kies began to hoist their colors in
honor of the coming Day God, and rich crimson and purple soon blended
with the richer gold, and all around the rocky fastness the pale, wan
light of the infant morn stole over rock and tree, and still old Pike
slept, but not the deep, restful slumber of three hours before. He was
dreaming, and his dreams were troubled, for his limbs were twitching; he
rolled over and moaned aloud; inarticulate sounds escaped from his lips;
but still, as one laboring with nightmare, he could not wake--could not
shake off the visions that oppressed him. In his sleep he saw, and saw
beyond possibility of doubt, that the Apaches were hurriedly rousing
their comrades; that they were quickly picking up their rifles and then
nimbly speeding up the rocks; that even as they came towards him up the
mountain side several of their number went crouching along towards the
east and eagerly watching the roadway through the Pass, and, following
their fierce eyes, he could see, winding up the gorge, coming at a trot,
a troop of the longed-for cavalry--coming not from the west, as he had
expected, but from the direction of the magnificent sunrise that flashed
on their carbines and tinged the campaign hats with crimson. At their
head rode two officers, and one, he knew at once, must be his old
captain, but why that bandage about his head? Why the rude sling in
which his arm was carried? Plainly visible though they were to him, the
Apaches were completely hidden from the approaching troops. Two minutes'
ride brought the leaders to the smouldering ruins of the baggage wagon,
at sight of which, and the charred and unrecognizable body in their
midst, his captain had groaned aloud, then forced his "broncho" up the
rocky path to where they had made their camp, and then, when he saw the
ruined ambulance and all the evidences of Apache triumph, he reeled in
his saddle and would have fallen headlong had not two stout troopers
held him while their young lieutenant thrust a flask of brandy between
the ashen lips; and then in his wild vision Pike saw them ride on and on
up the road right beneath them--only a quarter of a mile away--never
heeding, never looking for him and his precious charges. He strove to
shout: he screamed aloud, yet only a suffocated groan seemed to issue
from his lips; he shouted to Jim to fire and so attract their attention,
but there was no response; and then, in his agony, he started up, wide
awake in an instan