| Show oooo T THE QUARTER BREED D the story of an army officer on an indian reservation by ROBERT AMES BENNET 1 all OMING to take the agency at lakotah Lako tall indian reservation follow j 2 J 0 1 l ing the murder of 0 agent capt floyd hardy IJ S A and two men from attacking indians Q rescues a quarter breed girl they are jacques dupont post trader ills his daughter marie and regis 11 bald Vand vanderlyn ervyn agency clerk and nephew of senator clemmer fa learns that had been promised the agency by its ills 5 g 4 i politician uncle di discovers that the indians are disaffected because 3 they have been cheated cheate d in a tribal mine which dupont and vander are working illegally is puzzled when ills his friendly speech to tA tribesmen besmen interpreted by tool angers the indians and B be determines to find out wrong all around and right it he S becomes smitten with TI marle arle whom vanderlyn Vand ervyn Is courting and pro poses to her she holds him off but nurses him tenderly when lio lie s Is pot shot and wounded from ambush recovered captain hardy hard ac companies companied compa compan nied led by the duponts vanderlyn Vand ervyn an interpreter and a fe few in dion dian policemen starts to the mines in the mountains what occurs on 1 that trip makes mighty good reading la in this his installment i CHAPTER X continued 6 when hardy saw the couple ride ahead he would have ordered then them back had not dupont again assured him that the girl would not be in the th ls slightest lightest danger at any time during arthe trip you were not so certain of the friendliness of the indians toward her hei the other day remarked hardy dupont scratched his head welli well soa cap no lie that thai ethere though was dlf dIf frent rm im going tiow by what mr van says about the feeling in the camps I 1 felt as sure about you never mind about me it if your daughter Is safe that Is quite sufficient you say this mine Is centrally located with relation to the various camps we will go to it r first and endeavor to td get the tribe domeet to meet us there in council at the mine mumbled dupont we e 11 youre the boss The party now entered sioux creek canyon and followed the narrow path alongside the torrent until they th ey came to the first small indian camp the Flud indians ians met marie and vanderlyn Vand ervyn atwith friendly greetings but looked at hardy with a stolid concealment of feeling that according to dupont boded III tor for the new agents reception in the larger camps hardy set his jaw and ordered the party to start on into the mountains noon found the party over twenty miles from the agency by trail though less than half that distance in an air line they had bad come upon no more indian camps and had seen no more indians late afternoon found bound them far in among the mountains with snowy peaks on every side yet they were still s till a long ten miles by trail from their destination upon learning from dupont that there was no desirable campsite camp site nearer than the mine hardy a iskel his companion to ride forward and urge all to a taster faster pace the rest of the party had rounded a heap of rock that towered up like a ruined castle at the ridge summit and vanderlyn Vand ervyn Ta was about to follow them out of sight when the thoroughbred came to a full stop thirty yards down the trail af the foot of the steepest part of the climb considerate of the iff fact act that his tall mount was at a disadvantage in such a situation as compared with the lower set ponies hardy did not urge the mare to carry him up dhe ascent ile he paused a moment waiting to see it if she would make the attempt voluntarily she stood motionless ile he patted tier her neck and dropped down out of the saddle the suddenness of the movement alone saved him from the bullet that pinged hinged down the mountainside and passed above the saddle precisely where an instant before had bad been his mid body the report of the rifle had bad yet to reach hardys ear v lien hen he peered over the mares withers in search of the 0 41 though he saw no smoke he did not look in vain smoke of the shot but though he saw 01 no smoke he did not look in vain above a bowlder boulder bow lder high up in a cleft be perceived a devilish painted face surmounted by a war bonnet ile II 11 glanced sideways up the ridge slope slop at vanderlyn Vand Vander ervyn vYa the young man hai had halted his pony on the ridge crest an and fall staring back down at hard hardy y hardy waved to him imperatively go on I 1 he shouted guard miss dupont may be more of them semi sead the police around to hank flank pinto leaped out of sight A shot grazed the mares withers in a flash he flung up his rifle and fired at the down peering devilish face it vanished as he be pressed the trigger swift as a puma he sprang around the mares head and dashed up the slope keeping a large boulder bowlder in line between himself and his enemy A bullet came pinging down over the bowl der and passed under his bis upraised arm A few seconds more and safe behind the huge stone he slowly edged his hat above the top the ancient ruse drew a shot instantly he scrambled obliquely upward towards another bo boulder bowlder bow wIder lder it was a desperate move A bullet grazed his bis thigh as he flung himself behind the bushes beside the second bo bow wIder lder hardy waited the twilight was fast fading still hardy waited his gaze scanning the cleft and the rocks oneather on either elther side it was time tor for the pollee police to come creeping around on the flank of the assassin A little more and the dust dusk would render close shooting difficult yet the precious moments slipped by and no sign of the police over on the far side of the cleft there was a faint glint of metal in the deepening shadow without a moments hesitation hardy aimed and fired the mountainside rang with a shrill yell the bullet had found its mark hardy leaped to his feet and dashed up the mountainside mountain side keeping behind shelter where it was available but in places boldly rushing up over open spaces there on the spot where he had bad seen the glint he found a trace of blood the wounded man had crept away up the cleft for several yards hardy followed the trail by the splashes of crimson on the leaves and rocks then the traces ceased but over in one of the many clefts on the far side of the gap he be thought he saw something move among the bo bowl ders lie he sprinted dow don a the slope and across the gap his face flushed with exertion but his eyes still cold and hard among the h heaps eaps of broken rocks la in the bottom of the gap hardy lost sight of the cleft for which he was heading when he started to return along what hat he supposed to be the passage by which he had entered he be soon found himself in a cul de sac dusk was now deepening dee pening into night ile he came out and into a steep ascent between overhanging ledges this certainly was not the way by which he had entered but he kept to it eager to escape out of the maze night had fallen when at last he reached the top of the cleft up on a ridge crest but the sky was clear and the starlight enabled him to see the outlines of the mountains that cut the skyline A star lower down than any of the others caught his eye ile he peered at it fixedly the little twinkling point of light was not a star it was a fire two or three miles away across the intervening valley hardy took his bearings by the stars and started down the mountainside directly toward the fire once clear of the rocks of the shattered mountain top he be found the going unexpectedly easy almost from the first he had lost sight of the fire and at no time did he be see any trace of the trail to the mine oil off to the left lie be heard the diminutive roar of a mountain rill dashing down a ravine to join the main stream in the valley at last he came up over the edge of the ridgetop ridge top or terrace on which the rill headed the moment his eyes cleared the low underbrush below the few scattered pines he perceived the flicker of the fire tor for which he was looking ile he could make out the appearance pe arance of the dark forms around the fire but their number and the halt half dozen white tepees grouped around the fire told him that he had not found the camp of his party ile he had no more than made this discovery when a number of yelping snarling mongrel dogs rushed out at him like a pack of wolves lie he met their attack by swinging lits his rifle barrel around in a circle the cowardly curs closed about him but were afraid to leap in within reach of the club ile he had bad not stopped his advance nor did ho he pause or hesitate when over the heads beads of the leaping yelling pack he saw the indian women and children scurry to the tepees and the bucks spring up with their bows and guns CHAPTER XI 3 light iri id the darkness soon hardy bad approached into the circle of the firelight some of the indians started to aim their weapons at him he held up ills his right hand palm forward A deep voice called out 6 he faced them as coolly and quietly as if they were his own party a guttural order the threatening bucks drew apart to right and left and a naked boy ran forward with a blazing stick to drive off afie the dogs hardy calmly advanced to the fire between the grim and stolid bucks there was not one among them who was not itching to drive a bullet or an arrow through ills his body and he knew it yet he faced them as coolly and quietly as it if they were his own party the bucks looked toward the far side of the fire as it if for the signal to strike down the audacious intruder der hardy followed their glances and perceived a blanket wrapped indian who sat in the midst of the volcanic hush seemingly as placid and immobile as a buddha his face was down dowa bent and so muffled in the blanket that hardy could not make out the tea fea tures it was however easy to dl di vine that the man was the chief of the band hardy walked around the fire with his most dignified hearing bearing sat down beside the chief and laid his bis rifle on the ground between them lie he then folded his arms and waited his bis eyes fixed fired on the fire in a calm unwavering gaze there followed a silence of a f ull full minutes duration ho he knew that it might end at any moment in an attack his hand gripped the hilt of his pistol on his breast under the edge of ills his coat the bucks stealthily shifted their positions until they had completely PI e t C ly surround surrounded d ed the unwelcome vs visitor hardy sat motionless and gave no sign that lie he observed them at last when ihen the suspense had become almost unendurable the chief muttered a word to the nearest buck the roan man glided back toward the largest tepee the chief pushed th the eblan blanket from ills his head hardy slowly looked aside at him and perceived the powerful profile of ti owa konza the thunderbolt he was to deal with the head chief of the tribe there followed another silence it was broken by the tread of light feet and a girl appeared beside the chief hardy caught a glimpse ota ot of a gingham skirt and glanced quickly up at the face of the girl he was met by the frightened gaze of oinna ohl she murmured it Is bad you tove tolve come here sir they dont like you mr vila van said he was as going to tell you A grunt of disapproval frona from ti owa konza cut short the hurried statement after a dignified silence the chief spoke to the girl she clasped her hands and interpreted I 1 in a art an anxious murmur he says I 1 must be only the tongue between you and him ile he says why did you lie why have you not gone away as you said you would hardy turned and looked direct into the haughty face of the chief tell him I 1 did not lie ile I 1 did not say I 1 would go away I 1 wished to stay and prove myself the friend of the tribe your brother told the lie ile to keep the chiefs from destroying the tribe by attacking me kinnas interpretation brought guttural exclamations from the surrounding bucks hardy was equally unmoved ty by their ferocious glances and the contemptuous rejoinder of ti owa konza does the chief of the Long knives think to destroy a tribe single hand ed no nor do I 1 wish others to destroy the tribe answered hardy 1 I do not wish the to come and make war on the tribe yet that Is what they will do it if I 1 am harned harmed again oinna interpreted in her flute like tones this time the chief conald considered before speaking kinnas gold tinted skin turned a sallow gray nc filhe he says he will fight it if you do not promise to go awall she gasped hardy smiled have no fear oln oin na ile he Is too great a chief to mil kill a guest in his camp tell him I 1 came to the reservation to be a friend to the tribe though I 1 am a chief of the my heart Is good toward ills his people it would be foolish of him to kill or drive away the friend of his people this time ti owa konza gave the intruder an open stare of contempt the surrounding bucks glared more ferociously than ever he says you are fork tongued oinna translated the reply ile he says if you are a friend why did you say at the council that you would punish all the tribe tor for the killing of that is a mistake I 1 did not say I 1 would punish the tribe oinna interpreted the answer and the grim old chiefs rejoinder the Long knifes mouth was big at the agency here he be is alone in my camp lind and his mouth is small 1 I talk as I 1 talked at the agency what ti owa konza claims I 1 said about punishing the tribe is not the truth there must have been a mistake in the interpretation or the chiefs did not hear bear aright I 1 had only peace and friendship in my heart I 1 said that I 1 did not blame the killing of mr on oa the tribe this statement tailed failed to break thunderbolts mask of stolidity though some of the other indians slightly relaxed their menacing attitude hardy took off his bis hat to show the red sear scar above his temple and spoke again 1 I do not blame the killing of mr on the tribe nor do I 1 blame the tribe tor for the wrongdoing of the bad hearted indian who shot me in the head five days ago the same man or another man with a bad heart tried to shoot me after sundown as I 1 came the trail over on the other side of the broken topped mountain 11 kinnas interpretation was met by a guttural ugh I 1 of surprise even from the chief ile he asked shrewdly it if the longknife does not lie ile Is he not afraid to be in nay my camp it Is the nearest to tl trail I 1 y smiled and held out his open palm to the chief 1 I trust tl TI owa konza and his bli people there Is only one bad indian anderen nn deven he may come to feel good in his heart toward me when he learns that I 1 am the friend 0 of f the tribe still the old chiefs face remained inscrutably immobile lie ile pondered and at last made another sharp query the longknife claims that he Is a friend why then did he say at the council that he will do the way nogan did and make my people dig stones and dirt from thebie holes without giving them any trade goods for their work hardys clear eyes dimmed for a moment and then sparkled with comprehension ile he answered with an earnest sincerity of tone that compelled belief 1 I now see that at the council mistook much of m what hat I 1 told him to say or else in their anger tl TI owa konza and his tailed failed to understand der stand aright the interpretation the place where stones are dug Is on indian ground it belongs to the tribe no white man has any right to make your people dig stones it if they are willing to dig they must be given trade goods for their work the response to this statement was unmistakable the moment that oinna had interpreted it the last trace ot of menace disappeared from the hearing bearing of the indians and even the chief began to relax relas yet he be had SUR still another query did the longknife say he would stop the issue to the tribe of all government goods and that he |
