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J / \ $ A TALE or Tilt : CUMN WAR
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Copyright 1Ili. ! ! by 1. 'I'CIIII'IIUIIccJy. ; I UII'I'lgIII isn : by Sln1 and Smllll
CHAPTER XXI.
A Goddess of Battle. .
"ho retreat of the Spanish ) troops
frolll the scene of the d ) 'lIlun\to \ wreck ,
Uncle over the five or clx mlloH liOlIl- )
rating them frolll the slolo ) where the
Htrnllded IImlllllnltioll cal Is settled ,
pus been IICcollllllhdlel1 In IIn almost
Incredibly short SlIICO ) of time , for the
vigor of Gomez' atlllcls has kept thorn
count autly Oil the jllllll. )
Jack and Smlthors have hastily
forllled a lllIn ) of acUon. They arc 1'0-
solved to tithe no part In the Inev-
itahlo conflict thlll must 110 fought
round the carriage , unless actually
forced to 110 80 hy their determination
to protect the hlllles : 11I111 If circum-
stances render Il necesslIl'y for them
to enter the lists against all corners ,
they are just IIIi ready to meet Slmn-
lout wllrrlol'i 01' Cuban patriots ) a8 they
have stool ! against guorrllbros.
The first man to reach the carriage
Is a tllll clllltaln , whose sprinting qual-
IlleR have proven of no mean 01'1101'-
indeed , ho Is so easily able to outdistance .
tllnco all of hit comrades that Jack In
secret Is ready to believe his athletic
ahlllllofi must have been gained In the
hllll'I'llIg oltldlllg time nlllll rushes of all
Infllrlatoll 0111 tOl'O.
As he comes liP , he gasps out :
" ' to break
"SOIlOI' , IIn axo-so\llothlng \
open too door of the ammllllition vnn.
'Vo have no cartridges : wo will lie annihilated -
nlhllntell unless our guns are made
avnllnhlo. " !
So he chnttOl'R on , while gasping for
breath ) \ , and continues to beg for IIn
axe Jade dooR nol know where such
an implement can he found , and as for
Smlthol's , he would see the whole reg-
hnont In Guinea before ho stirred a
step to further their cause an Iota
Fortunately for the Hollliors , they
have a friend In Senor Hohlallo , who
hardly relishes failing Into the hanllH
of Gom'z In this ! way , though ho had
phoned to visit the insurgent ! chief In
his camp , with the secret lope of be'
raying him to the authol'l tics ,
lie haH discovered an axe In time
gunl'll's lion , IInli this ho eagerly tosses
to the calltall1
1'h'n ensues ae : remarkable 1\ movIng -
Ing panorama as Tnclt has ever Sl.'en
Whllo the blows of the axe sound
upon the barricaded doors of the other
comllnl'tmcnts , the Spanish sollliers
tl have gathered nrollllli the carriage ,
many of them wOllllllell , and yet show-
Ing no disposition to calltlllato. (
So 1'rn.1rs , while secretly opposed
to the cause for which they fight , feels
himself bound to admire the way In
which these almost untrained recruits ,
N hut recently from across the sea , face
l death as It comes swooping down the
sill po.
The officer In command forms his
men In phalanx. . Not 1\ shot 110 they
lire because few guns contain a load ,
$ hut with the grim front of veterans
they ! await the descent of the hawl
' Again / the hillside IH covered with n
rushing throng Men come running
down In squalls and sing ! ) ' . They have
no Idea of order . or IIlsclllllno either ,
just at present , as It Is every man for
himself The soldiers are on the run ,
and these wild followers of Gomez
mean to keep them moving until they
are swallowed Ull In the sea of fire
that sweeps over the Cuban chaparral ,
or kenneled In Havana.
1'ravers confesses to a tremendous
Interest In the outcome : ho believes
they will UO safe once the battle Is
over , 110 matter who wins , as Smithers
Is surely on one side , while Senor Ho-
blade covers the other. It Is only the
danger that must threaten while the
warfare Is on that gives him cause for
mental anxlet ' . .
Ho has not long to walt for the
eboclc.
A few shots are fired as the patriots
clash down the hill , hilt It Is possible
that their ammul1lt.1on has also run
short , or else they determine to cleave
a passage through the ranks of the
foe with their gleaming IU11I terrible
ItIllchuteR.
Now they engage with the sollllrs
' ' ' furious
'rho hue wavers before the
attack Ullll ' ' ' ' . What
partially gives way.
follows RoomR to ho a melee The soldiers -
II10rH are dlvillell Into small ) ) groups ,
and fight lIoHIlCratol Sometimes they
chase the insurgents : , and again it is
the rebels who have the best of It.
Numbers of the rebels are mounted ,
and If the fiolll were open , they must
soon annhllnto ! the troops. Within
the narrow confines of the railway the
horses are as much a hhlllrnnce as a
helll
A large number of the soldiers have
gathered about the lower end of the
coach , lack can readily guess their
design Is to glHml the door where the
Spanlfh captain Is passing out packages -
ages of munition In frenzied haste
lust III front of 1'I'aver5 occurs one
of the most dORIICI'ate engagoments.
Some of the mounted rebels have cut
their way through the lines , and are
slashing and hewing right and left.
Jack Is spellbound hy the sight , hut
he receiveR a greater shock III'esentiy.
lie grips the arm of Smithct.s , who
crouches hosilio him , also watching
the first fierce engagement between
patriots and Spaniards that It has been
his good fortune to wltnesR
"Loolt-lI101 ! cries Jack , hoarsely ,
IIR he po'ntt Into the thick of the
struggling , surging maSH 'See , a girl
among / them-on that snow-whlto
horso-a girl with lowing ! hair , and
wielding a machete Look closely ,
Smithers I could swear that Is our
chin rmlng hostess Lola l\lontez "
Ills words reach other pars thnn
those for whom they lire intenlled
, JoHsle , hears , and \ wonllors She has
.
rend much of these Cut ' au Amazons
who fight ) alongside their brothers and
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"Look ! " cries Jack , hoarsely. "See a
girl among them ! "
lovers In fierce engagements Perhaps
the way In which Tl'avors unconscious-
.
ly ! speaks of the girl as "beautiful" and
"charming" has something to do with
arousing her curiosity. At any rate ,
she , too , endeavors to see the girl on
the white horse who thinks less of her
life than the sacred cause to which
she has devoted her 'xlstenco
Smithers In one glance sees that
Jl\ck has spoken time truth. He Instantly -
stantly recognizes the lovely Amazon
"You are right , sir : but please don't
mention names ugalu. 'VallI and
" . . - - - _ . . - - . . . . .
rocks have ears In Cuba now. JIer"
I
life Ir'glit pay the penalty , " Is what ho
culls 1110\\11 \ \ In Jacl's OIlI'H.
110 has hardly spoken Uum his coot- I
panlon utters a cry.
"She Is down-lJ'r horse tripped
aud hits thrown her ! Good heavens ,
she will bo killed before our very j
I
ores ! See , that 110\11 has his bayonet
aimed Ilt her-only a wounded rebel
bars his wa ' , Ho believes her to bo I
I
the leader , nnd Is determined to turn I
the tide. Smlthor : , I cnn'l stand this.
Let go my arm , I tell you " thil5'l
Smlthm's dares not refuse when
Travels \ roars In this tone. Perhaps
he Is not" sorry , after all : for , only that
Iael bars the way , the agent woulll
have leaped out of the deer to .the
rescue of the beautiful Amazon.
Jack Is not a second too soon
'I'he'olllHlel ( rebel has proven \ no
Match for the muscular : ] Spanish sol-
Iller , who has broken his hold ] , plunged
his swircl . 'onel. throllgh the your \
dovll' ! body , laud then , still Intent on
the desperate heed that hind engaged
his attention when interrupted , he
malcs a rust for the young girl , who ,
still partially stunned hy her fall , Is
slowly picking herself up from the
ground , while her white steed whin-
nies his dismay over lie disaster
Before the furious 8'ldlm' can carry
out his desperate intention , Travers
has seized hold of his gun-TI'I\VCr3 ,
who Is boiling over with Indignation at
the sight.
Thure Is a brief but terrific struggle
In connection with the possession of
the glln , and only lacl'H superior mus.
cigar power enables him to C0ll10 out
victor.
Witit a furious outburst ho sends the
soldier whirling clown the slight emI -
hanl\111Ont , having at the S11110 time
I
wrollche ( ! his gUll out of his hangs. ! : !
I As Jack turns , ho finds that Lol1
I has gained her feet. She no longer :
I appears Glared , but as her gaze fastens
eagerly upon the face of the one who
las saved her life , she gives him 11
radiant sllllle.
1'l'I\vors cannot hear what words she
utters , for guns have commcnced to
I rattle with the distribution uf ammunition -
nition among the men , but he accepts
the hand she Impulsively stretches out
' to ilim ,
i
And Jessie Cameron secs It all from
the carriage door just back of Smith-
ers-sees it with a feeling olio cannot
, comllt'ehcllll-a peculiar sensation of
Ills tress in the region of her heart , as
though in some unaccountable '
stay the
I proximity of that Cuban boauh' to her
_ _ - - - . - - - - -
---w
protector gives her 1)I\In ) I
'That IH how Pale takes a hand In '
the affairs of Squire John once more ,
and gives / promise of great results !
Another moment and the f011'loss I
young girl has sprung upon her mlll- I
white steed , and Is In the thick of the I
frar I
Jack makes his way hack to the shel. ,
tel' of the carriage , as he has no desire I
to become a target for the bullets that I
begin to whistle around so merrily.
Up to the present moment the dash
and bravery of the insurgents have
carried things before them : but now I
that the soldiers ! are enabled to make
use of their guns , the tide seems to
set the other war.
The rebels gh e up the advantage
their pluck has wrested from the soldiers .
diers very stubbornly , and more than
'onco turn about , as though tempted to
make another dash.
It would be folly , however , since the
men of Spuin have an ahundance of
ammunition now , and can mow them
down like ripe grain. Against this
they can only OllllOse their machetes ,
anti while these are effective weapons
In a hand-to.hanll encounter , they are
of no use whatever at a distance.
So the revolutionists melt away ,
some passing up the rise and others
plunging into the shelter of the woods ,
as yet untouched lJy the lingers of the
fire Itlng.
Jack heaves a sigh of rollef. He
has seen that the white horse and Its
lovely rider have been almost mlracu-
loushy spared through the fierce rattle
of musketry that ended the affair , and
the last glimpse which ho obtains of
them Is when , outlined against the
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heavens : , Lola : \lcmtc7. , on the hilltop , " (
waves her hat from the end of the
machete she carries
An.1 yet Jack 'rravers turns from
contemplating ! her heroic deeds to the
gentle girl of llInbltl'gh with a pos.- :
live titfal'llon
One lI1ay adnmi ' e a modem ( Joan of
Arc , IInd he enthralled ( br her presence \ .
a8 she leads soldiers in battle : but
when Il comes to the choice of a wife ,
the average male hilled Is very.npt to
turn aside and take to his heart some
loving girl who will make his home a
dl'eam of peace and cheerfulness rather -
or than a wurlllw COlltp.
But .Jessie Cameron does ! not ] chow
,
what Jncls thoughts l\I'e. She has
sonic back behind the barricade , as If
fearful lest some flying bullet might I
tinl ( its way through the frail side 01 _ .
T-r\ '
Th
)
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( ; ,
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There isa brief but terrific strugale
I .t : . j
the carriage \ , when In reality she de- '
I sires to shut out the sight of Jack and .j
' lie little Cuban beauty together. .
I' 1'e ) battle Is \\'on. .
At least , the rebels have ceased to
! harass the troopss and the latter are
I
enabled to tlllw stock of their rlsses. ) I
, which , counting : dead , w011l1l1 < l , uull
ln'.ssing , amoll11t to almost half the
orIinal ! forcc
i As a further retreat to l1avana is' j
' ' ] iIde the
rellllpl'ell utterly 111I110s81hle by
hlnlug forest that bars their way ,
their only plan Is tu strollrtllen their ---L I
present ) position anti walt the coating i 1
of tlatvn , when they t may : be able to .
figure ! on the future
'l'lw rebels have not been gone more
than half 911 hoar when Sntithers
who has been wandering aroUllll In his
restless way , taking an observation , its
0
he calls it , comes upon Jack flS the hitter -
ter sits upon the end of a railroad tie ,
I
meditating while indulging in a smoke ,
and the latter has only ' to take one ,
qllicl look into the agent's sober face
to realize that he carries more bad
news
( To lie continued.
- - - - -
Benny on the CameJ ,
The camel Is u large , homely ani- r .
noel with two big warts on Its bacl
When it has only one it Is called a
(1romedary. A camel can go for days
and flays without drinking anything ,
but it wants its victuals reglllar It
I Isn't nor fun to ride on a came ! . I
tried it once It feels as if you were
taking u rule on the H01'lQ' mountains.
a
A camel will associate with any-
hodr , but prefers Eg 'lltians , There
I
wall a man once who thought It made
a camel tired to hold Its head up , and
he tried to rest It by tying Its head
to one of the bum lIS , hut the animal
bit a large 'hunl out of his arm ,
and he lIeslstell. A camel is always
chewing something / , hut never lets you
see what it Is. It walks us if It wera
lame on all four legs. Yon can " l.
ways nee ; a camel for nothing at a
circus. it you want to see me giant
you have ! got to pay. ( This is because : : I"
It IS harder \ to raise a giant than Il 1
lis t.o raise a camel.-Chicago 'l'ribnuc.
. . . : . . _ . . - . . . e-a , . - . - . . . . - . - . . .G.e.- . . . . ' " . . - . .Lr ar.sue _ .