The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-02-14

AAtEoS bdM 1erke6, u WU6t0
saw the fellow last night"
"And here" said Dick Pepper, ear,
the busters tracks'-at the sam,
time lcaping from his mustang one
examining several lnrgs hoofprintl
in the muddy portion of the creel
"Wal, that beats me-" remarked
Bob Newhnll, the fourth of the party
what you take them tracks to be
ierkes? No such steer as that in thu
whole kentry as knows off,
Tain't no steer" responded the
other. "Darned if l can size the
creature up; but let's keep after him
an we'll soon find out, or I'm No
preacher"
Out over the prairie rode the four
men, following as best they could the
trail of this strange animal, but alI
signs were soon lost in the sand und
gravel, as the country had now us.
suned AZ burren. desolate appear.
ance, covered with hillocks of sand,
and almost as fiat rs q billiard table
as far rs the eye could see. About
noon speck on the horizon was
sighted, and toward this atom the
quartet rode steudily, gaining rapid
~, and very soon coming so far with.
In range MS to outlive the object.
! '"Tllat's the fellow an no snakes, u
shouted Yerkes, hardly able to curl
his excitement. .
Sure enough. There in the dis
tance. far ahead, was a strange. un.
gainly object TINT bore no resem-
blance to any living creature born or
bred on this continent. With q rap.
i'd, sidelong, cumbersome gait be
easly kept beyond the feetest mus
tangs until darkness almost hid his
ugly form from view; hut still tlfs
four horselnen were doing their ut
most to catch up, with Yerkes long
advantage in the leud and evidently
determined to solve the mystery ut
any cost or kill his horse. The last
his three comrades saw of him
ierkes was going at a 2:4O gait,
his long Mexican lariat trailing
behind and his rnwbonel steed 70.
ing his level best to bring his master
alongside tho stranger they were
pursuing. The others soon give up
and went into dry camp amid a
bunch of cottonwoods for a few
hours, where they had to dig in the
sand for water.
As darkness drew around him Door
Yerkes almost give up in despair,
His tired mustang protested in a
dumb sort OF why againt such
treatment, but still the biped pushed
on, and forced both himself and
steed To such extremities that Mt
last, when darkness had actually
closed in upon the whole fiat plain,
the man was compelled to admit
that he was no wiser than the day
before regarding the identity OF the
creature he was chasing.
As he slackened his speed to think
over the situation his quarry also
reduced his gait. A bright moon
now came selling up from the ocean
OF sand, and just at this moment the
chase passed. before the great red
ball, SO that his form was clearly
outlined against the bright back
ground.
1.-THE devil!" circulated Yerkes.
"Darn my skin If don't believe it's
a camel. Well, if can't catch him
Ill round him up, anyhow; SO here
goes"
Making long detour, lie man.
aged gradually to get beyond the
animal and turned him in his course,
30 that pretty soon both pursuer
and pursued were travelling directly
back over the course they had come. !.
But the pace was slow this time, as
the mustang began to show evident
signs of pegging out, and the man
was very tired and weary, too. OBJ
serving TINT his game was now rest.
ing, also, or rather nibbling the
scant herbage and drifting slowly
eastward, thecowboy quickly leaped
from his sent, removed saddle,
blanket and bride. lariated his
steed, who commenced grazing at
once. took a good chew OF tobacco,
and, resting his head on the saddle,
turned over in pile of soft, loose
sand and was soon sound asleep.
When lie awoke some hours later
lie found the moon nearly overhead
and his horse still quietly nibbliug
the few spears of grass pceping
above the sandy soil. Nowhere in
sight was the strange animal he had
followed. Saddling and mounting
he rode here and there in search Of
the brute, but the latter had van
ished without sight, sound or sign
to follow.
Utterly and thoroughly disgusted,
Yerkes started on tho back trail, at
the sar.e time muttering startling
ordinations against the strange
thing that had led him q wild goose
chase to no purpose for two days
and q night over the plains. Riding
on and ON in TINT still night, not
even coyote bark or q wolf howl
to break the intense silence, the man
would talk and reason with his
horse upon the confounded ill luck
that had befallen him. Toward
morning Venus came sailing majesti-
cally up from the east, and the
moon, still shining brightly, lit up
the vast plain, rejecting back the
sparkling bits OF sand like the water
Of the ocean sparkles and dances un-
der her silvery beams.
just then q faint noise came font
ing from fur ahead. Yerkes pulled up
instantly and both horse and rider
bent their ears to listen. Louder and |
louder it grew until the beating of
hoofs could he heard, and presently,
too, the sound ofmeD g voices halloo.
ing and shouting. Somebody was
chasing something, OF this there
could be no mistake. Then in the
dim light black object hove in sight |
with three horsemen in hot pursuit.
"That,s my game, by gosh," said
Yerkes to himself with great excite
ment, land darn my hide but Ill |
have him now"
The man quickly unslung his long |
Mexican lariat Che was a fine roper),
and. patting his horse encouraging |
ly, made ready to cast the moment |
lie was within proper distance. On
came the big game with Il rush, max
ing wonderful long strides with his1
tremendous legs, and not two huR.
dred yards behind were the thres
cowboys, urging their mustangs At
the top OF their speed, yelling llks
mad. Yerkes got his losiat il x,osi.
tion, and then began tnatlc krace-
l..n ~. Y