"Up there—she told me to take care
of Prudence, and when the Indians
came out she made me run back here
to look for him." He pointed to the
still flgur& on the ground before them.
And then, making a brave effort to
keep back the tears:
"If I had a gun I'd shoot some In
dians —I'd shoot you, too—you killed
him. When I grow up to be a man,
I'll have a gun and come here—"
He had the chil| in his arms, and
called to the boy:
"Come, fast now! Go as near as you
can to where you left her."
They ran forward through the gray
smoke, stepping over and around
bodies as they went. When they
reached the first of the womefh he
would have stopped to search, but the
boy lead him on, pointing. And then,
half-way up the line, a little to the
right of the road, at the edge of the
cedars, his eye caught the glimpse of
a great mass of yellow hair on the
ground. She seemed to have been
only wounded, for, as he looked, she
was up on her knees striving to stand.
He ran faster, .leaviqg the boy be
hind now, but while he was still far
off, he saw an Indian, knife in hand,
run to her and strike her down. Then
before he had divined the intent, the
savage had gathered the long hair
into his left hand/ made a .swift cir
cling of the knife with his right,—rand
the thing was done before his eyes.
He screamed in terror as he ran, and
now he was near enough to be-heard.
