The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-05-07

We all held our breath as the coach
ushed through the semi-darkness OF
salloper's ridge. The vehicle itself was
,nly huge numbering shadow; its side
lights were carefully extinguished, and
Yuba Bill had just politely removed from
the lips OF an outside passenger even the
cigar with which he had been ostenta-
tiously exhibiting his GOODNESS. For it
had been rumored that the Ramon Mar
tinez gang of ssroad agents" were "lay-
ing'' for US on the second grade, and
would time the passage OF our lights
across Galloper' s in order to intercept us
in the ssbrush'' beyond. If we could
cross the ridge without being seen, and
so get through the brush before they
reached it, we were safe. Ii they fol-
lowed. it would only be stern chase
with the odds in our favor
The huge vehicle swayed from side TO
side, rolled, dipped aud plunged, but Bill
kept the track, as if, in the whispered
words OF the expressman. he could ''feei
and smell'' the road he could no longer
see. We knew that at times we hung
perilously over the edge of slopes that
eventually dropped 900 feet sheer to the
tops of the sugar pines below, but we
knew that Bill knew il also. The hall
visible heads of the horses, drawn wedge
wise together by the frightened reins, APP
peared 10 cleave the darkness like
q pioughshare; held between his
rigid hands. Even the hoofbeats of
the six horses had fallen into a
vague. monotonous. distant roll. Then
nj wa N ornH
into the still black obscuritY of the brush.
Rather we no longer seemed to move-1t
was only the phantom night that rushed
by us. The horses might have been SUBJ
merged in some swift Lethean stream;
nothing but the top of the coach and the
rigid bulk OF Yuba Bill arose above them.
Yet even in that awful moment
our speed was unslackened; it was
as If Bill cared no longer to
guide but only to drive, or as If the
direction of this huge machine was deter
mined by other hands than his. An in
cautious whisperer haZarded the paralyz-
ing suggestion OF our injecting an
other team TO our great astonish-
ment Bill overheard it; to our greater
astonishment he replied, at 'ud be only
a neck and neck race which would get to
h--ll first,' he said quietly But we
were relieVed-for he had sDokeni Almost
simultaneously the wider turnpike began
TO glimmer family as a visible track be-
lore us; the wayside trees fell out of line,
opened up and dropped off one after an
other; we were on the broader
tableland. out of danger, and
apparently unperceived and nnpursued.
Nevertheless in the conversation that
broke out again with the relighting of the
lamps and the comments, congratula-
tiols and "reminiscences that were freely
exchanged, YuDa Bill preserved dissat-
,aI II f17I cilauao The most
generous praise of his skill and courage
awole no response. 81 reckon the old
man waz just spilin' for fight, and IS
feelin' disappointed - said a passenger.
But those who knew that Bill had the
true fighter scorn for any purely pur-
poseless conflict were more or less con-
cerned and watchful OF him. lie
would drive steadily for four or five
minutes with thoughtfully knitted
brOws, but eyes still keenly obseryant
under his slouched hat, and then, relax
ing his strained attitude, would give
way to moment of impaUience. GU
amt uneasy about anything, Bill, are
you?'' asked the expressman confiden-
tally. Bill lifted his eyes with a slightly
contemptuous surprise. "Not about
anything ter come. It's what hes hap
pened that l don't exactly sahe. l don t
see no signs of Ramon's gang ever havin
been out at all, and es they were out
don { see Why they dldn' { go Tor us.
1.-The simple fact is that our ruse was
successful said an outside passenger.
'srhey waited to see our lights on the
ridge, and, not seeing them. missed US
until we had passed. That's my opin-
ion.
- You amt putin any price on that
opinion, air ye?" enquired Bill, politely.
Mo-
"'Cos thar's comic paper in Frisco
pays for them things, and I've seen worse
Come off! BILL retorted the pas
senger. slightly nettled by the tittering OF
his companions s'Then what did you
put out the lights for?''
ssWell,'' returned Bill, grimly, t'it
nout have been because l didn't keer to