San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-15

poured along the dry watercourses too
hastily to let the scanty alders and will
lows along their line treasure up any
sap of growth. The wild sage bushes
had plainly never tasted fluid more
plenteous than seldom dewdrops doled
out on certain rare festal days, enough
to keep their meager foliage dusty
gray. Nopleasant streamlet lurked any
where under the long dry grass of the
savannas. The arroyos were parched
and hot as riffs in lava.
1t became agonizing to listen to the
painting and gasping of our horses.
Their eyes grew staring and bloodshot.
We suffered ourselves hardly less than
they. 1t was cruel to press on. But we
must hinder crueller cruelty. Love
against Time-Vengeance against Time!
We must not finch for any weak hui
mainly to the noble allies that struggled
on with us without one token of resist
ance.
Fulano suffered least. He turned his
brave eye back, and beckoned me with
his ear to listen, while he seemed to say:
''See, this is my endurance! hold my
power ready still to show"
And he curved his proud neck, shook
his name like banner, and galloped the
grandest of all.
We came to broad strip Of sand, the
dry bed of mountain torrent. The
trail followed up this disappointing
path. Heavy blowing for the tired
horses! How would they bear the rough
work down the ravine yet to Gomez
Suddenly our leader pulled up and
sprang from the saddle.
"Lookr' he cried, show those fellows
spent their time and saved ours. Thank
heaven for thisl We shall save her,
surely, now"
II was waterl No need to 60 back to
Pindar to know that it was "the best"
They had dug pit deep in the thirsty
sand and found lurking river buried
there. Nature never questioned what
manner of men they were that sought.
Murderers flying from vengeance and
planning now another villain outrage
still impartial Nature did not change
her laws for them. Sunshine, air, water,
life-these boons of hers-she gave them
freely. That higher boon Of death, If
they were to receive 1t, must be from
some other power greater than the un-
discriminating force Of Nature.
Good luck and good omen, this well Of
water in the sandl 1t proved that our
chase had suffered as we, and had been
delayed as we. Before they had dared
to pause and waste priceless moments
here, their horses must have been droop-
ing terribly. The pit was nearly five
feet deep. A good hours work, aud no
less, had dug 1t with such tools as they
could bring. Ialmost laughed to think
of the two, slowly bailing out the slid
ing sand with tin plate, perhaps, and a
frying pan, while score of miles away
upon the desert we three were riding
hard upon their tracks to follow them
the f1eeter for this refreshment they had
left. "Sic vos non vobisl" ! was ready
to say triumphantly; but then remem-
bered the third figure in their group-a
woman, like Sibyl, growing calmer as
her peril grew, and succor seemed to
withdraw. And the pang of this picture
crushed back into my heart any thoughts
but mad anxiety and frenzy to be
driving on.
We drank thankfully of this well by
the wayside. No gentle beauty here
abouts to enchant us to delay. No grand
old tree, the shelter and the landmark Of
the fountain, proclaiming an oasis near.
Nothing but bare, hot sand. But the
water was pure, cool and bright. 1t had
come underground from the Sierra, and
still remembered its parent SHOWS. We
drank and were grateful, almost to the
point of pity. Had we been but avengers,
like Armstrong, my friend and l could
wellnigh have felt mercy here and turn
ed back pardoning. But rescue was more
imperative than vengeance. Our bust
ness tortured us, as with the fanged
scourge of Tisiphone, while we dallied.
We grudged these moments of refresh
ment. Before night fell down the west,
and night was soon to be climbing up
the east, we must overtake-and then?
] wiped the dust and spume away from
Fulano's nostrils and breathed him mo-
,nent. Then l let him drain deep, de-
licious drafts from the stirrup cup. He
whinnied thanks and undying fealty
my noble comrade! He drank like a
reveler. When mounted again, he gave
a jubilant curvet and bound. My weight
was feather to him. All those leagues
of our hard, hot gallop were nothing.
The brown Sierra here was close at
hand. Its glittering, icy submits, above
the dark and sheeny walls, far above the
black phalanxes of clambering pines,
stopped forward and hung over us as we