The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-03-08

anotner Weet- 2 warning, 50 ne was s,fSfs
that meantime he could be following
tie trail
In reality they made a dry camp o.:
1t that night IN the foothills of the next
mountain range Lying in the wealtl
OF western sunset, Hodgsoa had Otter.
viewed that most gorgeous pile OF forla
and colOring known as the Superstition
raI%e, and now that the trail led there
he felt glad, for he wished to visit il.
But by night they had lost the trail in
this arid fastnesS, and being all day
without water were barely able. with
much suffering from thirst, TO get their
jaded animals back to the Rio CHA
Hodgson bad row seen four years
service, and next year, If poker pros
pered, he could go ON leave. Already be
could hold his own IN the game at the
traders club He worried least of the
cantonment about mail, thereby gaining
Coggins' complete approval Only once
ON reading an announcement two
years before, copied from a society pa
per, and again q few months later, when
reading of a wedding-did he evince
any interest in the mail. On the latter
evening he did not care for the club,
but smoked alone in his quarters and
burned some letters after reading them.
Then suddenly he seemed seized with
all the cynicisn youth freely haunts rs
If 1t vainly feels-affected to care only
for married women and a few like
transparencieS. Then, In illustration Of
his preference, devoted himself violent
~ to Mrs Blank, a clever, kindly soul,
who understood his symptoms, humored
and helped him, being a good woman,
possessed Of the best OF husbands. Incl
dentally or from habit Hodgson devoted
himself 10 duty, and now that Wilson
had staff wCrk he was given the scouts,
a promotion which provoked comment
from O'Lcary, who said to Coggins, sol
tell you, Dan'l. Oh hated ~ see so foine
a lad punished wild SIGH a compl 'meent. .
For company Of scoats meant annoy
ances not met with IL sho management
OF ordinary trCGp roaIicc, but &c had its
compensatiC-s in oi1poT anities for fieiI
service.
News had come inst sheriff and dep
uty, guarding prisoners from Globe e
Florence, had been overpowered are
killed HoGgson was to take the trail al
once. IN few hours the scouts had
found it leading from the old Florence
road near TIE ella, crossing where tbs
killing had occurred. It led through tho
Superstition mountains, which he had
not had occasion to visit since Chris
topherson's death. Soon he found him
self again on the same rugged trail and
had passed t;,o point where befoiN he
had lost it. Tho Indians were evidently
heading for the Tonic basin and trying
to return to their OWN reserve. Once
among their tribe, only the released
prisoners could be identified, and the
perpetrators of this last outrage would
be lost
Tradition warns you that if one en-
tiers far into tho Superstition mountains
he viii Fever retnrE, the country being
too rough for aBiBlals and too dry for
man. Prospectors who have penetrated
the edges Of this range say that 1t Is
flied Vit1A- SnaineEals sunprnftahle for
want OF water. Cattle do not range
there, and men hunting large game go
to the ti1nbered mountains, so trail
across this chain would lead where nc
one wished to go save Hodgson, who
now went for sake of duty. He pushed on.
with sullen, logged courage, over the
stony trail used as q lost time gaining
refuge by hunted savages in these most
arid mountains Of our most arid LAND
until he emerged, almost mad with
thirst, on the Rio Salinas, in the Lower
Tonic basin. Thence the trail led into
the Sierras Auchas, and In this great
altitude it was lost under the first fall
OF autumn snow
There was nothing left for Hodgson
to do now but to return to the reseTva-
ton, rs the Indians were evidently try
ing to do, for the eastern foothills Of
this sierra border the San Carlos reserve,
and the Indians would not remain long
in the snow. Hodgson must make de-
tour, see their squaws among the cibi-
Gus on the western edge Of the reserve.
and if their bucks had not already re-
turned he might hope to cut their trail
where it left the snow line and intercept
them from their haven, the reservation.
He had found from their squaws on
Cibicu that they had not yet returned.
1t was all he wanted to know, but as he
was leaving q squaw's tepee his eye
SlkuG VI - AEh$lCL pA4n ACbSOAS W.
riously embroidered by way Of color
ornament onto the face of buckskin
garment. The writing was familiar.
He seized it cagerly-in faded letters by
fading light he read her answer.
He tore her letter from the garment
and pushed it into the pocket OF his jer-
sey and stood for a moment near the
door Of the tepee, looking absently
across the bare hills Of the brown re-
serve. He was thinking Of the woman
who was not his wife and Of children
not his own. Then he turned quickly
and mounted his horse.
ut was all my fault, s" he said, but
/ must not lose the trail today. I should
have followed it closer when Lhad it be-
fore. "
And as he spurred his horse toward
the EDosT line of the sierFas he was
laughing as one should not laugh when
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