Nevada County picayune., 1890-04-02

pend on you. What had we bet ter do?"
 He had evidently been thinking as fast as we had, for he said:
 "Boys. Eve been in worse scrapcs i than this many a time, and pNe al ways come out alive so far. Now ] do just as l tell you. You take your guns and 90 down and bring in our horses. I'll be doing up the gold, and if them Greasers make a move on me in the cabin. you must drop them as quick as lightning. They won't touch you nor the horses" "
 We strapped on our revolvers and walked briskly toward the mcSd, half a mile away. The MeXicanslrlid not move toward the cabin. Perhaps they knew Jack aim too well; at any rate, after q little hesitation, they followed Us slowly toward the i horses.
 We looked at tie Mexicans' horses, and then respectfully at our own. The Mexicans' ponies were fine animals, which they had brought with them from northern Mexico |
 They are willy and enduring beyond any breed of horses in the world. We had one good horse and two poor ones. One of these, "Old Baldy," :" was only fit to haul ore from the mine.
 We caught our animals while the MeXicans were chasing theirs, and hurried back to camp. By the time we had saddled, Jack stood in the door ready to start, with the gold tied securely in a gunny-sacl>.
 Without explanation he asked my brother to take the best horse. He himself mounted the second best, and gave me, as the lightest man, the weakest of the horses, Old Baldy. We started at once, and at the foot of the hill broke into a long, swing ing lope.
 As we rode along Jack hurriedly outlined his plan. My brother, on the best horse and without the gold. was to take the trail-shorter by sev- eral miles than the regular road hurry into town, and arouse posse of officers. Jack and l, carrying the gold, were to take the road and make the best time we could.
 II never knew a Greaser yet that really knew anything, anyhow" said Jack to my brother. ''When they sec that the best horse has turned off by the trail all alone they will he dead sure he carries the gold. Iou'll he light enough without the ore f" nnt""n them. reckon; and if you cant, why surrender, We'll have the gold, and'll get into town before they can get back into the road after us"
 The trail turned off about three miles from the camp, and following a ''wash, 7" which was a little too rocky 10: a road, saved about four miles out of the twenty-five. When we reached the fork my brother turned his horse into the trail and bounded away from Us.
 We had not seen the Mexicans since we left camp. Indeed, we had not much reason to think that they would follow us at all. Still, it was better to run no risks, and we kept on at a good pace. Jack was in the lead, while Old Baldy followed close behind, breathing heavily, but, in- spired by the horse in front, was keeping up well.
 We rode mile after mile without speaking a word. All this time the horses never broke from their steady lope. But they were going much more slowly. was feeling the strain of the long ride, too, now that the excitement was lessening, when, at the top of long rise, Jack looked back and said, sharply:
 "They're after us, sure enough, We're in for it now
 looked back. At the top of the farthest rise in sight there was lit tie cloud of dust,
 Ut appears that there are some Greaccrs who knew something this time" l said, panting, to Jack.
 He made no reply. We topped the hill and went swinging down the slope at a freshened pace. At the top of the next hill we could see two black figures in the cloud of dust. The race had begun in earnest. We