at the earliest streaking of gray in the eastern horizon the three men and herbert watrous, all of whom had been sleeping fitfully by turns through the long dismal hours, silently rose to their feet and walked to where the ponies, a short distance off, had resumed their cropping of the grass. they were thirsty, like their masters, but no water was within reach, and they were doing their best to satisfy their hunger.
the outlines of the old adobe mission building showed faintly through the obscurity as the little party headed westward, and advanced at a moderate walk, on the alert for the apaches, of whom they had detected signs now and then during their wearisome watching.
the action of the red men had puzzled the trapper as well as strubell and lattin. it was[330] hard to understand why they had not stumbled on the truth, but there was good reason for believing they were still ignorant of the presence of the white men so near them. it was upon this theory that the success of the daring enterprise was based.
eph bozeman placed himself at the head, herbert coming next, with one of the texans on either side. the veteran was the best qualified to lead, while the disposition of all was with a view of protecting the younger and less experienced member of the party.
nothing was seen of their enemies until half the distance was passed, when lattin, who was on herbert’s right, exclaimed in an undertone:
“yonder are the varmints!”
the horses were in excellent condition because of their long rest, and up to this moment moved at a moderate trot. as the texan spoke, the trapper, who had detected the danger, struck his animal into a brisk gallop, the others doing the same without any urging of their riders.
the apaches must have relaxed their vigilance toward the latter part of the night, for[331] most, if not all the group, were observed to the south of the structure instead of being near it. they were closer to it, however, than the whites, and showed their daring by immediately riding forward to meet them.
the trapper turned his head and said: “let ‘em have it the minute they’re near enough to hit.”
these were words which had meaning, and herbert, like his companions, looked at his winchester to make sure it was ready for instant service.
“i think they’re all there,” added lattin.
“i don’t believe it,” remarked strubell, “for there isn’t more than six or eight.”
“and nick isn’t with them,” herbert could not help exclaiming, with a thrill of pleasure.
no reply followed this, which might signify nothing, for all were too intent on what was before them.
the interest deepened each moment. the apaches, numbering exactly eight, were advancing at a speed fully as great as that of the whites, riding close together and apparently all eagerness for the conflict. they[332] indulged in no shouts, whoops, or gestures, but came on like the grim demons they were.
each carried his gun, and he was not afraid to use it whenever the chance offered. nothing could have looked more frightful than they, their chests naked, their irregular features daubed with different colored paint, their long black hair dangling about their shoulders, while each rode like a centaur.
a distance of two hundred yards separated the parties, neither of which had made the slightest variation in its course. our friends were heading directly toward the building and did not swerve to the right or left. to have done so would have shown fear, and brought the redskins down upon them like a cyclone.
one of two things was inevitable, and that within the space of a few seconds: the apaches or white men must turn to one side, or there would be a fierce fight. eph bozeman and his comrades were resolved to keep on until the noses of their ponies should touch. what was the purpose of the red men must appear immediately.
[333]
the break came from an unexpected source. belden rickard and harman slidham had not forgotten the parting words of the trapper, and were on the watch at the upper front windows. the rapidly increasing light showed the four horsemen coming down the slope, and they saw the apaches set out to meet them. matters were on the eve of explosion when rickard took deliberate sight from his window and fired at the warriors. the shot was a long one, but so accurately aimed that a dusky horseman, with a rasping screech, rolled off his pony, the animal breaking into a gallop, circling away from the others, and, facing toward the building, whinneying with fright and dashing aimlessly hither and thither in a panic.
the other apaches acted as if the report of the gun was the signal for them to break apart, for they did so with a suddenness that could not have been surpassed had a bombshell burst beneath them.
several turned to the right and others to the left, while one, as if he absolutely feared nothing, headed his black pony directly at[334] bozeman and thundered forward on a dead run.
the miscreant was actually charging the whole party.
he emitted a terrifying whoop, leaning almost on his horse’s ears, as he brought his rifle round in front to fire, but a master hand at that business had not taken his eye from him since he started on his daring ride. the raising of the gun and the aiming and firing seemed to take place all together, and in the twinkling of an eye.
“thar’s one fool less,” was the quiet remark of eph as he lowered his piece; “now, boys, grab ground.”
his pony was stretching away at headlong speed for the building, the others imitating him so quickly that the four continued in a bunch. “keep it up,” he added, firing again at their assailants.
strubell and lattin discharged their pieces as often as they could take any sort of aim, but the conditions were against accuracy, and there was no evidence that they did any execution.
[335]
the apaches had branched off to the right and left, and kept popping away, with no more success than the white men. they held the marksmanship of the others in such fear that they gave much effort to screening their bodies, by flinging themselves over the sides of their animals and firing from under the neck or directly over it, where little could be seen of the riders except their glaring eyes and their hair, looking as if they were a part of the mane of their ponies, or the black eyes flashed for a moment in front of the breast of the galloping steeds.
it cannot be said that herbert watrous felt pleasant when he heard the bullets singing about his ears, and knew that more than one was aimed at him. he did not attempt to reply, but gave his whole attention to urging jill to his utmost. the building was only a short way off, and the briefest kind of a respite insured safety.
fortunately his steed was fully the equal of the others in fleetness and did not fall behind. had it done so he would not have been left by his friends, for all were governed by that devotion[336] which belongs to the highest form of chivalry. there was not one who would not have protected the youth with his life.
suddenly the broad door at the front of the adobe building was drawn inward. rickard and slidham had hurried down to make sure no delay took place at this critical moment.
herbert watrous was leaning forward, with his eyes fixed on the avenue to safety, when he felt jill shudder under the saddle, as if with a sudden chill. he veered to one side, throwing his nose against the shoulder of the trapper’s pony, and staggered uncertainly in the hopeless effort to recover himself, but, unable to do so, plunged forward on his knees and rolled over on his side, gasping his last breath.
“the building was only a short way off.”
