Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-01-14
SNOW BOUND AT EAGLES
BY BRET HARTE.
copyrighted by Houghton Mifflin G. Co., and
published by arrangement with them.l

now finely powdered particles were rapidly
filing all inequalities of the surface, packing
in long burrows across the levels. They
leader.
awe must mako break to get down in
the woods again before it's too late" he said
briefly.
But they had already drifted away from
the fringe of larches and dwarf pines that
marked the sides of the Ridge, and lower
down merged into the dense forest that clothed
the flank of the mountain they had lately
climbed, and it was with the greatest diff
Guilty that they again reached it, only to find
that at that point it was too precipitous for
the descent of their horses. Benumbed and
speechless, they continued to toll on, opposed
to the full fury of the singing snow, and at
times obliged to turn their horses to the blast
70 keep from being blown over the Ridge.
At the end of half an hour the ostler dis
mounted, and, becloning to the Others, took
his horse by the bride and began the descent
Nhen it came to Hale's turn to dismount he
could not help at first recoiling from the pros
pect before him The trail-if it could be so
called-was merely the track or furrow of
some fallen tree, dragged, by accident or de
sign, diagonally across the sides of the noun
tain At times it appeared scarcely a foot in
width; at other times a mere crumblng
gully, or narrow shelf made by the projec-
tions of dead boughs and collected debris. 1t
seemed perilous for a foot passenger it ap-
peared impossible for horse. Nevertheless,
he had taken a step forward when Clinch
laid his hand on his arm.
you'll bring up the rear" he said, not un-
kindly, "ez you're stranger here. Wait un-
til we sing out to you"
"But if prefer to take the same risks as
you all'" said Hale, stitfly.
"You kim said Clinch, grimly. "But
reckoned. as you weren't familiar with this
sort O thing, you wouldn't keer, by any
foolishness o. yours. to stampede the rocks
ahead of US, and break down the trail, or
send down an avalanche ON top of us. But
just ez you like"
"I will wait, then,n said Hale, hastily.
The rebuke, however, did him good SER
vice. 1t preoccupied his mind, so that it re-
mained unaffected by the dizzy depths, and
enabled him to abandon himself mechanic
ally to the sagacity of his horse, who was
contented simply to follow the footprints of
the preceding animal, and in few moments
they reached the broader trail below without
a mishap A discussion regarding their fu-
ture movements was already taking place. The
imposSibility of regaining the station at the
Summit was admitted; the way down the
mountain to the next settlement was still left
to them, or the adjacent woods, if they
wished for an encampment, The ostler once
more assumed authority.
"'Skuse me, gentlemen, but them horses
don't take no pasecer down the mountain to-
night. The stage road amt mile off, and
kalkilate to wait here till the up stage comes
She's bound to stop on account of the snow;
and I've done my dooty when L hand the
horses over to the driver"
"But if she hears of the block up yer, and
waits at the lower stations" said Rawlins
"Then I've done my dooty all the same.
'Skuse me, gentlemen, but them ez hez their
own horses kin do ez they like"
AS this clearly pointed to Hale, he briefly
assured his companions that he had no inten-
ton of deserving them. "If | cannot reach
Eagles Court shall at least keep as near it
as possible. l suppose any messenger from
my house to the Summit will learn where l
am and why l am delayed"
messenger from your housey' gasped Raw
Inns. "Are you crazy, stranger9 Only bird
would get outer Eagles now; and it would
hev to be an eagle at that! Between ~
house and the Summit the snow must be ten
feet by this time, to say nothing of the drift
in the pass"
Hale felt it was the truth. At any other
time he would have worried over this unex-
pected situation, and in utter violation of all
his traditions. He was past that now, and
even felt certain relief He knew his fam
lily were safe; it was enough. That they
were locked up securely, and incapable of in
terfering with him, seemed to enhance his
new, half conscious, half shy enjoyment of
an adventurous existence
The ostler, who had been apparently lost
in contemplation of the steep trail he had
just descended, suddenly clapped his hand to
his leg with an ejaculation of gratified aston
ishment
"Waal, darn my skin eff that amt Hennick-
ers slide all the timel l heard it was some
what about here
Rawlins briefly explained to Hale that a
slide was rude incline for the transit of
heavy goods that could not be carried down
IA trail.
"And Hennicker's," continued the man,
"aint more nor mile away. Ye might try
Hennicker's at push, eh"
By common instinct the whole party
looked obviously at Hale. "Who's Hen
nicler!" he felt compelled to ask.
The ostler hesitated and glanced at the
Others to reply. "There are folks" he said
lazily at last, "ez believes that Hennicker
amt much better nor the crowd we're hunt
ing; but they don't say it to Hennicker, We
needn'G let ON what we're after"
II for one, said Hale stoutly, decidedly
object to any concealment of our purpose"