The Spider

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 23

The Spider

Chapter 12.

The searchers had done very little better than Jimmy and Gwenneth. They had been caught in the fog, and had ridden on without knowing where they had gone; but they did not spend such a miserable day as might have been expected, for they had food and found help in their numbers. When the mist at last cleared and the moon shone out, they dismounted and endeavoured to start a fire. Finding this impossible, as everything was wet, they drew their horses together for warmth, and contented themselves with a cold meal. They had just finished when a cloud passed over the moon, and a furious crackle of thunder started the weary horses, causing them to leap and rear in terror. As their owners smoothed the horses, the wind tore through the tree tops, shrieking and moaning and lashing them furiously this way and that. The rain hissed savagely through the trees, and as the wind redoubled its fury, great branches .came crashing down, missing them by inches, mingling with the turmoil of broken and wrecked foliage,, and whirling, storm rent darkness. The energies of the men were fully occupied in pacifying the terrorstricken horses which plunged and reared, snorting with fear; and barely half a mile away Gwenneth and Jimmy were watching the storm. * A weary hour passed away, and even the seasoned muscles of the cowboys were being severely taxed with the antics of the animals. The storm slowly wore itself away and with a last heavy sigh, the wind moaned away into silence. The horses stood, trembling, and flecked with foam; and it was some time before they had fully recovered from the effects of their efforts to break away. . Suddenly, through the moonlit night came the sound of a shot. The men leaped to their saddles and galloped madly towards the sound. Several seconds passed, and again shots rang out. this time in close succession. Meanwhile things were not going very well at the homestead. .Mr Camerbn was becoming very anxious about Jimmy and his missing daughter, when there came a wild, bloodcurdling shriek, and a host of savage Indians

closed about them. Mustering the few men who were within call, he prepared to defend the house desperately. The Indians careered mrdly about, their naked, sinuous bodies swinging all over their wild ponies. The thundering hoofs raised a cloud of dust from the prairie. Their wild warcrys mingled with the crack of rifles and revolvers, and the snap of falling arrows. , . The fighting was furious, and lasted for hours, and not until the Indians had suffered terribly heavy losses, did they withdraw. The weary defenders

breathed a sigh of relief as the men departed, then saw, with dismay, that the enemy had only gone a little distance, and formed a cordon, hemming in the ranchowner and his men.

The Indians built their pamp fires and squatted down around them. Several attempts were made, to enter the house, on the part of the enemy; but all were severely repulsed. And so the anxious day and night wore on.—

(To be continued.) —4 marks tq Cousin Isobel McKenzie (13), Dipton,