Show e 81 0 a in a continued I 1 APTER 10 on took tile the lightning hurler fc and unwrapped them the he packs springs above tho the linni led the earlier in tile day lio had to the priming solomon salomon gave anve jack ond and put tile the other two in L L ets I 1 ka act examined ills d adjusted them in III tits his bolt belt barted for the ridge athe the little valley of 0 rock creek L now quite dark and looking through tile thickets of hero flem hey could see tho of deans and hear th the 0 wash of tile the wafer ater suddenly a wild whoop hone tile the red men savage as the of wolves on tho the trail of a ed cil bison ran beyond them far forest and sent its echoes to 0 the n from lillI tOP to inc mountain illien T en c came me a sound which no my ay hear without getting as wont to in n benr scar on tits lila aich ne will carry beyond the MI it was the alie death cry of a p solomon had heard it belle belie lie knew what it meant tile the as taking hot hold find the smoke eftia to smother him those ere cre like the stabbing of a knife e recollection of them like bl blood od hurried down the slant brush rough hie tit thicket bicket the sound of approach being covered by the ing cries of tile the victim tind and the like tumult of the drunken the two scouts wore were racked soul pain as they went on so they hey could scarcely hold their and keep their feet from runa new sense of the capacity for i the henrt heart of man ente entered red tile the of f jack they had come close frightful scene acene when sud suddenly dilly P i silence fell upon it thank the lie victim hr had rid gone beyond the of pain something had hapin tits passing perhaps the thought it a sign from heaver herver a I moment ment their clamor hit had 1 the two scouts could plainly ie e man behind a red veil biff suddenly tile white leader e raiders approached the pyre g on his bis wooden wooded stump with a in his liand hand and prodded the 4 f the victim it was its his last solomon was taking aim ills poke oace red snout tumbled for into nto the fire then what a I 1 now mg the indians I 1 they van antso md BO suddenly that jack won where they had goue solomon reloading el the rifle barrel ho he lind had emptied thew he qaid ald ine ie on an do its as I 1 do rion nion ran until they had come collie then lie jumped from tree tre to stopping tit at each cacti long enough to y the ground beyond it tilts this int hit he called swapping gover cover behind a tree near tile the fire lie he ed I 1 in the indian conguy d mm men you have made the groat great ingry angry he lins hag sent the son of under hinder to slay you with his ienir ie mier words had ever left tile the f man ills hand rope roo ant and swung of ills his shoulder and shot forward und missile sailed balled through the h t ani and beyond it and annl into shadows in the great cavern tit at 1 reek areek ft a famous camping place old ld time then n flash of white and id a roar that shook the hillst it of gravel and dust and debris ward and pelted belted down u upon p on the hits of rock and wood and an ns orm arm and foot fell in the clr alre A umber of dusky fig mit bof of tile the mouth of tile cavern an 1 for their lives shouting arn pray as they disappeared lit in arl noss solomon pull edthe cm fro 11 tile the feet of tle tile alc 07 T by tile lie good I 1 to t we tit got the sheer shifted 10 red marili be the rabbit fer a RO P I 1 wonder vonder said lon on ns is ile he r tood stood looking flown clown 13 svene scene ife he aint a coln to tile look ol 01 0 a 0 pale face not over rh them thiern got ervay crany stop 81 1 I till ill i thy the middle 0 nev next week se zed tile foat ot of 1 od snot and d his houi fiend out of the fire 0 ol 01 hellion I 1 solomon ex log og 0 ot the devil I 1 turn tum nan hen whir ye blong nt at last anck you take that luther cr bring ank sonic wat water out 0 ilk Y an 11 put out ot till tells fire 01 the 94 on ihl h lere ere 01 wooded wK Klin leg e Is 1 4 loin hundred pounds 1 ill took 10 tile 10 fia etchet from fro his nd ad h hacked 0 off ty the lie end of red I 1 19 tin put lt it ln in his 10 now on white annn ann ann cnn an the bust I 1 t ills his ph lied alo 0 I 1 nouns Ls 14 eoln to too be few an nl I 1 wouldn 1 vil tl solomon ill jack me back with tile hewn wit lo 10 looked qed I 1 bourel lt it on tile em bart rs at tile sd e 81 vollen form which aimed to 11 ii bo be stirn ining at tile the of 0 ii in a be edone done fer him said spoilt III le jcck jee k it es gone erway elway I 1 on ilea 1 my soul 11 II sweat I aftin 0 il r n atif the t two sane 11 ne bulf t ot of th the e sor men follo d sol brokett ei e ad by t eto saying yang 1 it ono nillo mine went berit into 00 the cheit a 0 tile the it n quite te I Puke you hear tj went t lo 10 0 th A xi I 1 too ca veraa mouth BY IRVINC IRVING BACHELLER copyright by irving Da bacheller cheller shoys thoys an awful mess iness in elmr I 1 dont keer to set see it gald asil solomon near them they discovered ed a surrior who had crawled out of that death chamber cli amber in tile tho rocks lit he lind had been stunned s t tinned and wounded d tile the shoulders they helped him to ills his feet and leol led him away elo was trembling with fear solomon found in pine torch still 1 burning near where vilier e tile tho fire lind ind been ity hy its light they dressed ills wounds tile tho old scout having avit with 11 till him always a small surgeons outfit whar Is f t other captive lie asked in the indian tongue about a ille down own the troll its it EL v and a boy said the th e wil warrior frior take us its whar they be b solomon tion conlin commanded tint cit the throe three started M slowly town the trull tra 11 the leading them CHAPTER tho the voice of a woman sobbing over tile ind more than a mile away was a wet wild meadow they found the cow and horses feeding on its edge near the trull trill tile the moon clouded since dark lisul had come out in III tile clear mid and thrown its light into the high windows of tile forest above the ancient thoroughfare ough fare of the hie indian tile the rod red gulde guide of tile the two scouts gave a call which was quickly inhered A few rods farther on they saw a pair of oli old indians sitting in blankets near a thicket of black timber they could hear tile the voice of a woman sobbing near where they stood Wo mern dont be ol 01 0 u its were friends were guin goin to take ye hum said Sob solomon onion tile the woman came out of tile the thicket 01 3 J SOLOM SOL OM ON fleri T r I 1 it j I 1 0 1 X with a little lad of four asleep in tier her arms where tin do ye live solomon asked tar south on the shore ol 01 0 the mo hawl 11 she ile answered un in a voice trembling with emotion yer name minme im bill scottn Scott fl wife she answered cuts cats blood and gunpowder solomon exclaimed im sol binkus she knelt kneat before tile the old scout and kissed ills knees and could not speak for the falness of tier her heart So solomon lonion bent over and took the sleeping lud ind from her arms and held him against ills breast dont feel bad were aboin a coln to take keer 0 you said So solomon lomoh ayes sir we bo be I 1 they aint nobody coln I 1 to harm ye nobody at all I 1 there was abote a note of tenderness in the voice of the man ns as lie he felt the chin of the little lad ind with ills his big thumb thum band and finger anger diio do ye yc know what they done with bill the woman ivonian asked soon in a pleading voice olac the scout swallowed as ills brain began to work on the problem in hand bill broke loose an got erway eniy iles hes gone solomon answered in a sad voice did they torture him what they done I 1 jes tell yo ye but they litant do no to him I 1 I 1 he gone i site she seemed to sense his meaning and jay iby crouched upon the ground with tier her sorrow until solomon lifted her ier to her feet and said look hero here little emern om ern this dont do no good im botn to spread my ni blanket andr tile alie pines tin an I 1 want ve e to lay down dmn avith yer ur boy tin till git weep we got cot a long trip to toiuo ner taint Tal nt s so bad ns as it might be yere kind 0 tile litcey Y filter ater all Is said an 11 lie remarked as I 1 he ie covered tile the abinan ainan and the child the wounded warrior virlor and the uld id nien men were not lot to be found they had I 1 anivay into the bush jilch JCL and solomon looked about and the latto hattei called but got no n answer aner clar don to tile the toe nalls dalls sald solomn they i it here A th thrower rover is a few fel too many ruther b be e nigh oy rattlesnake e the scouts had no sleep that night they sat down by tile the trull 1 saje side lean ing against a log and 11 aft adi theli pipes bill bilto SAR 10 I 1 t iam I 1 n yes wo we spoilt spent a night in hi tits li houe oliFe 11 lie ile acre ere a mean cuss sold ruin to the I 1 lillus allus tol liliu it wore were wrong but lly gold god I 1 never that the me fire in tit lie water were it coln to burn him up no sir I 1 never ever dro dreamed allied lie he were a goin to bo be punished so nover never they lay iny buck against the logg log with their one blanket spread and spent tile night in a kind of half sleep every litt le sound bound was like ille it 11 kiek kick in the ribs III as solomon put it and drove them n into anto the look and listen Ills business tim tile woman was often crying out or tile the cow and horses getting up ull to feet my son sol go to sleep said solomon Sol omoo 1 I tell yel ye there aint no lunger danger now not it lilt bit I 1 dont know much b but it I 1 know In jillis plenty in spite of lils his knowledge even solomon himself self could not sleep A letlo before daylight they arose i and n d b begun egan to stir about 1 I was waa badly burnt by that alre jack whispered inside del 1 solomon answered tin so was I 1 my soul were a oil all night the morning ans chilly they gath red erod birch bark and try dry pine mid and soon had bad I 1 n III iro g ing ging So solomon lonion stole over to till the thicket where tit the 0 woman and child wore were lying and re turned returned in a moment sound asleep ho said in alow a low tone well let lem eni movie lie he began to t 0 make ton tea and tin got out tile last of their broad bread and tried dried ineat and bacon lie ife was frying the latter when lie he said that ere Is a mighty likely wom ern lie he turned the bacon with ills his fork and added Tur terrible when sit slip were young allus hated the rum ruin business jack jach went out on the wild meadow and brought in the cow and milked her filling a basin ind and n kunrt bottle battle solomon went to tile the thicket and called mis 9 cotti the woman nn answered heres cleres I it bowl to wil an a lettle jug ol 01 0 so soap P mis 1118 scott ye kin take the boy to tile the crick nn an git washed an tilen then come to tile the fire tin an cat yer brenk break fust tile the boy was a linn handsome blond lad with blue eyes eves and a serious manner ills his confidence in the protection of tits hla mother was sublime yer name solomon asked looking up tip at tile tho lad whom lie had lifted high in tile the air whig scott the boy answered timidly with tears in ills his eyes what I 1 co bo ye ol 01 0 me these words came from the little lad ind as lie he began to cry inq na sir I 1 I 1 aint sli im a brave man annn courage Is the first arst virtue in which the young tire are sello schooled oled on the frontier jack wrote in a letter to ills friends at home hoine in which ito ho told of the history of that lay the words and manner of the boy reminded me of my own childhood solomon held whig in tits hla lap and fed him and soon won hla his confidence the backs of the horses and the cow were so badly galled they could not be ridden but we were able to lash the packs over a blanket on oil one of the horses we ve drove the beasts ahead of us the indians lind had timbered the swales here tin and there so that we were able to pass them with little trouble over the worst places I 1 lad the boy on my back while solomon carried mis scott in ills his arms as if site she were a baby lie ile was very gentle with her to him as you know a woman has been n sacred creature since his wife died ile he seemed to regard the boy its as a wonderful kind of plaything at the camping places he be spent every moment of his leisure tossing him in the nir air or rolling on the ground with him one lay day when the woman sat py the fire crying the little lad touched tier her brow with tits his hand and said dont be mother im brave ill take care 0 you 18 solomon come to where I 1 WW breaking sonic some dry sticks for the tire fire stud and said laughingly as he wiped a tear from his cheek with the back of his great right hand 1 did ye over ever see sech a got gol durn dum cunnin beetle cricket in yer born days over ever always thereafter he referred to the boy as the little crichet Crl cHet jack wrote in another ginoth er of ills his letters that ns as they farl along down toward the sown lands of tile the upper mo linw hawl So solomon lonion began to develop talents of which none of his friends had ente tile least suspicion ile he ims has had a hurd hil id life full of and peril like most of us ua who wel corn in tills this ne new w world the yount young man wrote he reminds me or of sonic some of the old testament heroes and Is not tit this is land we have traversed like the plu pit iltis ans of manure manire what a gentle cren creature turg lie he might have been if lie he had bad and a chancel how flow long I 1 wonder wonder must we be slayers of men As long I 1 take it as there are savages against agn trist whom we must defend our ourselves selves alie next morning t they hey ihor a company or one of the of general who had gone to in pursuit quit 0 of red snout and lit hia 4 followers learning wl int lad had happened to that avil baad and ats beld lender the sold lera faced about ind escorted q j 1 ioanu i oriskany Oris kany TO CONTINUED W |