"In the Hour of Danger."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13892, 1 May 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

"In the Hour of Danger."

(By Philip Stevenson.)

I. "Well played—well played!" I exclaimed excitedly. The brilliant run the whole length of -the ground by Clifford of " ours" was followed by a magnificent long shot between the hostile goal posts, which roused even the usually apathetic Hurcrowd to enthusiasm. The 50th Hussars had won the cup in the Inter-regimental Polo Tournament. " What do you think of that, Mrs Ludlow," I asked. The pretty little widow, like myself, flushed with excitement, ad milled that Clifford had played exceedingly well. "But," she contracted, "look at the prices he pays for his ponies! Most men can't afford them." " Well, yes, of course," I assented, a little huffily—"Clifford lias topping ponies, hut not everybody could make such /good use of them; that shot at goal just now—why, it was simply superb." My companion seemed stubbornly %ent on diging little holes in the turf with the point of her parasol. "Do you know, Mrs Ludlow, it seems to me you have rather a ' down' on Clifford. What has he done to annoy you?" " Good gracious, Captain Thirlwell I —nothing." She coloured up angrily. " Yon foolish, person. Really the vanity of you men is Extraordinary. You all.seem, to treat it as a personal insult if a woman fails to recognise in any man all the noble qualities you arc so ready to credit liim with!" "Oh, I say, Mrs Ludlow!"' _ " Well, perhaps I was a little sweeping," she said with a charming smile, recovering her usual epuanimity, '.so to make up for it, do, like a dear get me some tea." I hurried off on this quest; but there was a tremendous crash in the refreshment room, and when, at last, I returned, I found, to my surprise, Clifford himself sitting in my chair. On seeing me he got up, raised his cap, and moved off. He was a handsome, well-set-up specimen of English manhood, and I had never eqen him look to better advantage. Didt I, I wonder, hear a faint sigh from Mrs Ludlow, whose eyes followed him until he disappeared, She said nothing, but attacked her tea with great apparent relish. ' " You've brought none for yourself, Captain Thirlwell. Don't you care .for tea?" "Not very much," I murmured absently. . ; I was pondering. - "Mrs Ludlow, you're an enigma. You might have knocked me down with a faather when I saw you talking to him, nineteen to the dozen!" " Hitherto 1 have found you considerably less stupid than the generality of your sex, Captain Thirlwell, hut to-day you are quite tiresome." " Thanks, very much," I replied, laughing, yet a good deal nettled. Mrs Ludlow laughed mischievously. Then she put a little hand across the table and patted mine. "Silly toy! you tako everything au grand - Berieux. Let me satisfy your touching curiosity. It you must know, he happened to" be passing while you were away, (what were you about, sir, all that time?), and, as he went by, he blocked my poor fan off tho table and broke it."

Sh» ruefully.held up a dainty little tortoiseshell and gold affair, which looked as if it Lad been in the wars. • " Well, what was-the poor tlo.?' He was so overcome that I iclfc quito sorry for him, and charitably vtold him not to make a fuss, but to sit , down and have .a"little talk, while yon , ■were away. So that's why you .found him in your chair, Captain Inquisitive! He was very pleasant and nice," she I, continued, "but I think he was glad to get away." Then, with a sudden change of manner, she bent forward. " Captain Thirl well, I know I can trust yon, and I am in the mood for confidences. I am going to tell yoti why I do not care for your friend. But -promise me faithfully, first of all, never to repeat a word of what I tell you." "Yon may be assured of that,' Mrs Ludlow," I said earnestly; "you have - my word of honour." Whereupon, without further preamble, she told her story. "Soon after I first came to stay with my uncle at the Curragh" .(Mrs "•Ludlow was our colonel's favourite niece, and since her widowhood a couple 'of years ago had-"spent, much of her time with him and liis wife) " I" was driving in my aunt's pony trap one afternoon and just reached the level 'crossing. near Kildare station as the signalman closed the gates. '"Cork express due, marm,' lie said. "A second, later Captain _ Clifford Came up, and we began chatting. All at once a little girl trotted out _ of a cottage on to the line, and, tripping over a sleeper, fell full length. "At this moment the shrill whistle of the express sounded, and I could see the train rounding the sharp curve, which is- pretty near the crossing. " 'Oh, Captain Clifford.' I exclaimed, terrified for the child, which lay howling in the very track of the express, ' for - Heaven's fcako run and pick her up!' "He had turned as pale as death, and seemed paralysed with fear. " You will hardly believe me, I know, Captain Thirlwell. In desperation I jumped ont of the trap, ran on to the line rovself, and managed to" draw the poor little mite off just as the train thundered by, so close that the draught blew my hat in amongst wheels, and, of course, tore it to bits." "Good God, Mrs Ludlow!" I eiaculated. " You deserve the Albert Medal. Why have you kept it to yourself? It was splendid." "Hush, Captain Thirlwell, I implore von I To talk about it would be most unfair to poor Captain Clifford. 1 tell you. the only person I have told, to explain why l.do not care for him. "What did Clifford do after yon saved the eliild?" I asked. " Well, he seemed so crushed and bo humilitated that 1 hadn't the heart to say what I had intended; but, after the signalman, who had not seen what had happened, as he was busy in his box, had opened the gates again, I, was abont to drive off, when Captain Clifford stopped me : "'Mrs Ludlow—l cannot tell You what I feel —I' lost my liead-I don think I have ever been quite nglit fdnce I got hurt pig-sticking—— "Now, I'm riot an unkind woman. Captain Thirlwell; but thouel. I p j his humiliation. I could not help feeling disgusted, so I only murmured something incoherently and drove off. "Mrs Ludlow," said I, very scriousIv, looking into , the beautiful eyes, which were grave enough now, do, i beg of you, think and believe that nothing bnt the suddenness ok the thim, upset the poor chap. I d stake my life on his being as brave as an> man can be. Onlv the other day, at the Curragh, I saw him thrash a hig tinker who was knocking his wife about, although tho fellow was several inches taller than him. Clifford 5 no coward—the best of us lose our heads at times. Wliy, x?vcn Napoleon, and Ircderick the Great and " "I like to hear you defending your friend," interposed Mrs Ludlow softly, " and I dare say von are right— I should like to think so—for in ptlicr respects Captain Clifford teems

better ihaii most- This signalman 1 "hare been talking about told me not. long after that that Captain Clifford had sent him £IOO to be put b.v for the little girl—now that was really a kind and generous act." "Clifford is all right, I am quite sure,'* I replied confidently. Not long after this conversation our annual ltegimental Paces took place. They were a huge success, as usual. The sporting Irish gentry and countryside came in force, and our luncheon and tea-tents were filled to overflowing. Clifford rode the winner of the first race, defeating the redoubtable Mr Flannigan, the well-known gentleman rider, by a short head after a slashing finish. He was now to ride the colonel's horse, Gossoon, in the chief event on the card, the Begimcntal Cup. For years the colonel had- essayed to win it, but without success. To-day he told his friends he. thought he had " a soft thing." The betting opened on Gossoon a red-hot odds-on favourite. I had no mount in this race, and was looking after Mrs Ludlow, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself; the finish between Clifford and Mr Flannigan had wildly excited her. There were twelve runners. The race was over a stiffish bit of country, and so much "grief" ensued that a few fences from home only three were left in it —Gossoon, Archduke, a big brown horse belonging to our".vet," and Gipsy, a fine raking chestnut mare, ridden by young Vernon, one of our subalterns, a good rider and a fair judge of pace for a youngster, but. excitable. At the third fence from home, a stone wall, all three were in line, and rose in the air together in a cluster. " By Jove, Clifford's down, Mrs Ludlow!"! cried. "No —good man —he's up again!" I had no response from the little widow, and looking round at her I noticed that her lips were white and quivering under the glasses she held, glued to her eyes. " Curious woman," I" thought—- " much more emotional than I gave her credit for." Then a roar from the ring caused me. to turn my eyes again to the course. Clifford, who had with apparent difficulty remounted Gossoon, was in hot pursuit of Gipsy,' the now riderless Archduke galloping, alongside tho latter.

Carelessly looking over his shoulder, Gipsy's jockey as horror-struck to see Gossoon, who had seemed clean out of the race, coming up like a steam engine, and promptly lost his head. Instead of collecting his . mount and quietly setting her .going again, when he .woiild hare won, beyond a doubt, he took up his whip and commenced flailing wildly. The resenting this treatment, laid back her ears and swerved across the course, her temper not being improved by cannoning against Archduke. Although Vernon speedily got licr straight again, it was too late, for Gossoon had now caught her. A splendid struggle ensued. Both horses strained every nerve. _ Clifford sat "curiously still, hardly maving hand or leg. Gossoon, however, as if conscious of its rider's secret wishes, gained at every stride, and flashed past the post, a short, head in front of the chestnut, amidst a tempest of cheers. ' . . Crash went Mrs Ludlow's dainty glasses on the floor of the _ rough stand; she was pale and shaking all over, and hardly thanked me when I picked up the binoculars. " I'm all right, really, Captain Thirlwell—only a trifle upset for the iromenj," she said, with a weak little, "So I ' left' lier, -thinking:- she would prefer it, ' with a muttered apology, and ran down to the paddock, where Clifford had just edHe had turned very pale, but said nothing to any of-us. and went straight into the weighing-room. Turning, I found' Mrs Ludlow at my elbow; she had followed me down from the stand. -I was about to speak to her, when the colonel came out and shouted for a doctor. A second or two later I noticed one making his way hurriedly towards him. Both went at once inr to-the weighing room. Almost immediately the colonel emerged again and sent for his carriage. " What do you think?" said he, cominc up to us; "that plucky chap, Clifford, actually rode the race with a dislocated shoulder. He fainted away directly after weighing-in, but I fancy—hullo, Rose, what's up?—look out, catch her, Thirlwell!" lie cried, as Mrs Ludlow, with a gasping little cry, fell unconscious into my arms.

A year later I found myself with the 50th Hussars on active service in Afghanistan. So far we had seen but little of the., retiring enemy. Then one cold autumnal morning, when we were stamping on the hard ground'to warm ourselves, while discussing a -frugal breakfast of cocoa and biscuits, a scout from the front galloped ixjto camp ven-tre-a-terre, and pulled up at the brigadier's Afghan tent. A little later all was bustle and activity, and in an incredibly short space of time our regiment moved off in squadron-columns ot a trot, supported bv two companies of mounted infantry. After a bit we were halted, and received orders to push forward a squadron to feel the enemy's strength. Clifford moved off his, accordingly, with the mounted infantry in support. , His little force, topping the rise from the vallev where the regiment had dismounted," was speedily lost to view. Egerton, the captain of my squadron (I was now a major), stood talking with me a little way from the men. "What's up with Clifford.-' said he. "He looks positively green. I swear I've scon him take half a dozen pulls at his flask this morning." " Feels cold, no doubt. "You think that's all?" replied Egerton significantly. " All —*viiv, of course, said 1 irritably. " What the deuce do you mean ? You don't mean you think it's funk—" "Well between ourselves, that s about what Ido think. I once saw a poof devil strung up, and lie looked just the same before they turned him ° ff '-Rot! Egerton," was" my indignant response; "you don t know Clifford " (Egerton had not been long back from staff employ) "or you woudn t talk such stuff. Nervous he may be— X" am —vou probably are; saj "l' a t they will,* nobody likes being .'potted at ' especially on a cold morning like this As Clifford is my particular friend, 1 must ask you, as a favour not to make remarks of tins kind about him, cither to myself or others. "All right." replied Egerton testil\. "J sincerely hope 1 may be wrong. He moved off rather ruiflcd I remained moodily digging the yrouHd with iiiv heels, vaguely \vonderm o if lon spoke the truth. Then 1 remembered Clifford's hunting and polo piowe«s and, recalling Ins pluckv finish with a broken arm at our races the year before, dismissed my misgivings aS i« a p^ c t is," I said to myself, ''the poor beggar is upset about his lady--1 rf» " ° Clifford had been on the eve of marriage to a iio less charming woman than our friend Mrs Ludlow when war broke out. He had refused to marry her after we received -our_ orders, though ; she was ready aud willing.

"You mustn't run the risk of being a widow a second time, llose,". lie liad said. "It would never do." Further meditation on my part was cut sjiort by au order for my squadron to move to support Clifford. A messenger had just come in from him, liis horse in a foam, asking for reinforcements. It was clear from the respectable little fussilade going on that the enemy was in no hurry to fall back. Off 1 moved accordingly at a trot. The firing had almost died away, and I was uncertain where to act to the best advantage. Observing a party of our men about three-quarters of a mile off, I left Egerton to bj-ing on the squadron, aud galloped ahead to find Clifford. When I came up to the men, who had dismounted and were standing by their horses, evidently in reserve, irtider a bronzed -sergeant-major, I called out, asking for Major Clifford or his subordinate, Captain Armstrong. The'man seemed embarrassed. " Why the deuce don't you answer, Gilmour W I asked impaticutly.

"Captain Armstrong is in the firingline, but Major Clifford, sir " the good fellow came close up to me—and I could see he was greatly distressed —"God help him, .he's over there, sir." He jerked his hea<i in the direction of, a clump of low bushes hard by. " Over there- —not killed or badly hurt!'" 1 enguircd angiously. " No, sir, not killfcd nor hurt —betj ter if he were. AL wish to God voii'd i go to him and see what you can do, sir. I've told the men lie's hit, and the officers didn't see, and " liut, horror-struck, I was already 'halS way to the place Gilmour had indicated. So Jigerton was light! Just before I reached the little tree-encircled hollow which afforded some poor shelter from the bullets that even thus lar from the firing line occasionally pinged past, or struck the ground with vicious " pliits," I came on a dead horse which I recognised as Clifford's. A ,lt j then, great Heaven! I saw my friend —the once gay and gallant Clifford my beau-ideal of a soldier. Even now, when'l think of it, the horror and disgust, mingled with inexpressible pity, 1 felt at that terrible moment come back as strongly as ever. Better indeed had I found him dead, with eyes staring to heaven ay, better if I had found him weltering in agony —than as I now saw him, lying on his face, shaking like an aspen, and sick literally "and absolutely sick with terror. ' . T "Clifford!" I gasped in a voice 1 hardly knew as my own. "Cliirortl, what does this mean? My dear old chap, for God's sake rouse yourself! Think of the regimenttlnnk ot your people; think of someone who is waiting for you at home —be a man. quite understand, it's a mere passing weakness; and on my honour, old cliap, I'll sec you through." Dismounting, 1 knelt beside hi in. "Here, drink this brandy right off ? no harm is- done so f ar - *>obod> . knows. Take my horse, 1 11 get onc oF the men's; but for God's sake hunj up, there's no time to lose, Clifford lifted a ghastly face and gulped down the contents or my lias". With difficulty I restrained my growing disgust. It. was hard indeed to see a gallant gentleman brought thus At last bv a supreme effort he sat up with a ]erk and spoke tor the first- time, a tinge of colour in ins 1 haggard face. , , ~ ■ " Thirhvell— for God's sake don t ' —don't despise me. It all came so l suddenly—l thought I should get through all right, when down went my

horse with a scream, and then —God help me—my nerves seemed to collapse all at once, and now—oh, my God! my God!" "Clifford," I broke in sternly, "you must know that disgrace means death in' a case like this." " Thirlwell, I can't —I can't help it," he almost wailed. I looked round in despair. My fellows were now sweping past not far lrom us, and my cliarger pricked his ears and neighed impatiently at the thunder of their hoois. Gilmour -and his section had gone oil long ago. Away in the distance 1 saw the brigade on the move. I dared wait no longer. I spoke roughly, my patience exhausted : "Look here, Clifford, only Gilmour knows a bout this; the others. ' think you've been, bowled over. Gilmour is I a good fellow, devoted to you, 1 Know ; for the last time, are you coming?" 1 gathered up my reins preparatory - to mounting. "I'll take you up behind; we'll find you' a mount in a" jiffy, but there's not a second to spare. Now then, come on!" . r Clifford rose, took two or three steps' towards me. His eyes met nijne with something like the old look; Cut who knows?—it may have been a, mere flash in the pan. Fate, however, settles matters its own way. At that moment a, chance bullet struck Clifford. He foil heavily. "Thank God!" 1 muttered. Then the -iinug broke out agaiu with renewed vigour, and 1 could delay no more. My old friend lay bleeding profusely, but, strange to 'say, more like his true self than he had been for days. "He's saved from dishonour, anyhow," I-thought-Promising to send him assistance a 6 soon as possibly, I went off, liell-for-leathcr, after my squadron. I checked my foaming charger as I reached Egerton. He asked what had kept me so long. " I was with Clifford," I replied curtly; "he's badly hit." "Is he?" said Egcrton. . " I'm glad of that. 1 was afraid it might be worse." I had no time to-reply, for our position required all my attention. The enemy was falling back, but severe hand-to-hand lighting ensued as our ranks crashed together, in which poor Gilmour and many another brave fellow bib the dust. But the vest of "ours" coming uj>, the fighting soon ended for that day. On. getting back to camp I found that Cliffordjhad been brought in by the bearers, and that the doctors thought badly of the case. However, lie pulled through after being sent to the base hospiptal, and was then invalided home. At Nctley he was devotedly nursed by his liaucee until he recovered, when ] was told afterwards by Mrs Finlay thcro was a most painful interview between him and Mrs Ludlow, resulting in the rupture of their engagement. 1 feel- pretty sure in-my own mind that the poor fellow told Mrs Ludlow everything, and that it was more than she could stand. I met lur afterwards, looking dreadfully changed, very different to the gay little widow of happier days. She never alluded to Clifford directly or indirectly. Clifford himself, after breaking off his engagement, resigned his commission and disappeared altogether. A year after our return from India I was offered and accepted the military attacbesliip to our Embassy at Washington.

, 1 had been about eighteen months in | America when I received a very warm invitation from my old friend Colonel Joseph King, commandant at Fort Butler, in Arizona, close Lo the Mexican frontier. I jumped at the offer. I had always been anxiou's to see American troops under war conditions such as practically obtained at Fort Butler and other posts along the turbulent border, where Indian, and white desperadoes alike require an iron hand and ever watchful eye to hold them in check, I received a cordial welcome from i>sy host arid the garrison of the fort, the Fifth United States Cavalry, a hearty lot of fellows, with whom I soon found myself at home. Sitting smoking one night in the commandant's quarters the conversation turned on the subject of bravery, and Colonel King remarked that the bravest man he had ever met in his career was a certain Sergeant Green, who had been killed by Indians about six months prior to our conversation. I expressed my surprise that one heard so little of what went- oil in these remote regions; for the Indian war in which Green met his death seemed to have been quite a tidy little business of its kind.. \ ■

"I suppose, King," I said, "that this Mexican border of yours is much like our own Afghan frontier, where ' scrapping' goes on pretty nearly all the year round, the news of which rarely gets round to the public?". "That's it, Thirlwell, exactly," replied my host, passing' the cigars. " We've no newsagents loafing aroiind in these parts, and we do ou'r fighting without much fuss or feathers. But shall I tell, you about poor Green?" " Yes, do," I replied heartily, for King was a noted raconteur. " As you see," said the commandant of Fort Butler, "things are peaceful enough here just now:, but we had a red-hot time for a bit in the last Indian kick-up. "A couple bf years ago we received a draft of recruits from headquarters to replace time-expired men and casualties.' With the new arrivals came a smart-looking fellow, who, I saw at; a glance, was not soldiering for the first time. I saw, too, that lie was English, and lie had- all the cut of one of your dragoons —as you know, we often get men -from your army, attracted by our high rate of pay,,, or other reasons wliicli we don't trouble much about. •... " But this mail was above the ordinary stamp, and • got on very rapidly. There were several vacancies at the time, for War Eagle, Grey Wolf, and others were giving trouble, and Green soon rose to sergeant. He was very popular, and nobody grudged him his rapid, rise.' : " Although subject to gloomy fits, lie was always ready to do a comrade a good turn, and did his Yvork thoroughly and cheerfully; After a. time the' Indians, who had been, growing iiiore and more restliess, suddenly broke out in one of their paroxysms of savagery, and started to massacre all the outlying settlers and miners they could, find, torturing all alike —men, women and children. ■ "Ah! they're devils, Thirlwell, in-; carnate fiends, at- such times," said King, meditatively flicking off the ash from his cigar, then resuming. " The whole border was in a blaze. Not far from here, way up those hills you can see from the window, was a mining camp. L was very anxious to bring the inmates into Port Butler, so I sent out a troop of the Fifth,, under a, Captain Grimes, on this duty. " Sergeant Green was with the party. Grimes made a forced march arid , reached the camp at early ,dawn, but found only the tortured and mangled bodies of the settlers. " The same evening, when on the back trail, he was heavily attacked by an overpowering force of Apaches under Grey Wolf in person. '' Entangled as it was in a narrow wooded, defile, Grimes's little outfit was speedily overwhelmed and cut up, after a desperate resistance. "Man.'after man fell .round Grimes, and the Indians closed in with whoops of exultation. He told me lie had given up all hope, when Green, forcing his horse through, shot down a chief and two others in rapid succession, and created a momentary diver-; siOu which enabled him to take .up'. Grimes behind him. - " The horse, double-weighted though it was, answered gamely, and. was off at breakneck speed down the rocky track before the redskins recovered from their momentary surprise'. But they,,were soon in hot pursuit, yelling like fiends. " Luckily, Grim'efe was a light-weighty and Green's horse a fine animal, wnich he had had himself captured from War Eagle in a previous ■ 'scrap,' otherwise the fugitives could not have retained their lead so long as they did. ; ' " For an hour or more the good nag kept on, the Apaches gaining little if at all, and hope began' to rise iiighin the hearts'of the white men. "'Only a few miles more to Fort Butler,' said Green cheerfully. ' They surely must hear the firing with this wind,' for the Indians were shooting as thev rode; ,but so far ineffectual}'. . • • He had. hardly spoken before a wince-and swerve of the horse showed that au Indian bullet had found at last,a billet. . " Geotfrev, as Green named his horse (after.my youngster, whom he taught to ride," said King rather huskily), " began: to labour 111 .his stride, anil the yells of the exulting pursuers grow more and more distinct. "'Geoffrey can't hold out much longer, captain,' said Green. ■ '•'Spur, Green, spur —we're just home —only a few miles more—spur, for God's sake!' gasped Grimes hoarsely " He had a yoiuig wife and cnild at Fort Butler, and his sOul was sick within him. ... , , " By this time then" headlong, iiigiit had brought theme nearly to the end of the defile, where it narrows to a tew feet, and-where in the good old. times two or. three men liavc held the pass against a score. "Already they could see the valley beyond stretching away to Fort B utlt ' l and safety. ' . . , ~ « No use, captain, said Green, 1 )UU " ijig up suddenly and slipping out or the saddle; 'the horse is beathell never take us both in. There s . on y one thing for it: you're light and he can carry you alone; with my es |™a weight he'll collapse m another liunditu yards—mv mind is made up, sir. 1 m going to hold this bottleneck with 'lay rifle while you 1 gallop on and get ri ll ? l i>"'Not 1, by Heaven!' cried Grimes indignantly, dismounting to share the fate of his comrade, who was bus> shl ping cartridges into his magazine. "Look here, captain,' said Olccii calmly, as lie settled lnmself in behind a rock, aiid iUproacliing Indians with Ins 1 « fe., rensen, 'there's not a second to lose. H vou stay we'll both "go under, and one man can hold these fev'ls oft well as two. It you get help Aye n ay both be saved; bufc-<>no moment, bii. 4k AiniiriK cLiroiully> be nieu. . "The leading Indian t] ir ew np Ins arms and pitched heavily forward, llis comrades, evidently disconcerted + by these new tactics, scattered and took cover. • i * /i <V You see, sir/ said Green, , as ' calmly as if he. were shooting' praine hens 'I can stand them off for a hit, anyhow, and it's our only chance. I'or God's sake, man,' be exclaimed, force ttinc his companion's rank, ' think ol vour wife an<J child. I have neither kith.nor kin; and, believe me, no one

will care a "continental" what happens to me. So ride, ride, while there's time; it's our last chance.' "Grimes wavered—if he fell, his wife and child would only have a scanty pension, and—he yielded. " 'God bless you, my gallant fellow!' lie cried, then mounted,' put- spurs to his horse, arid galloped off. "As lie rode- he could hear the crack of Green's Krag-Jorgensen alternating with the report of the Indian's Winchesters, while-an occasional yell, coming down wind, told that Green's aim had again proved true. . " Geoffrey's gallop Lad degenerated into a shambling,, staggering amble, when a strong patrol of United States cavalry came into view, sent out to ascertain the cause of the firing. "In an instant Grimes, throwing himself from the foaming, dying Geoffrey, had taken a trooper's horse, and was- spurring furiously back with his party to Green's aid. ■ "Before they could reach the. spot, however, the intermittent fusillade had ceased. Just as the troop, riding like madmen, breasted the incline ■to the end of the pass,, an Indian yell, long, loud, triumphant, rent the air. ."'Oh, God, on, on!' .screamed Grimes, gorging his horse's sides. . Oil they thundered, officers and men racing, regardless of rank. "It was not to be!" '■He had fought to the ral Indians lay round him, and • the ground was littered with empty cartridge cases. As Grimes looked on the man who had given up his life for him, uncontrollable emotion, seized linn., "He burst into tears. But the roii'gh troopers, tough and hardened Indian fighters all of them, ■ thought none the less of"' little Jiipmy, Grimes ' for this tribute to a fallen- hero. Slowly and reverently they raised the body and bore it back to the Fort." "He's buried in our cemetery, and we've put a monument over liim,'' continued the commandant after a, pause, his iron features working with an emotion which did liim honour, "but, by Heaven! Thirlwell; his best monument is in the hearts and memories of the Fifth Cavalry. Here's his photo-' graph," he said, wheeling, in his chair to open a regimental albu'm. . " Why, Thirlwell—you don't mean to say you know him!" . 1 I could not answer. , There was a mist before my eyes. Something • seemed to grip me by the throat. " Sergeant Green" was my long-lost comrade, Walter Clifford.