The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-02-07

W AAAAu ~ASSnlSO 00OESS duO Iu4G lUuky
Dave crawling around theer some
wheer. You abide here awhile. and
keep your weather eye to the top Of
that rock at the back theer. II YOU
see anything moving theer, man or
beast, blaze away at il. and mind Won
hit 1t, too. Theer amt nobody nor
Dothin' that's got any business theer
this time Of night, nor that's theer for
any good to either of u.s."
With that he cooked his rifle to the
full and strobe, with body bent for
ward and head down, toward the ce-
dars below. His wary figure could be
seen moving stealthily across the
moonlit opening, and then vanished in
the black night beyond. The creaking
Of broken branches, as he now and
then unguardedly stepped upon them,
marked his progress to Herbert's nc
customed eur, but beyond that all was
silence-that wavy, breezy, musical ST.
lence of O beautiful summer night in O
mountain wilderness when the things
Of the air and the creatures of earth
are quiet In sleep and when only the
soft wind makes melody as it plays
upon each leaflet.
Herbert stood there, quietly resting
his arms upon his rifle, and eagerly
scanning the uneven top line of the
rock that stood black as coal against
the hazy, transparent, dark blue
green of the distant moon-bathed
mountains. AS he strained his eyes he
thought that some of the unevenness
of that rock line was not stationary.
He sank down upon his knees SO as to
be totally hidden in the dense shadow,
and carefully examined the top of the
rock. No, he must have been mista-
ken. He quickened his hearing and
listened with hushed heartbeat for
any sound that might reach him from
the high level. No, there was nothing;
he felt sure Of that. He rose, rather
annoyed, If anything, at having al
lowed himself to be thus deceived.
But even as he looked again, he fan
cied that the phenomenon of the NOV
ing rock repeated, only to call himself
a fool for thinking SO the moment
afterward.
He cooked his rife, nevertheless, and
remained kneeling there for minute
or two, with his eyes glued upon the
rock above. It was only when Ash
lands muff1ed footsteps fell on his ear
as the pioneer returned, that he rose
and went to meet his friend.
'sTheer amt nobody within miles Of
u.s." said the yeoman quietly. every
things as quiet as mice. Let's CO."
The words were upon Herbert's lips
by which to apprise Ashland Of his
suspicion that somebody or something
was alive at the top of that rock at
the back, but he was interrupted by
Dicks CHEEKY, 1--WE can light our pipes
now, Mr.. Herbert, and do the thing
leisurely." He initiated his friends
example by filing his big wild cherry
root bowl, and the moment afterward
the two set out mountainward, much
after the manner of q couple of poach-
ers who are going out for midnight
raid in neighborh0Od where the
keepers are known to be aged and un-
wary.
The road was rough, and, less than
600 yards from the hut, they deserted
the narrow path altogether, and struck
across broken ground, where the giant
pines rose like hundreds Of huge masts
from the turf and moss-covered earth,
with their crowns stretching out like
myriads Of jagged yardarms, from
which as many tempest-torn, ragged
bits Of sails were dropping. Between
the forest monsters the underbrush-
O10MUlc, WAlu CuIEhut duU WlQV
vire-intermingled in sharing confu-
sion, and made progress difficult and
now and then painful.
BERT" Dick exclaimed. It'll save q
good mile and half this way"
The young man laughed.
eve been through many q thorn
bush before to-day, Dick" he said,
'tand q little trife like this does not
upset me much"
They were climbing up hill fast then.
The vegetation was becoming scarcer
and more stunted, the rocks bigger
and more smooth-faced. The moon
stood at its brightest, and where it's
silvery light did not penetrate, the
shadow was black as ink.
Once or twice they halted and list
ened with suspicious ears for the
sound Of pursuing footsteps, but, al
though they both had from time to
time imagined that unwarranted noiS-
es had reached their ears, on consul
tation they agreed that they were mis-
taken. Once Dick imagined that he
saw a shapeless figure, he could not
tell whether man or beast, crawling
about the rocks and the underbrush
some 2O0 yards away from them, and
he had already lifted his rife to aim
at It. He lowered his weapon, how
ever, saying, "No, l won't make fool
Of myself" and, uncorking his can
teen, invited his friend to initiate his
example.
"We're not very far now" he said,
and pull or two won't do us any
HARM"
Even as he spoke the shapeless
something which he thought he had
noticed appeared to him again, and
without saying a word he lifted his
rife and fired. The sharp crack rang
through the midnight air and reechoed
among the crags, and, in the stiffness
which succeeded the report, the two
men stood breathlessly waiting the re-
suit. But the black thing disappeared
vanished again as IL by magic. Not
n sound, not q sign rudled the hush of
night.
said Dick, ''he'll know that we don't
mean to stand any nonsense, and what
he'll have to expect IL we catch him."