The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-06-11

they were nearly mile away, could
tell by their dress and actions that
they we're Navajos. They we're
coming up the ridge, and in few
moments they passed from view be-
hind the rocks and trees.
"This was bad piece of business,
for they held the only route by which
we could return. l watched for them
several minutes, but they did not re-
appear. l was about to turn to go
back to the summit to see if Ell Lobo
had returned, when caught sight of
the hunting knife lying on the ground
beside the rock. l took a step toward
it, and just as I bent forward to pick
it up there came the report of rife
not thirty yards away, and a ball
whizzed over my head and struck the
rock beside me. | Strengthened up in
hurry, drawing my revolver as 1 did
so, and fred two quick shots at where
could see the rifle smoke curling up
from clump of bushes. As the Sec
ond shot rang out III Lobo sprang
from behind the bushes and ran like
deer down the ridge. I tempted my
revolver after him before he got out
of range, but none of the shots stop
ped him. The scoundrel had prob
ably intended, from the beginning, to
murder and rob the entire party, but
finding me on my guard had stopped
to waylay us on our return, or at any
rate to get away with the horse l had
hired for him. My going back for the
hunting knife had given him the
chance he wanted for shot at me:
and it was only my unexpected stoop-
ing forward to pick up the knife that
saved my life.
"Although Ell Loba had missed his
chance to kill me, | knew that we
were only at the beginning of our
dangers. The sight of the Navajos
following our trail, and the fact that
we must go back over the same path
where they were lurking, made the
prospects of trouble bad enough
with women at hand appalling-and
| cursed the weakness and imprudence
l had shown in undertaking such a
trip as [ climbed back to where my
party was waiting. But, however
anxious [ felt, [ had to put good
face on the matter and not alarm the
women. There was nothing to be
gained and everything to be lost by
Frightening them before trouble
should be actually upon us. So I
came back to them laughing, and
carelessly accounted for the shooting
by saying that l had fired at a run
ming squirrel, and said that the guide
had gone back to look for his horse,
which had broken away from his fast
ening.
eve drank at the spring at the
mountains brow, and then crossed
the top of the summit, eating our
luncheon as we rode along. We
looked abroad upon the same scenery
that visitors admire to-day, except
that Las Vegas in the distance wasn't
a modern city as it is now, but only a
patch Of brown one-story dobe houses
on the bare plain. All the time the
women we're voicing their raptures
over the magnificent view, | was torn
with anxiety and considering how |
should ever get them out of this scrape
how get back down the mountain
with those indians somewhere on our
path, where they we're certain to Turk,
waiting to attack our party from am
bush, unless some rescue should
come to us. So occupied was l in
trying to think of some way out Of
this bad situation that | scarcely
noticed that the sky was thickening
overhead, until Miss Trethvyn ex-
claimed, why its showing? and felt
flakes of snow blown against my face
by the wind. [ looked around to see
the Sierras back of Solitaire already
hidden by driving snow cloud that
was coming straight down upon us.
"You know, perhaps, how suddenly
these snow squalls rise among the
mountains in spring and autumn
} We turned to go back across the sum
NIT, but in five minutes the snow was
, falling so thickly that we had to stay
close together to keep in sight of one
J another The snow came faster anC
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