La Junta tribune., 1899-02-04

g.sat wns his abhorrence Of the man:
but. as he had provided himself With
| 4 rack-horse weil-iaden with food ane
grog. Mr.. Hall could not well prevent
him from accompanying them.
As inattery turned out, II would have
been ss'y much better for Mr.. Sullivan
II he Sad allowed himself to be dis
suaded: but the majority of sensible
people. when talking the aRaix ever
in after years. were decidedly OF opin-
ion that II was q very good Job for
every one else that he had Joined the
expedition.
The commotion on the station on the
morning when the expedition started in
search OF the fugitives was tremendous.
Pack-saddles were being adjusted TO
restiye brutes whose sole aim and OBJ
ject was to kick themselves free from
their encumbrances. All sorts Of things
were forgotten and remembered lust
at the last momert
At last the cayalcade got under way.
and Mrs. Hail and her daughter watch
ed It across the plain from the yernn-
dab OF the house until the gumtrees,
which lined the creek for some miles.
hid 1t from view.
The expedition proceeded some thir-
ty miles or more without any difficulty
in fact. the country was familiar 20
nearly all the riders Several small
out-stations were passed. where boun-
dary riders and shepherds In Mr.. Halls
employ lived their quiet uneyentful
lives.
At one OF these they halted for the
night. much to the disgust OF the old
halter" who lived there with his
fiocks, and who uursed a wholesome
antipathy to the entire human race.
Cranky Jim" he was called. and. II
a love OF absolute solitude entitled him
to the name, he was undoubtedly de-
serving o! IT,
Had he seen two people pass that
way about ten weeks ago? No. he had
not seen two people pass that way
and. what was more, he did not want
to see them. One was woman. was
itg All, well, woman was naught to
him; he had seen enough of women In
his time. he had, His other remarks
were so full OF imprecations and bias
phemy that Mr.. Hall ceased TO interro-
gate him.
On the second day they halted about
noon in sigh, of the sand-hills. This
was the great barrier which they knew
lay between the grass country on the
Barrier side and the Gray Ranges.
Mr. Hall had wisely insisted upon all
the water-bags being fifilled up at the
last good water hole; and he felt con-
WINGED that. with the supply they car
ried. the fifty or sixty miles of desert
ought to be safely crossed by man and
beast.
Ii was within two hours OF sundown
when the little party entered the I'M
known region. The horses staggered
wearily along. occasionally sinking In
to the sand up to their knees. and
struggling through the scrub and
prickly mimosa which grew plentifully
in places upon the low hills.
Nightfail came on. and the cavalcade
encamped; there was no sign OF water,
and they had to draw upon the supply
they carried with them.
Jack Hall had more than once enter
| ed these inhospitable regions in search
of lost cattle. and he was under the be-
| lief that more fertile country lay be-
yond it-how far distant of course ne
could not say; but, from what he had
gathered from the blacks he believed
three days would see them through the
worst OF it
For two long days the travellers toiled
on through the heavy drifts OF sand.
| but towards sundown on the third day
they beheld trees ahead. at the sight Of
which their spirits rose amazingly.
Mr. Hall ordered half-rations of wa
| ter to be served cut to the men and
horses. for he was by no means conf
dent. because he beheid trees in the dim
distance. that he was going to find a
| lake or an ineNhaustible we'll
Sullivan was the best-provided
person Of the company. for. besides two
huge water-bags. he had liberal sup
ply OF spirituous liquors, which he was
very liberal in dispensing-to himself.
ITO be Contiuued)