Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-02-12

| X
interspersed with scrub oak and pecan
trees, was reached.
Here" said Yerkes, sis where l saw
the fellow last night
s'And here" said Dick Pepper, care
the busters tracks'-at the same time
leaping from his mustang and examining
several large footprints in the muddy
portion of the creek bottom.
oval, that beats me-" remarked Bob
Newhall, the fourth Of the party "What
YOU take them tracks to be, Yerkes? No
such steer as that in the whole kentry as
/ knows Of
"'Tain' 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 fouS men,
following as best they could the trail of
this strange animal. but all signs were
soon lost in the sand and gravel, as the
country had now assumed a barren, desc
late appearance, covered with hiilocks of
sand, and almost as fat as billiard
table as far as the eye could see. About
noon speck on the horizon was sighted,
and toward this atom the quartet rode
steadily, gaining rapidly, and very soon
coming so far within range as to outGve
the object.
That's the fellow an no snakes"
shouted Yerkes, hardly able to curb his
excitement.
Sure enough. There in the distance,
| far ahead, was strange, ungainly OBJ
| ject that bore no resemblance to any Iv-
| ing creature born or bred on this CONT
nent. With a rapid, sidelong, cumber-
| some gait he easily kept beyond the
| heetest mustangs until darkness almost
hid his ugly form from view; but still
the four horsemen were doing their ut
most TO catch up, with Yerkes long adj
vantage in the lead and evidently deter
mined to solve the mystery at any cost
or kill his horse. The last his three COM
rades saw of him Yerkes was going at a
$40 gait, his long Mexican lariat trailing
behind and his rawboned steed doing his
level best to bring his master alongside
the stranger they were pursuing. The
others soon gave up and went into dry
camp amid bunch OF cottonwoods for
few hours, where they had to dig in
the sand for water.
As darkness drew around him DOOR
Yerkes almost gave up in despair. His
tired mustang protested in a dumb sort
of way against such treatment, but still
the biped pushed on. and forced both
himself and steed to such extremities
that at 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 re-
garding the identity of the creature he
was chasing.
AS he slackened his speed to think
over the situation his quarry also re-
duced his gait. A bright moon now
came sailing 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
background.
''The devil!' calculated Yerkes. "Darn
my skin if don't believe it's camel.
Well, if l can't catch him I'll round him
up, anyhow; 50 here goes"
Making a long detour, he managed
turned him in his course, SO 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 that his game was now resting,
also, or rather nibblirg the scant heritage
and drifting slowly eastward, the cow
boy quickly leaped from his seat, re-
moved saddle, blanket and bride, lari-
ated his steed, who commen ced grazing
at once, took a good chew of tobacco,
and, resting his heed on the saddle,
turned over in a pile of soft, loose sand
and was soon sound asleep.
When he awoke some hours later he
found the moon nearly overhead and his
horse still quietly nibbling the few spears
of grass peeping above the sandy soil.
Nowhere in sight was the strange ami
NAL he had followed. Saddling and
mounting he rode here and there in
search of the brute, but the latter had |
vanished without sight, sound or sign to |
follow.
Utterly and thoroughly disguised,
Yerkes started on the back trail. at the |
same tame muttermg startling exclama-
lions against the strange thing that had |
led him wild goose chase to no purpose
for two days and a NIGHT over the plains. |
Riding on and on in that still night. not |
even coyote bark or a wolf howl to |
break the intense silence. the man would |
talk and reason with his horse upon the
i'll luck that had befallen
him Toward morning Venus came sail
ing mafesticallyslp from the east. and
the moon, still shining brightly, lit up
the vast plain, rejecting back the spark
ling bits of sand like the water of the
ocean sparkles and dances under her sill
very beams.
Just then faint noise came floating
from far ahead. 1erkes pulled up in
StanSly and both horse and rider bent
their ears 10 listen. Louder and louder
it grew until the beating of hoofs could
be heard. and presently, too. the sound
of mems voices hallooinS 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 pur-
suit
That's my game, by gosh" said
Yerkes to himself with great excite
nlent. land darn my hide but I'll have
him now
The man quickly unslung his long