Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-09-06

FOOTPRINTS ON TILE ROCK.
pointed to the footprints in the yield
ing turf were peering over at some
thing going up the canyon ahead$of
them, and not what was coming be-
hind Let me ask you-what has be-
come of Muncey and Ferguson and all
their crowd all this time-where did
they go?"
:. 'sGod knows, sir, but ever since the
cloudburst Muncey's too big a coward
to push through the canyons alone at
| night.
!. Ordinarily, yes-I admit that, but
! this time was life or death with him.
For some reason he stole the best horse
at the fort-Ferguso skipped
in the dark believe it was in hopes
of joining Manuel and his gang. j. be-
| lieve he thought he could safely ride
and get credit for giving warming to
pushed out over toward Ration Springs.
You say there were the prints of q
dozen horses and mules this morning
coming down the valley?"
Eyes, SIR"
81 "Well, they would obliterate any
!, prints of those going up. Now, wasn't
that Manuel's party? Don't You sup
pose Muncey met them in the hills, had
them hide until Ferguson and his
friends passed them by in the darkness
and then came on down by Signal Butte
intending to stay with Cranes guard or
else, perhaps, to push on down the
L l. SO
they got what they wanted?"
Got what they wanted? Docs the
{ captain mean Leon?''
Leon. mules horses-anything else
to help them in their fight. How do
i you know who killed your herder and
| ran off your mules, sergeant? Could
you sec?'.
mo, sir; it was lighting up little at
the east and I'd fallen into sort of
doze, and the boy, suppose, thought
everything was all safe and he went
out to. let the mules out of the stu1fy
box, in which we'd penned them for the
night. The next thing Mrs. Kelly and
heard was the firing. 1t was down
the hillside. toward the water and l
could only shoot at the flashes"
Exactly What l believe is that
those two bands of thieves - Apache
and Mexican-ran afoul each other in
! the dark. N1unceyl and his party,
scar ed to death, perhaps, have fled
northward into the canyon, and the
reason you have had no more trouble is
that the Apacnes put out after him. We
have got the whole field ahead Of us at
this minute. only wish we knew who
has Leon" 81:
mount, then, and come on" said
the major eagerly Turner, you're
probably right" Aud then, as if in
confirmation of the theory, far to the
front again the crack of cavalry car
bines echoed along the mountain
gorge.
And here, four miles out from the
! lower gate, the walls of the canyon
seemed to fall away. Still jagged and
steep where the Sandy dashed at its
rocky banks, the cliffs were but a dozen
feet or sc, in height, and thence the
! bold upheavals with sheltered valleys
j between each mountain wave. Along
/ through the pines led the Tonic trail.
/ Along in single file, now at rapid trot,
now at easy lope, out often climbing
and sliding clumsily, the sorrels fol-
lowed. Far down in the gorge the old
canyon trail could be seen. SITS just
around the point, sir" said Kelly pres
emily, his eyes swapping with excite
ment. Gould Sanchez and Icons
{ father were drowned out. We knew it
! because when the flood went down you
could find nules and men, saddles and
! apparejoes, rifles and blankets lodged
among the rocks and trees for miles
j below, but nothing above. They were
swept out just like SO many ants in a
| millrace"
| There's a mule down there now,'
cried keen-sighted trooper, riding
close behind the captain.
! Hes killed this morning then-and
yon's horse. See!" cried Kelly, point
ing eagerly down into the depths Of the
] canyon. ''The first tackle must have
been right along here somewhere"
Once more ahead of them the cliffs
began to narrow. Once more the trail
assembled to projecting point, and
then skirted rocky palisade command
ing view of the canyon for two miles
the Sandy leaping in foaming rapids
five hundred feet below. One after
another the troopers reached the point,
and then, following the leader, spurred
into lope, for Turner and Kelly, fore
most now, had caught again the sound
Of firing, and presently out from the
sockets whipped car0ines- the light
49, :. 49, 7arl-z-4-s.
ITO he continued