CONCLUSION.
Long and hard rode Tom Hardynge after his escape from the beleaguring
Apaches, for he was determined to save Ned and Dick if the thing were
within the range of human possibility. His mustang seemed to understand
what was expected of him, and he required no urging from his master to
maintain his arrowy flight. It was a literal race between life and
death. If he could reach Fort Havens in time to procure succor, the man
and the boy were saved. If not, then they were doomed.
At daylight he was among the mountains, and the steed paused a few
seconds to swallow a little water from a tiny stream. An hour later he
ascended an elevation, and from his back the rider took a survey of the
plain stretched out before him.
Far away in the distance a dark, stationary object was discerned. A keen
eye could detect something fluttering above it in the wind. That was the
star-spangled banner, waving above Fort Havens. Yonder was the
destination toward which the little party had been laboring for days and
which there was no assurance of still reaching. The scout had not yet
passed half the distance intervening between the fort and Hurricane
Hill. Mercy to his beast compelled him to give him a brief rest and an
opportunity to eat a little food. Then, away again.
It was the middle of the afternoon, and Tom was nearing the fort, which
was in distinct view a few miles ahead, when his attention was arrested
by the sight of a number of men moving along to the north, and in a
contrary direction to that which he himself was following. They suddenly
emerged from some hills, and rode at a sweeping gallop. What surprised
the hunter was the discovery that they were United States cavalry, that
had evidently come from Fort Havens itself! How their appearance could
be explained was more than he could understand; but he saw at once that
if their co-operation could be secured, several hours' valuable time
might be saved. He turned the head of his mustang in that direction and
rode at the same tearing speed as before.
The cavalry detected his coming, reined up and awaited his approach. The
afternoon was well advanced when the hunter drew rein in front of the
company, and saluted the chief officer, who was Colonel Chadmund
himself, the commandant of Fort Havens, at the head of seventy-five
veteran cavalry. He recognized the scout, and rode forward to meet him.
"Any news of my little boy, Tom?" he asked, before their palms crossed.
"Alive and well."
"Thank God! thank God!" exclaimed the white-faced officer, trembling
with joy. "Have the Indians caught him?"
"No; but he is in danger. What are you doing with these men here?"
"An Indian came into the fort several hours ago, with the word that Lone
Wolf and a party of Apaches had driven two or three persons to the top
of Hurricane Hill, where they would soon be caught unless assistance was
sent them. The Indian is one of our regular scouts, in whom we have much
confidence, and thinking it might be you, with possibly my little Ned, I
put myself at the head of the company and started out to see. I had very
little hope, however, of seeing him alive, for news had reached us of
the massacre of the escort party in Devil's Pass."
Hardynge, in a few minutes, explained the situation, and the colonel was
all excitement to be off again. Every hour--every minute, indeed--was
precious to him, and, as the two rode back, the advance was resumed
without a moment's delay. Instead of proceeding back in a direct line,
however, over the path traveled by the scout, they made a detour to the
northward, the configuration of the country being such that a much
nearer approach, undiscovered, could be made from this direction than
from any other.
There were several extra horses in the company, one of which was
appropriated by Tom, while he left his own to roam over the plain and
reach the fort whenever his disposition should take him in that
direction. Colonel Chadmund had taken the precaution to mount all his
men upon the best steeds at command, and they were driven into a rapid,
telling pace. They made good progress, but when the sun set they had not
yet reached a point from which the most distant view of Hurricane Hill
could be obtained. A more moderate speed was kept up until midnight,
when they went into camp, picketed their animals, and resumed the march
at daybreak. The horses were forced to the greatest possible endurance,
but never did miles seem so long. It was high noon before a point among
the hills on the north was reached from which a fair view of the pile of
rocks could be obtained. Colonel Chadmund produced his glass, and
scrutinized the towering-like mass, in quest of some sign of the
defenders. Not the least could be obtained; but he saw at the base the
band of Apaches, spread out like a miniature besieging army, and this,
to the minds of all, was proof that the garrison of Hurricane Hill were
still at the post of duty.
It was necessary to approach as close to the spot as possible without
discovery, and then to charge down upon the Indians with such fiery
impetuosity that they would have no time to inflict any damage upon the
brave defenders. The appearance of the cavalry would apprise them that
the siege was at an end, and in the gnawing rage thereat, they might
charge up the incline and open a fire, which would riddle Dick and Ned
and from which there would be no escape.
Colonel Chadmund understood Indian warfare so well as to know that Lone
Wolf had his scouts out, and it would be a difficult matter to avoid
them. Still the attempt was made, and by the middle of the afternoon,
the cavalry had reached a point barely two miles away without his
presence being suspected.
"I've been watching the place for half an hour," said the colonel, as he
lowered his glass, and handed it to Tom Hardynge, standing at his elbow,
"and it seems to me that the top of Hurricane Hill is deserted, although
the Apaches at the base seem to point the other way."
"Of course, of course," replied the hunter, impatiently. "You don't
'spose they'd stand up in sight all the time, like a couple of spoonies
gettin' their pictures took? They're watchin' the path that leads up to
where they be."
It required but a few minutes to conclude their preparations, when the
seventy odd cavalrymen, armed to the teeth, burst forth from the hills
like a mountain torrent, and charged straight for Lone Wolf and his
band. The latter, of course, were quick to detect it, and drew up with
the purpose of making a fight; but when they took in the strength of the
company approaching, they changed their minds, and broke and scattered
like chaff before the whirlwind.
This was a severe disappointment, for the colonel and a dozen of his
best Indian fighters had arranged to make a determined effort to rid the
country of this pest. These were the best mounted in the company, and in
their eagerness they sped straight ahead after the redskins, still
hoping that some turn of fortune's wheel would give them the coveted
chance. But the mustangs of the Apaches were fresh and fleet, and they
had no purpose of meeting the United States cavalry where there was
anything like an equal advantage; so they continued their flight with
such persistent celerity that they soon vanished from view.
The heart of Colonel Chadmund misgave him as he galloped toward
Hurricane Hill and saw no sign of life there. But while he was
alternating between hope and despair, the figure of a man appeared
around the corner of the rock, and then the form of a little boy was
discerned, as he came running across the prairie with out-stretched
arms.
"Oh, father! father!"
Colonel Chadmund leaped from the back of his horse and ran to meet him.
"My darling boy! God be thanked!"
The stern old soldier wept like a child as he caught him in his arms and
hugged him to his breast, while more than one rough soldier, looking on,
dashed the tears from his eyes and tried to look as if he were thinking
of something else.
The danger was passed. Little Ned, carried in triumph to the fort,
remained the appointed time with his father at this advanced frontier
post, and when he returned to Santa Fe to his beloved mother it was with
an escort which guaranteed his safety.
Thus ended his adventures with what were then the scourges of the great
Southwest, but the memory of them is indelible and not to be subdued by
the lapse of years. In his manhood days he looks back upon those
troublous times when the wild riders left the bones of venturesome white
men to whiten upon the banks of the Gila; and, although remembrance
brings its thrill of excitement, it is coupled with a shudder whenever
Ned Chadmund thinks of his passage "Through Apache Land."
Volume III of The War Whoop Series is entitled "In the Pecos Country."
SPECIAL CIRCULAR TO EDUCATORS
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26. Longfellow's Poems.
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32. Poe's Poems.
33. Princess. Tennyson.
34. Queen of the Air. Ruskin.
35. Rab and His Friends. Dr. J. Brown.
36. Rasselas. Johnson.
37. Reveries of a Bachelor. Ik Marvel.
38. Representative Men. Emerson.
39. Sartor Resartus. Carlyle.
40. Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne.
41. Sesame and Lilies. Ruskin.
42. Ships that Pass in the Night. Beatrice Harraden.
43. St. Mark's Rest. Ruskin.
44. Thoughts from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
45. Tillyloss Scandal. J. M. Barrie.
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47. Twice-Told Tales, II. Hawthorne.
48. In Memoriam. Tennyson.
49. Vicar of Wakefield. Goldsmith.
50. Whittier's Poems.
51. Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. Holmes.
52. Heroes and Hero Worship. Carlyle.
53. Mosses from an Old Manse, I. Hawthorne.
54. Mosses from an Old Manse, II Hawthorne.
55. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
56. Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow.
57. Evangeline, and Poems. Longfellow.
58. Sketch Book. Irving.
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68. Ten Nights in a Barroom. Arthur.
69. Treasure Island. Stevenson.
70. Tanglewood Tales. Hawthorne.
71. In His Steps. Chas. M. Sheldon.
72. Natural Law in the Spiritual World. Henry Drummond.
73. Imitation of Christ. T. a Kempis.
74. Paradise Regained. John Milton.
75. Water Babies. Kingsley.
76. Flower Fables. L. M. Alcott.
77. Blithedale Romance. Hawthorne.
78. Prue and I. G. W. Curtis.
79. Grandfather's Chair. Hawthorne.
80. Bacon's Essays.
81. Idylls of the King. Tennyson.
82. Wonder Book. Hawthorne.
83. Cricket on the Hearth. C. Dickens.
84. Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. Jerome K. Jerome.
85. Inez. Augusta J. Evans.
86. Kidnapped. R. L. Stevenson.
87. Lucile. Owen Meredith.
88. Phillips Brooks' Addresses.
89. Prince of the House of David. Professor Ingraham.
90. Three Men in a Boat. J. K. Jerome.
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A Final Reckoning
A Tale of Bush Life in Australia
Among the Malay Pirates
By England's Aid
The Freeing of the Netherlands
By Right of Conquest
A Tale of Cortez in Mexico
Bravest of the Brave
A Tale of Peterborough in Spain
By Pike and Dyke
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Facing Death
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For Name and Fame
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Orange and Green
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One of the 28th A Tale of Waterloo
Out on the Pampas
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Rujub the Juggler
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Sturdy and Strong
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FLAG OF FREEDOM SERIES
By CAPTAIN RALPH BONEHILL
BOYS OF THE FORT; or, A Young Captain's Pluck
Captain Bonehill is at his best when relating a tale of military
adventure, and this story of stirring doings at one of our well-known
forts in the Wild West is of more than ordinary interest. The young
captain had a difficult task to accomplish, but he had been drilled to
do his duty, and he did it thoroughly. Gives a good insight into army
life of to-day.
THE YOUNG BANDMASTER; or, Concert Stage and Battlefield
In this tale Captain Bonehill touches upon a new field. The hero is a
youth with a passion for music, who, compelled to make his own way in
the world, becomes a cornetist in an orchestra, and works his way up,
first, to the position of a soloist, and then to that of leader of a
brass band. He is carried off to sea and falls in with a secret-service
cutter bound for Cuba, and while in that island joins a military band
which accompanies our soldiers in the never-to-be-forgotten attack on
Santiago. A mystery connected with the hero's inheritance adds to the
interest of the tale.
OFF FOR HAWAII; or, The Mystery of a Great Volcano
Here we have fact and romance cleverly interwoven. Several boys start on
a tour of the Hawaiian Islands. They have heard that there is a treasure
located in the vicinity of Kilauea, the largest active volcano in the
world, and go in search of it. Their numerous adventures will be
followed with much interest.
A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY; or, Afloat in the Philippines
The story of Dewey's victory in Manila Bay will never grow old, but here
we have it told in a new form--not as those in command witnessed the
contest, but as it appeared to a real, live American youth who was in
the navy at the time. Many adventures in Manila and in the interior
follow, giving true-to-life scenes from this remote portion of the
globe. A book that should be in every boy's library.
WHEN SANTIAGO FELL; or, The War Adventures of Two Chums
Captain Bonehill has never penned a better tale than this stirring story
of adventures in Cuba. Two boys, an American and his Cuban chum, leave
New York to join their parents in the interior of Cuba. The war between
Spain and the Cubans is on, and the boys are detained at Santiago de
Cuba, but escape by crossing the bay at night. Many adventures between
the lines follow, and a good pen-picture of General Garcia is given. The
American lad, with others, is captured and cast into a dungeon in
Santiago; and then follows the never-to-be-forgotten campaign in Cuba
under General Shafter. How the hero finally escapes makes reading no
wide-awake boy will want to miss.
* * * * *
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The volumes are all copyright, excellently printed with clear, open
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THE FOLLOWING ARE THE TITLES
The Children of Wilton Chase
Bashful Fifteen
Betty: A Schoolgirl
Four on an Island
Girls New and Old
Out of the Fashion
The Palace Beautiful
Polly, a New-Fashioned Girl
Red Rose and Tiger Lily
Temptation of Olive Latimer
A Ring of Rubies
A Sweet Girl Graduate
A World of Girls
Good Luck
A Girl in Ten Thousand
A Young Mutineer
Wild Kitty
The Children's Pilgrimage
The Girls of St. Wode's
Light o' the Morning
Bad Little Hannah
Rebellion of Lill Carrington
A Little Mother to the Others
Merry Girls of England