, 1891-01-07

Yes" was the answer; five years
ago he rob the stage and sent to prison.
Maybe he think no one know him. l re-
member, / tell you and tell the boss
so you look out for him"
/ thanked the fellow and rewarded
him in a substantial manner, for the
warning was of value to me.
On returning to the barroom l now
watched the two strangers with consider
able attention. There was nothing of
the rufian about either, and l would
have thought nothing more about them
than any Of the teamsters that stopped
at the hotel for the night had it not been
for the half breeds caution.
As the host lighted me to my room he
told me what the Indian had said to
him, and warned me TO be on my guard.
Determined to be on the safe side, /
pulled my bed against the door when l
retired for the night and securely fast
ened the only window.
l slept soundly till past midnight.
when / was awakened by a movement
of the bed. 1t appeared as though some
was slowly opening the door and
causing the bed to move across tine floor.
l reached under the pillow. firmly
grasped one of my pistols, and awaited
developments. Inch by inch 1 could
feel the bed move slowly over the floor.
Ny senses were stimulated by the ex-
citement of the moment, and / could
hear the breathing Of the would-be rob
Der. The door was now sufficiently open
to admit the thief. Thinking to capture
him. l sat mp in bed waiting for him to
approach.
1t was too dark to distinguish his
form, but / could tell his position from
his deep breathing as he slowly and eau
tiously approached the head of the bed.
At that instant l raised my pistol and
cried, stop, or l will fircI'
Quick rs a flash he sprang for the door,
and | fired ut the same instant. He gave
n cry Of pain, but continued his flight.
| jumped from my bed, rushed TO the
door and shot again at the retrcating
figure. The bali evidently missed him,
for it did not stop his mad race, and the
next moment we heard the swift gallop-
ing Of a couple of horses.
The house was in an instant uproar.
Men came rushing from their rooms,
each one crying aloud as to the cause of
the shooting. The explanation was brief,
bAN ~ WIN an hVhA VI hlbAG 70 4utAl klt
excitement, and / am certain but few
slept during the remainder of the night.
Ii was plain that the two strangers
had made their preparations and had
their horses near by. Had they been
successful in obtaining my gold, they
would have disappeared in the night.
When day gave US light, spots of blood
were visible upon the hall floor and on
the stairs. but a search for some distance
along the road revealed nothing of the
robbers, so it was evident that my shot
had not been a serious one.
Trusting that l had seen the last of
my assailants. | mounted my horse after
breakfast and pursued my journey. My
route lay for some miles through a most
picturesque and scenic region. Volcanic
rocks rose abruptly from the hillsides,
assuming the forms Of temples and tow
ers. Here | fancied | could trace n
ruined fortress, and there n moss COW
cred arch or massive gateway.
Absorbed in detecting these fancied
rcsemblances to the most noted creations
of man, | had ridden for a mile or more
without seeing or hearing anything to
break the silence of my lonely ride when
a loud report rang out, my horse plunged
violently and n second later fell to the
ground, carrying me with him.
1--WE have him. shouted n voice that
| recognized as belonging to the man
who had asked me about the holsters the
night before.
lay upon my side, with my right leg
under the animal. The w men, each
with a gun in his hand, ran toward me
from behind a neighboring rock. My
situation was most critical. / was pinned
to the earth and unable to move. Luck
lily my hands were free and 1 could reach
one of the pistols in my holsters. De-
termined to sell my life as dearly as pos
sible, ! jerked the revolver loose, raised
myself slightly aud fired at the robber
nearest to me.
The ball struck him in the hand and
caused him to drop the gun. With an
oath he sprang back, and the two sought
shelter behind a rock.
| wnss still in imminent danger, for they
could make n detour and approach me
in such II manner that l should be at
their mercy. Their advance and my
shot took but n fraction of a moment, so
that both were over ere the death strug-
giles of my animal ended. In these he
partly raised himself from my leg,
and as his body was between me and
the two assassins l crawled ON my
hands aud knees to a low rock within a
few feet Of me. I'VE will see whether
you get that gold or not" 1 muttered to
myself, as | rubbed my leg, bruised
from the fall.
The rock behind which l had sought
shelter extended several rods. rising in
places ten or twelve feet above the
ground. 1 climbed up a few feet, and
through a narrow crevice examined the
situation.
l saw the glimmer of n gun barrel be-
hind a low rock, and was thus enabled
to locate at least one of my enemies.
STOPPING down, l ran to the further end
of the ledge, hoping to get a shot at him.
l was disappointed, for he was still hid
den from sight. l saw that by crawling
up the hill a short distance l could gain
the protection of n second rock. This l
instantly did, yet every moment fearing
they would make q dash for the gold,
which wal still upon my horse.
They evidently did not realize that
had moved from the rock near the dead
animal and were afraid to venture.
Reaching the second ledge l found to
my annoyance that / could not yet see
the hidden robbers, but by pulling my
self along behind a fallen tree l was at
last within sight Of them. They were
~crouching On the ground behind a low
ledge, each peering around the end of
it intently watching the spot where they
had seen me disappear. Though it