The morning times., 1895-08-11
I'm p HOLLOW
..:......-...OP THE HILLS

close shayeD, thin and energetic; the third
with the pleasant voice, in height, litheness,
and supp.eness of figure, appeared TO be
the youngest OF the party. The trail had
now become a grayish streak along the
level tableIand they were following, which
also had the singular effect OF appearing
lighter than the surrounding landscape, yet
or plungiEg into utter darkness on either
side of its precipitous walls. Nevertheless,
at the end OF au hour the leader rose ill his
stirrups with sigh of satisfaction.
There's the light In Collinsons Mill
There'snothingg spectacularabout
that, boys, eh? No, sir! it's a square,
honest beacon that a man can steer by.
Wen be there in twenty minutes" He
was pointing into the darkness below the
already descending tran. Only pioneers
eye could have detected the lew pinpricks
OF light in the impenetrable distance, and
il was signal proof of his leadership that
the others accepted it without seeing 1t.
Its just 10 O'Clock" he continued,
holding a huge silver watch to his eye;
we've wasted an hour on those blamed
spooks yonder!"
1--WE weren't off the trail more than ten
minutes, Uncle Dick" protested the pleas
ant voice.
''An right, my son; go down there If you
like and fetch out your Witch of Endor,
but as for me, I'm going To throw myself
the other side of Cullinson's lights. They're
good enough for me, and a blamed sight
more stationary"
The grade was very steep, but they took
il, California fashion, at gailup, being
genuinely good riders, ard using their brains
as well as their spurs in the understanding
of their horses, and of certain natural laws,
which the more artificial riders OF civil
ization are apt to overlook Hence there
was no hesitation or indecisiou commu-
nicated to the nervous creatures they be-
strode, who swept over crumbling stones
and slippery ledges with a momentum that
took away half their weight, and made
stumble or false step, or indeed anything
but an actual collision, almost impos'
Sible. Closing together they avoided the
latter. and holding each other well up,
became one irresistible wedge-shaped mass.
At times they yelled, not from conscious
ness nor bravadO, but from the purely
animal instinct OF warning and to combat
the breathlessness OF their descent, until,
reaching the level. they charged across the
gravelly bed Of vanished river, and pulled
up at CollinSOn's Mil. The mill itself
had long since vanished with the river, but
the building that had once stood for il
was used as a rude hOstelry for travellers,
which however, bore no legend or inyi-
| tatory sign. Those who wanted it knew it;
those who passed it by we it no offense.
Colliuson himself stood by the door Smok-
lUB Il plallNe pipe. AS lley TOue up
| lie diseuGaGed himself from the doorpost
HStlessly, walked slowly toward them said
reflectively to the leader, i've been think
| ing with you that vote for Thompson is
! vote thrown away" aud prepared TO lead
| the horses toward the water tank. He
! had parted with them over twelve hours be-
| fore, but his air OF simply renewing a re-
| Gently interrupted conversation was too
common a circumstance TO attract their
I not Thav " and 90 L no that no
! else had passed that way since he had last
spoken: that the same sun had swung ST.
/ lently above him and the unchanged land
| scape, aud there had been no interruption
| nor diversion TO his monotonous thought.
| The wilderness aunihilates' time and space
with the grim pathos Of patience.
Nevertheless he smiled "Ye dou't seem
TO have got through coming Gown yet" he
| continued, as a few small boslders,
! looseued in their rapid descent came more
! deliberately rollIGg and plunEing after
| the travellers along the gravelly bottom
/ Then he turned away with the horses, and,
| after they were watered, he re-entered the
| house His guests had evidently not waited
! for his miuistratiou. They had already
taken one or two bottles from the shelves
behind a wide bar and helped themselves,
aud, glasses iD hand, were now satisfy
| ing the more imminent cravings OF hunger
/ with biscuits from a barrel aud slices of
| smoked herring from box. Their equally
singular host, accepting their conduct as
| not unusual, joined the circle they had COM
! fortably draw round the fireplace, and,
| meditatiyely kicking a brand back at the
fire, said, without looking at them:
" wen?"
"Wen!" returned the lead er, leaning
back in his chair, after carefully unloos-
ing the buckle of his belt but with his eyes
also on the fire. ''Well! we've pros
pected every yard of outcrop along the
Divide, and there amt the ghost OF a silver
indication anywhere"
Not a SMELL" added the close-ShaveI
guest, without raising his eyes.
They all remained silent, looking at the
fire, as If it were the one thing they had
taken into their confidence. Collinson
also addressed himself TO the blaze S he
said presently: "Itallus seemed to me that
there was something shiny about that ledge
just round the shoulder of the spur, over
the long canon"
The leader CALCULATED a short laugh.
"Shiny, eh? shinyi Ye think that q sign
Why, you might as well reckon that be-
cause Keys head, over thar, is gray and
silvery, thathe's got sabe and experience
AS he spoke he looked toward the man with
a pleasant voice. The fire shining full
upon him revealed the singular fact tha
while his face was still young, and his
/
fectly gray. The object OF this attention
far from being disconnected by the compari
son, added with a smile:
"Or that he had any silver in his pocket
Another lapse of silence followed. Tht
wind tore round the house and rumbled il
the short adobe chimney.
mo, gentlemen" said the leader reflect
lively, this sort o. thing is played out.
don't take no more stock in that cock-and
/ IuI nh 4 ITcf -fpnT min
don't catch onto that Sunday school yarI
about the pious, scientific Sharp who col
lected leaves and veg etables all over The
Divide, all the while ne knew the range
was solid silver, only he wouldn't soil hi
fingers with God-forsaken lucre. / ain
saying anything agin that fine-spun the
ory that Key believes in about volcanic
Upheavals that set up on end argentiferou!
rock, but simply say that don't see it
with the naked eye. And reckon it's about
time, boys, as thegame' sup, that ha ndeC
in our checks and left the board"
There was another silence around tht
| fire another whirl and turmoil without
5 There was no attempt to combat The
opinions of their leader; possibly the Eamt
sense OF disappointed hopes was felt by al
only they preferred to let the man o
greater experience voice 1t. He went on:
We've had our little game, boys, ever
since we left Rawlin's q week ago; We've
had our ups and downs; we've been starve'
and parched, showed up and half drow
shot at by road agents and horse thieves
kicked by mules, and played with b.
grizzlies We've had q heap OF fun. boys
for our money, but reckon the picnic il
aboutover. Sowe'llshake ehandsto-morroV
all round aud call it square, and go on on
ways separately"
'.And what do you think you'll do, incl
Dick?" said his close-sAaven companion
I