The Sun-flash.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 32, 7 February 1891, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Sun-flash.

Br Lieutenant John C. Walshe, U.S.A.

EDITED BY J2ES FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT

[All Rights Reserved.J

The sbage from Custer Sbabion, Montana, was a rumbling old vehicle. 'A Concord coach,' the proprietor pompously called it, but Jim Walton always 'talked big.' It stood waiting ab bhe railroad depot for the west-bound N.P. train, and one could see the swirl of the rushing flood of the Yellowstone from the platform. The river is crossed at this poinb by a curious ferry. A rope strebched over the yellow waters and supported by high poles on each bank, is drawn ' taut,' as Jack Tar says ; and on this run a couple ot grooved pulloys. Over these pulleys, and sliding in the grooves, run ropes to a kind of capstan on bhe ferryboab; and the weighb of bhe vessel, bogethe'r with the current of the river—like a boat sailing close to the wind—carries it across. When the train from the East came inbo the little station, among others, a small boy alighted, and looked around him curiously. The ferry boat was crossing the Yellowstone from tho northern bank, and the quaint method of propulsion at once attrac bed his eager-eyed intei-es t. He seemed to be alone, but was quite self-possessed; though he was only aboub 12 years old. His face was refined, and his blue grey eyes had a winsomo, fearless expression which made friends for him ab sight. He was tall and slight for his age, bub nob straight, nor robust in physique. His Bhoulders had a slight stoop, and his chest was flat, like a student. And Arthur Leslie, or, a3 he was fondly called by his boyish friends, ' Atty,' iras a student.

He had travelled all bhe way from Washington City—from bhe shadow of the dome of the Capitol, where bhe Goddess of Liberty towers to the skies—to this remote little railroad station in the heart of Montana, where the surging flood of the Yellowstone came hissing from the melted snows in the mountains.

His brother, Jack Leslie, was a Lieutenant in the th Cavalry, stationed at Fort Custer, and 'Atty' was going to visit him. They were orphans, and Jack—the brave dragoon—loved his little brother dearly. He had heard of the boy's failing health, and was informed by the doctors that the dry, mountain air of Montana, together with exercise outdoors, might work a cure ; therefore, as he could do no better, he senb for Abty to come and live with him. As bhe boy sbood admiring the novel ferry boat, he was suddenly lifted in the arms of a stalwart, bearded, six-footer, and hugeed like a baby. ' Oh, Jack,' he exclaimed rapturously, and then he flung his arms around the soldier's neck, and pressed his mouth againsb his brother's bearded face. Jack Leslie was dressed in the cavalry uniform.with a forage cap, blouse and yellow shoulder-straps. Down bhe outside seam of his trousers ran a stripe of yellow cloth, and a pair of heavy riding boots came up over his knees.

He was a fine, soldierly-looking man, and Abby sbood off from his big brobher admiring his splendid physique. The soldier's eyes moistened as he noticed the sbooping shoulders, hollow chesb, and bhin, heebie cheeks of his little brother, and be choked back a sob. ' You have grown a good deal, Att,' he eaid, kindly, ' since I saw you last, but you are nob strong. However, we'll make a man of you soon out here. I have some nice rugs in the stage, and I'll ride alongside the door, so we can have a nice chat while we are riding up to the fort.' The driver cracked his whip, tbe bronco 3 pranced and pawed, and then the Concord coach, with a mighty swirl, dashed oub on the rough mountain road. In a few hours they came in sight of the fort, which was builb on bhe high bluff overlooking bbc Big Horn River. Atty was delighted to see thab bhey would have to cross the Big Horn on a ferry-boat similar to the one he had seen on the Yellowstone, and he descended from the stage and examined with interest the ropes, pulleys, the wheel, and the way the ferrymen handled the simple apparatus. When bhey'dismounted at Jack Leslie's quarters, Atty, who had never seen a military post before, noticed thab the houses were built around a square, in the cenbre of which stood a tall flagstaff; and from it proudly floated the stars and stripes. Occupying all the length of ono side of the square, stood the officers' quarters, and on the opposite side were the barracks of the enlisted men. Another side showed, grouped together, several storehouses, and farther back, detached buildings for stables.

Several pleasant-looking young officers in cavahy undress uniform approached, and Atty was duly introduced and welcomed, for his brother's sake, as Jack Leslie was very popular and had many warm friends at _ orb Cusber.

For a few weeks Atty explored the posb, saw the guard-mounting, the drills, the parades, and regularly visited the stables to see the horses fed, watered, and groomed. He rode a little every day on an Indian pony which Jack bought for him, and even in the short time he was in Montana, tbe dry, pure atmosphere had worked wonders. Before long he was able to take short fcrip3 with Jack, riding Medicine Man, his pony, whose strange taste for tobacco was a daily wonder to the boy, and in this way he saw the Indian agency and the schoolhouse, from which the little coppercoloured faces peeped curiously, and had many a ride over the prairie. He visited also the battlefield where Custer led his lasb gallant charge, and heard wibh emobion the tragic story of his death, as Jack told it in sight of the white stones which marked the resting-place of its hero and his brave followers. As they were returning from his last visit Jack pointed to a white line away down in the south-western parb of the sky and said: ' Atty, that is the snow on the summit of the "Big Horn "v Mountains. We are going down that way in a week or two on a hunt. Would you like to come alone ?' Atty spurred his ppny closer to Stranger and looked earnestly in Jack's smiling face. To go on a hunt was the ambition of his life, and he wanted to see if Jack were serious. • Yes, Abb. I really will take you along if you desire to. You are getting stronger every day, and a week's outing in the mountains cannot hurt you now.' 4 ls there any bears in the Big Horn Mountains?' inquired the boy, as his eye brightened. 'Ahem,' replied Jack ; 'you forget your tules of Green's grammar now and then, Att. There are bears there, and deer and antelope and elk and mountain wolves and lions, too.'

'Can I have a rifle? Oh, Jack, 111 be bo careful.'

1 Well we'll see aboub bhab,' said Jack diplomatically. « You should be able bo handle a bwenby-bwo calibre, now. Well see about it.' , , , , 'Hurrah for the Big Horns shouted Atty, as a little party of hunters left Fort Custer one bright, sunshiny morning In October, a few weeks alter Ins trip to Custer's battlefield. The foliage on the hills was showing tints of bronze, gold, and browns, intermingled with the sombre green of the pines. The air was loaded with ozone, and merry voices blended wibh the barking of the hounds and the neighing of bhe horses. ' The Big Horns ' were reached bhe nexb day, and bhe bunbers camped in a lovely valley ab the foot of one of the rugged P6 Next day they wound through the passes of the hills, and pitched their bents alongside the crystal waters of 'Dog Creek, a little stream which bubbled and murmured over its pebbly bed, fresh from the melted snow of the hills. 'Pine Top' towered over their heads, and at the base o. the huge monarch of the mountains, the willow bushes and alders mixed with scrub oaks reached down to the banks of the creek. Atty Leslie was hardly strong enough to climb bhe hills, so he often went out wibh his little rifle on the sage brush plateau to pop at the jack-rabbits or drop an antelope at long range. After the hunters had lefb camp one morning a young Indian rode in and informed bhe boy bhab he had seen a deer down in the ;ilde_ aboub a mile up tne creek ; and Atty started—all afire with ' buck' fever. He had mastered some hunting cratt now, and he crept along cautiously, so as not to startle the game. Pretty soon he pushed his head through tbe shrubs near the stream and there—nob a hundred paces off—grazing quiebly on the short, dried grass, was a noble buck. The animal lifted its head and snuffed suspiciously, bub as Atty was to the leeward the scent was nob sbrong. Tbe boy lay down, full lengbh, and rested his elbows on the ground as he took aim. Puff. A flash and a report. When the smoke cleared away he saw the buck bound away, stumble, rise again, and then once more jump away. A few long leaps broughb the noble fellow to the 'stream, and again Atty saw him stumble as he attempted to clear the little stream. He hastily reloaded and then started to follow the buck, which he telb sure was badly hurt. 'I could nob have missed him ab that distance,' he said, 'and 0, it is my firsb deer. I must geb him. Come along, "Dime."' 1T ._ ' Dime ' was a beautiful, large, red Irish setter which Jack had given him, and whom he prized as the apple of his eye. With a short yelp, Dime ran ahead, bub as he was a ' bird dog' he was almosb useless to chase a wounded deer. Atty dashed on recklessly, hoping that tho buck would soon fall ; but the hardy mountain beast sped up the ravine and gave the boy a weary chase. Dime was so far useful thab his keen nose brailed bhe blood drops from bhe wounded buck, and Atty undauntedly followed to bhe fasbnesses of bho bill?.

Through tangled brakes and copses, over rough ledges of rock, and through the young pines the boy hunter panted, and now the game was in sight. To tbe right tbe steep slope of ' old Pine Top' rose grim and rocky, and the vegetation became more stunted.

In a small mountain meadow high up in the hills the buck lay dying, and Atty gave a feeble shoub as he saw bho noble quarry conquered ab last. Tho little fellow was so tired that he was hardly able to stand, but his brave heart was staunch and true, and he had all the courage and dogged resolution of his race. He stood upon a ledge of slaty rock, and with a cry of dolight he jumped down to the soft grassy plob below. Bub, alas ! The grass was deceptive, and as tho boy alighted he slipped, staggeredj and fell.

When he abbempted to rise a cry of pain escaped him, for his ankle was eibher sprained or dislocated in bhe jump, and he sank back on the grass with a low moan. Dime came to his sido with sympathy in his shining brown eyes and licked his hands and face, barking now and then at the dead buck.

The pain of his ankle was so great that the child swooned. He had eaten nothing all day, bub was borne up by bhe excibement of the chase.

The shadows lengthened, and when he opened his mouth again the boy felt the cold air of tbe evening strike him with a deadly chill. Bub whab was he to do ? He was mi_3 away from the camp on Dog Creek. It was an utter impossibility to walk—indeed he could hardly stand up by leaning upon his rifle—and he was cold, hungry, and worn out. If he only could make a fire he might manage to skin a portion of the buck and cook it, but the boy had no means of kindling a fire.

He lay down on the grass under the ledge of rock wbere he had fallen and began to think.

As the reality of the sibuation impressed itself on him the boy's heart sank and childish tears rose to his eyes.

Alone, the night drawing on apace, and all the terrors of the mountains wibh ib. All bhe bales he had ever heard of bhe murderous cruelty of the redskins, of the ferocity of the panthers and the grey wolves of the timber rose to his mind, and he buried his face in the rough hairy neck of his dog. ' Dime ! had squatted down near him, with his tongue lolling out and his intelligent eye 3 fixed inquiringly on his little master's face.

Ho was hungry, boo, and thought it high time to return. His short, quick barks meant: ' Let us go back now. They'll be expecting us at the camp.' • Oh, Dime, whab shall we do ?' moaned the child. Tbe pain of his bruised ankle was so acute that he was afraid it was broKen, and the horror of being lost in the hills almosb sbupefied him.

He shivered as the thought of sending the dog back to the camp with a message on a slip of paper bied in a handkerchief around his neck firsb occurred to him. Thab would leave him alone, and bhe terrors of the mountain grew vaster and more gruesome as he saw the red disc of the sun go down in the west. Bub ib musb be done. He could think of no other plan, and he tore a leaf out of his little pocket diary. He scribbled a few words to his brother and wrapped it in his handkerchief. This he tied around the dog's neck and ordered him to go home.

Poor Atty ! The faithful * Dime' wagged his tail and barked, but refused to stir.

'Go on, sir. Go righb back,' and the boy made a gesbure of command as he pointed down the ravine.

He looked so angry bhab ' Dime ' jumped a few paces off, and then lay down with his head on his extended paws and tongue lolling oub, watching his little master with greab luminous blinking eyes. Abby dug up a piece of rock and threw it ab him, bub ' Dime ' dodged ib, and only whimpered.

Ib was getting dark, and soon the faithful brute slowly crept back, crawling on his belly and mubely asking pardon for his disobedience.

He crept close up to the boy, and Atty choked back a lump in his throat as he felt bhe sebter licking his hands and face. It was the last tie to companionship, and after all, perhaps it was as well to have some living friend near him, to share the terrors of the night—even though it was only a dog. Ah, if only Jack knew where he was. If he had only brought Medicine Man with him. Would he ever see his dear pony

again? Would he ever put his hands around dear Jack's neck and hug the bi"fellow again ? Did they miss him yet? If so, what would Jack do ? Could they search for him ab night ? Then he remembered bhab the preceding night was moonless, and his little hearb wenb down inbo his boobs ab the thought of the dark, and what ib mighb bring. lb was almosb too dark bo see now, and a tow growl from Dime startled him. The dog rose, and the hair bristled up. Over where bhe buck had fallen, fierce growls and snappings showed that the jackal coyobes, or, perhaps bhe grey wolves, were having a banqueb on Abty's deer. Ib grew darker and bhe boy shivered as bhe growls grew more savage. Darker, darker still, and "he could see the glistening, gleaming eyes of bhe wolves as 1 tor Jf th e carcase of the buck. He patted the dog encouragingly and drew his little rifle up to his side. Hia boot hurt the swollen ankle, and he cub ib (open. He had often heard of the ethcacy of cold running water, and the pain was so great that he determined to crawl down to the little rivulet and bathe the bruised limb in ib.

By leaning on his rifle ho managed to creep painfully to the bank, and at last after suffering excruciating agony, he reached it. The cold water of the brook pained him at first, bub by degrees the intense suffering grew less.

Then he found some stout saplings growing on the banks and he thought if he cub down one wibh his jack knife he mighb use ib as a crubch, and geb farther down bho mounbain during bhe nighb. Poor Abby was in real, hard luck, for scarcely had he begun to hack at the sapling, when the big blade of the knife snapped off, broken. The boy groaned, and again the tears rose in his eyes and blinded his vision.

Ab any rate there was one comfort, bho cool water of the running stream had checked the swelling and abated the pain of his ankle, and he could nob now hear tho snarling of bhe wolves:

The moss and grass which grow at the roots of the willows, was soft, and ho managed to creep into a clump of tho bushes and lie down. ' Dime' lay beside him and watched him with jealous eye.

Soon the stars cams out in bhe greab blue dome overhead, and the noises of the mountain blended into a confused hum.

The boy cried silently, but ab length tired nature asserted herself, and ho fell asleep.

A fitful, uneasy slumber it was, too, for he started awake wibh a cry of terror. He had dreamed that Indians, with murderous tomahawks, were crawling up to scalp him ; and, again, that a huge grizzly bear was chasing bim. Each time after wiping the drops of cold perspiration from his forehead, the boy dropped oil' to sleep again, with his head pillowed on the moss near Dime's greab paws.

Once he woke suddenly, and remembered that ho had not said his nightly prayers—■ the prayers which his dear, dead mother had taught him to lisp ab her knees—and the boy, wibh pale face, bearful eyes, and clasped hands, rose bo his feeb. Under bhe dim, sad sky, with the stars glimmering through the cloud rifts, he prayed to the All-Father his mother's prayer, and begged God to guard and keep him from tho dangers of the night. At last bhe sun rose, aDd Atby sbretched himself and yawned. The boy could scarcely realise whore he was when be awoke, bub he felb stiff, cramped, and frightfully hungry. A? he sat up his eyes wero attracted by something shining in tho grass and sand, where an overflow of the stream had carried it, and be limped to see what it was. He found it to be a small circular hand-mirror aboub four inches in diameter, encas-*V4n a bin frame. He picked it up and smiled. He was saved now. But how ? During hie etay ab Forb Custer the boy had gone oub with tho eignallingparties unci had seen them use the heliograph. Like most intelligent boys, he was curious to learn how it was done, and his brother Jack gratified him. Ho learned tho alphabet.

A long flash represents a dash in tho Morse code of telegraphy, and a short, quick flash etand3 for the dob in the same system.

So Atty practised with an old heliograph and was able to send a message by sun flashes from a mirror.

But now, the question was, how he could make a rough frame for his round mirror ? And if he made it, bow could he get up to the peak to ' signal' tho camp ? He felt that Jack was still in the saddle looking for him, and he know how the brave, faithful heart musb have suffered. Atty Was his only brother, and, as I told you before, they were orphan brothers, too.

When Jack's mother was dying she had asked him to bo a father to tbe feeble, delicate child, and the young soldier tenderly and lovingly accepted the trust. Therefore when Leslie and his friends returned from the day's hunb he was almost crazed ab finding thab his little brother had been absent all day.

A- the night came on, and no sign of Atby's return was seen, Jack Leslie toolout the two Indian scouts and they scoured the counbry wibh keen eyes for tho trail of the boy. But tho vaunted Indian keenness to discover a trail from the pressed leaf, a broken twig, etc., was at fault, and 'Big Bear' shook his head.

' Heap no good,' he muttered, in his gub tural Sioux. 'Little white chief a bird. No trail.'

Jack and his friends scattered in all directions, and tho soldier felt as it an iron band was pressing on his heart, as he fully realised the horrors of the night—alone in the mountains —to a lost child. Perhaps he was killed. The grey timber wolves wore ferocious, and perhaps the boy had tackled a bear or a catamount.

Again, he might have fallen down a precipice.

He was hoarse and hallooing, and ' Stranger ' was showing unmistakeable signs of giving out under the severe riding, aB Jack galloped tirelessly around in widening circles. His eyes were strained to note any 'sign.' Even when the stars came oub and 6hed a flickering light, Leslie refused bo give up bhe search.

Dried branches and trunks of fallen pines wore heaped into an immense pile, and the mass was Boon blazing like a greab bonfire, to Berve as a beacon for the missing boy. Ib was all in vain, however, and about midnight. Jack returned in despair. His hearb was heavy, and his self-reproach was acube.

He should never have allowed the child to go out unless under his own protecting care, and the pale, accusing face of his dead mother rose before his fevered imagination, asking him how he had kepb his faibh. Greab beads of perepirabion stood oub on his forehead, and his eyes were fasbened on the Easb wibh prayers for an early dawn bhab he mighb resume his search.

When Atty Leslie examined the round mirror, he saw thab after ib was cleaned from the mud and dirb, bhe glass was perfecb, and the boy's ingenuity was immediately exerted to make a frame for ib so thab he could use ib as a heliograph.

In all his excited hunt of the wounded buck he had never lost the knowledge of the direction in which the camp lay, and he knew well that if he could only crawl to the summit of one of the foot hills below • Pine Top' he might be able to send a flash on the camp.

With the stump of his knife blade, he cub two sapling 3 about four feet in length, and he pointed the ends so thab he could sbick them in the ground. Then he cub two short pieces, about eight inches long, and split them ab each end. He inserted the edge of the little flat mirror in one of the slits, and the springy bit of sapling held ib

like a vise. Then he inserted the opposite edge in the slit of the other stick like this.

When he had fixed the glass to suit him in the two clamps he began to cutaway the tin ab the back of the mirror until he had made a round hole in the centre.

From this he scraped, away the quicksilver and cleaned tbe glass until he could see bhrough it. Now his heliograph was complete, bub more remained to be done.

He cub another thin sapling aboub bhree feeb and six inches in lengbh, and made a double slip in the top of ib. Into this opening he put a little bit of sapling which he had whittled out, shaped like a small spoon, but flat and thin.

Then be placed the clumps of his mirror on the two sticks which he had stuck in the ground, and wenb about bwo feeb in front of bhe apparatus and stuck down his single stick with tbe spoon-shaped bit of wood inserted in the cloft, and turned toward him edgewise.

The heliograph was now in position. Then he wenb behind his mirror and looked through the circular place where he had scraped off tho quicksilver, as if taking aim with a rifle. Tbe hind sight waß bhe circular transparent space on the back of the glass, and bhe front eight was the edge of the spoon hold in the slit of the stick in front.

The sun had risen above bhe bops of bhe serrated edges of the hills to the east, and Atty found that his ankle was so much betber that by the aid of his rifle he could limp over the ground for a short distance. He was tired, hungry, cold and sick, but his brave little heart bad recovered nerve, and as he completed his apparatus for sunflashing, he knew that Jack would soon be spurring madly up the ravine with a wild joy in his heart.

Dime had stolen away. Dog-instinct was too strong- Ab first Atty tbought he had returned to the camp, but in aboub half an hour, Dime sneaked up to his master with an unmistakably deprecating look in his brown eyes. He had been feasting on what was left of bhe gallant buck by bhe coyotes.

As Abby rose painfully to his feet and limped away ' Dime ' followed with his tail between bis lefts, as if he was ashamed to have been caught gratifying his dog appetite while his little master went hungry.

The lad's progress to the top of the foothills was slow and painful, and he had bo resb very often, for he was weak from wanb of food.

However, the longest journey must have an end, and at last he crawled up to the summit. The valley of Dog Creek stretched away for miles to tho south-east, and in the distance where he knew the camp lay near the stream, he could see a huge column of smoke.

His little heart gave a thump against bis side, for be ab once recognised ib as a signal bo guide bim in his work of heliographing.

The air on the mountain heights is rare, and Atty had already learned how illusory are apparent distances bhere ; bub ho calculated that the column of smoke must be over ten miles away down the valley.

He set his two sticks in tho ground, and clamped his little mirror on them. Then ho set the single stick in front about two feet, and turned the spoon in the cleft edgewise to the glass. After he had changed ib several times, ho went behind bhe mirror and sighted through tho hole, on the spoon-edge, and tho distant column of smoke. By this means he knew that a flash from his mirror which would strike the spoon, would also strike the base of tbe column.

Then when ho had his sights adjusted ho turned the little spoon flab townrds his mirror, .and to his delight caw a small spot on the centra of ib. Tho black spot came from the central space where he had scraped off tho quicksilver. Nov/ he knew that the centre of his Hash being- on bhe little spoon, it must strike the base of the smoke column ten miles away.

As the sun moved Atty changed the inclination of his mirror, always keeping the black spot on the spoon. ' By the Greal Horn Spoon,' shouted Lieutenanb Watson, who stood near the fire ab bhe camp, heaping on wood and dried leaves to make a big smoke—' there's a sun-flash from " Pine Top." Hurrah ! Either some of the Sioux have found the boy, or a miracle has occurred. Run, Big Bear, and saddle your pony. Find Mr Leslie ab once. I will ride oub, too.' In half an hour, 'Stranger' with Jack Leslie bending forward eagerly on tho saddle, was flying up the ravine. Tho others wore left far behind, and in a couplo of hours Atty was sobbing like a baby in his big brother's arms. Ho had buried his face in the greab, bearded fellow's bosom, but if he had looked up he would have seen thab Jack's eyes, too, were moist, though a happy and thankful smile illumined his face.

' Big Bear' wa3 thoughtful enough to bring oub.bhe pony, and Abby mounted 'Medicine Man ' after eating ravenously a small lunch.

'Sun-Hash heap good signal,' grunted the Indian ; ' Little white chiof make 'urn good Big chiof by an' by.'