill iII git that rifle even If It I 1 have bave to togo togo togo go to Duque Duquesne ne alone be he sullenly Informed informed In in- formed me The Onondagas Onondaga's signal broke up our talk We hastened to join join- him bim and were Informed Black Hunter scalped the Huron uron Look I The Onondaga with the nose of the Wolf has bas found where ten men passed close to the Huron Huron- One man stepped aside and scalped him The Tho Huron was dead when they came up or they Oley would not have found him I The man with the long gun by the tire Ire I killed the Huron Buron and ran away The black white black man came along and took the scalp Look I IThe IThe IThe The story was plain enough In n the trail made by a number of ot men men- trav traveling eling In single tile die No Indian unless be he were dead would remain at th the edge of the feke e bushes while the way f approached him Having satisfied ourselves to this this- extent we proceeded to Indulge Cro- Cro mgt by finding the trail of the man tuna with the long rifle The be signs of ot his flight were very plain an and c suggested 1 a 8 panic We followed It without lit cUt toward the west side of the i Little cros crossing or Castleman's river a tributary of the time but when within a short distance of the z l crossing Round Paw who was ahead baited and find lifted his bis ax ox if and I 1 became more cautious k and paused Round Paw beckoned us to join him The three of at us listened At first I 1 thought It was thunder then came the crack of ot a single rifle only the woods were so thick and nod so ro br hf muffled any sound It was hard bard to deI de de- I 4 the direction with any degree e of exactness The Indian wet his fin finger t Faso f ger gar and held beld It up to catch the trifling big X 8 breeze and then bounded away at a aee ee 1 lop lope e. e nl b One man In old trade Hu Hu- rons tons trying to get him hm he called back backer er to m me e. e s t Somewhere In tn the neighborhood was waa u i a deserted cabin once used by Croghan pta Col e a as a trading post Round Paw Pow and und I aC had bad s spent nt a night there two winters 3 is before We came out on a slope and ande Je e could look over the forest crown into InlO a small clearing And there In ha the middle of the opening stood the trod Lug big post Only Instead of the thrill wind of that winters winter's night and the thet t howling of the starved wolf pack there thereN e i 1 Ivere were Vere now ululating war war cries and the th N i explosion of guns being fired Into the I 1 flog log wall walls s. s t Ve We kept under cover and counted T ant i the tae putts of ot smoke and aDd estimated the LW attacking force to number fifteen or twenty The cabin stood i. i In the center 4 t Of f the clearing and was completely encircled en en- encircled circled by the besiegers At last the cabin became alive jI s I there ro came a puff of ot smoke from aag a alo J ag looP lo bole P-bole hog and a naked savage at the tJI g a edge of ot the forest leaped grotesquely y yve ve Ie s J Into to view un and l would have bave fallen on his tort ht face ce had not Q n man raan leaped forward suE are and ana nd caught him and dragged drugged him to tu Use shelter of Qt the woods The sun BUU sunt r t glittered on something he wore around his neck and I knew v It to be a n sl silver gor gorget et such as Captain Beaujeu and other French officers wore to Indicate their rank Otherwise one would have taken the fellow for tor n a savage I Its Its It's a n scouting routing party y from Duquesne In n charge of one ne or or more Frenchmen I 1 said That was the leader lelder who pulled the In Indian I n under cover coter A fire of ot musketry crackled around the clearing two g guns ns being discharged discharged dis dis- charged from the woods at nt the foot of ot the slope slop and directly In advance of our position The Onondaga told osto us os to remain quiet while he scouted nearer nearer near near- er the besiegers After thirty minutes Round Hound Paw v returned and tersely reported reported re re- re- re ported French Indians and two French rench Frenchmen Frenchmen i men have cornered a 8 A repeated repented this In English and Cro Ore mit promptly declared Then we must bust through and help the feller teller out I talked with the Onondaga and he said that with three men In lu the cabin and with him outside to range back and forth behind the attacking force torce the would soon lose heart henrt and find retreat Once the Frenchmen lost lust control control con of them o our r task of capturing one man alive would be greatly simplified His judgment had great grent weight with me and there was no denying the confusion contusIon con con- confusion fusion he be would throw the enemy Into s o 1 I If Ir Ir f r r c So Shrewdly Did He Fight Fight I No Longer Longcr Long er cr Thought of Making Him Prisoner once be he stalked stalled the savages from flom the rear I agreed to make the cabin with If It could be he done clone with any ony measure of nt safety The Onondaga took It on himself to provide us with a clear path to the cabin door floor He tie briefly explained bl big bis plan and aud we pronounced It good goud When he set out to steal halfway around the unsuspecting circle until opposite our position and nud 1 I Imade made down the slope and Into the heavy growth where two or more of ot the savages were posted We iVe saw sn no signs of them however howe and only lo located them by the occasional firing of their guns Suddenly there rang out the fearful whoop war of the Onondaga accum- accum by the crack of his rifle There were a few seconds of ot silence and ond again Round Paw raised his voice olce this time In triumph and sounding hl hb scalp cry cry lIe He had made his first kill killand killand and the enemy knew It It and und the Huron howl rose from all sides shies of r the he cI clear nr Ing The he Onondaga shouted his defiance de la- fiance and ond dared the time en enemy em to attempt his capture find and added a boast concerning eonS con u h worthless mangy scalp Yelping with rage ruge those on ou the ed edge e of ot the clearing begun hgan hc gun to search for him The bushes bushe rustled ahead of ot us and ond we knew our to the the- cabin would soon sonn b be open was trembling violently and would have crawled forward had I not clung clunK to 10 his arm One of ot tile the two warriors wu was well on his way as ns the careless crashIng crashing crash crash- Ing through the undergrowth told us The other was more mure slow to seek k r the be perhaps reluctant to tn leave the cabin unwatched I was wondering how we Wt could avoid him or remove him hla without giving the alarm to tho those e who were In pur pur- euit of ot Round Hound Paw when he stepped Into view not more than thun Ut fifteen teen teen feet teet from frum our position How flow he lie got an aD Inkling of our pre presence nce I do du donot not know nor did he live hive to tell for before 1 could restrain him remit had hod raised himself to one ODe knee and hud had whipped out oUI hl his lung long butcher knife The savage discovered til turn ID and with witha a 11 startled grunt threw up his bis musket to fire ere The piece missed and as It snapped hurled the long lung knife It streaked to the red throat and pierced It and the man went down with a gurgling attempt to sound his Ws death cry I 0 Good work and good luck 1 I I cried Now race ruce for tor It ft It Be He halted baited and ond ripped oft off his gory gor trophy and waving It 11 In one hand bond and his knife In the other came pounding after me The rest of the Indium Indiana were still hunting hurtling the Onondaga and noll we had bad an excellent chance to get the man out of ot the cabin Bending low we passed through the remaining growth and struck Into the opening Flame spurted from a loophole loophole loophole loop loop- hole and the wind of the passing lead ruffled my hair 1 I yelled loudly that we were friends and und English We the gained gained the door before a 0 second shot could greet us only to find find It It barred A gun was discharged In the woods and a heavy henvy bull ball plumped Into the lintel log lug over my headIn headIn headIn head In Gods God's mercy open the door and let us In ID 1 1 howled Were friends fool tool Unbar the thedoor thedoor thedoor door 1 I added und and 1 I fa faced ed about to shoot at any ony enemy showing at the edge of the Ole woods It seemed a n very ery long lone time that a 8 hand rumbled fumbled at nt the bur but at nl last the door gave and 1 I tumbled In on In my back and dragged me one side A bullet whistled through the doorway and smashed Into the walL And a II startled voice was Vas crying Youre the kind man of ot Der kopf I The man maD who saved me in Braddocks Braddock's camp I II I leaped to the door and closed It and dropped the bar In place und and then took time to stare at nt the defender of the cabin It was the witch witch girl and she wa was still wen wearing ring her ber leggings and blouse was glaring at nt her herand herand herand and the long rifle she was holding I 1 Ido Ido do not believe he would have e moved had an Indian dropped down the chimney Elsie I 1 What do you do out here ahead of the army 1 I asked Ding tiDing me If It It aint the brown haired brown haired one And she stole my rifle I l roared I thought It was yours when 1 I took It Its It's heavy It hurts my shoulder most awful Take I It she sighed She collapsed on a n fireplace log and threw off ocr her hat The brown hair balt tumbled down In great grent contusion confusion What a n horrible world 1 l she panted clutching at nt her straggling hair hilr First Der now v now this There was an nn Indian Indian back back apiece apiece l 1 shot him been hurt Spread out her blanket I 1 angrily to told d She was about to collapse under what she's been through when the lead grazed her and gave the finishing touch Get me some water 1 I was rubbing her ber hands and wrists and awkwardly striving to bring her herto herto herto to her senses when l heard the cabin door open I leaped to my feet teet to secure secure secure se se- se- se cure a n weapon and discovered was WIS gone Gaining the door 1 culled after him to come corne back and profanely profane profane- ly demanded to know If be he were a madman But I 1 had asked for water and I 1 wanted It for the girl and ond he waved the time bucket defiantly and and- ran around the corner Almost Immediately be he was back backwith backwith backwith with three men at his heels Three jumps would take him to the door but be he was forced to turn half and swing the bucket at nl the foremost of the men The upraised ax struck the bucket and smashed It I 1 threw my ax ox before the savage could attempt another blow and It struck edge first handle down gown Then was piling through the door swearing Insanely with the remaining two men at his bis heels I 1 grappled with one and Cro Cro- mit closed with the other I Pig I Surrender I cried my opponent opponent op op- and for Jor the first time rIme I realIzed realized real real- he was no Indian but a French tuna man I 1 must have you alive I I 1 told him DIable You die for the Insult mons monsieur I be he grunted forcing me back He was a very strong man mUD and well skilled In wre wrestling In truth he be was wasso wasso so skillful with his bis feet feer that before I knew what he was attempting 1 I Iwas was on my toy back and struggling desperately des des- to keep his bis bands hands from his belt and my throat Over his bis shoulder shoulder der I 1 caught a glimpse of adversary ad a n most ferocious ferocious- looking fellow fellow fel fel- low as ns nature turned him out but doubly repelling because of the water lizard tattooed In white on the opper half of his face Only a glimpse of ot him was afforded me as us he and swirled across my field of ot vision My man began putting up upa a desperate resistance and andI I shut all thoughts out of my Diy head bead except the task of finishing him So I shrewdly did he be tight fight I 1 no longer c thought of ot making him prisoner He HeW W was 1 a good twenty pounds lighter than 1 L hut but he be fought like a devil TO BE CONTINUED |