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Updated: May 17, 2025
He dropped various obstacles in the way: for instance, the animals and men must be thoroughly refreshed; in short, it was dusk before all was ready. Meantime Clara had found an opportunity of whispering to Thurstane. "Must you?" And he had answered, looking at her as the Huguenot looks at his wife in Millais's picture, "My dear love, you know that I must."
The only change was that, owing to scarcity of fuel, no watch-fires were built. As Thurstane expected an attack, and as Indian assaults usually take place just before daybreak, he chose the first half of the night for his tour of sleep. At one he was awakened by Sweeny, who was sergeant of his squad, Kelly being with Meyer and Shubert with Coronado. "Well, Sweeny, anything stirring?" he asked.
She was very thin; bad food, excessive fatigue, and anxiety had reduced her; her face was pinched, narrowed, and somewhat lined; her expression was painfully set and eager. But she never asked for repose, and never complained. Her mind was solely fixed upon finding Thurstane, and her feverish bright eyes continually searched the horizon for him.
"Two hundred dollars," whispered Coronado. "You said that befo'," croaked Texas. "Go it some better." "Four hundred." "Stranger," said Texas, after debating his chances, "it's a big thing. But I'll do it for that." Coronado walked away, hurried up his muleteers, exchanged a word with Mrs. Stanley, and finally returned to Thurstane.
Before the boat had touched the side the crew were laboring at the noisy windlass with their shouts of "Yo heave ho! heave and pawl! heave hearty ho!" while the mate was screaming from the knight-heads, "Heave hearty, men heave hearty. Heave and raise the dead. Heave and away." Amid this uproar Coronado continued: "You won't shake hands with me, Lieutenant Thurstane.
Suddenly the sentry in the plaza fired, and, rushing in upon him, fell motionless at his feet, while the air was filled in an instant with the whistling of arrows, the trampling of running men, and the horrible quavering of the war-whoop. At the noise of the Apache charge Thurstane sprang in two bounds to Coronado's entrance, and threw himself inside of it with a shout of "Indians!"
She climbed into it from a mound of disintegrated adobes, and stood there, pale, tremulous, and breathless, her whole soul in her eyes. Thurstane, walking his horse and making signs of amity with his cap, had by this time reached the low bank of the rivulet, and halted within four hundred yards of the savages.
Thurstane stooped slowly and cautiously until he had got his shoulder under the bow. "Easy!" called Glover. "Awful easy! Don't break her back. Don't upset me." Gently, deliberately, with the utmost care, Thurstane straightened himself until he had lifted the bow of the boat clear of the current. "Now I'll hoist," said the skipper. "You turn her slowly jest the least mite. Don't capsize her."
"What! isn't it true?" exclaimed Thurstane, reddening with joy. "Then you are not heir to your grandfather's fortune? It was one of his lies? Oh, my little girl, I am forever happy." She had not meant all this; but how could she undeceive him?
The instant that the vehicle which contained the ladies had cleared itself of the others, Thurstane and Coronado rode alongside of it. "So! you are safe!" said the former. "By Heavens, if they had hurt you!" "And you?" asked Clara, very quickly and eagerly, while scanning him from head to foot.
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