Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-02-23

evdn tell which way TIE Ga;:G.;s uau
gone-every way, he rcckoned-aId aft
er careerin2 blindly about for half an
hour or So Blake's most energetic men
came drifting back and said it was use
less toattemtt pursuit until dawn, even
though that would give the renegade.
SIX hour>' start. Slowly and disguised
ly Blake ordered his men to form RANKS
and march back to carp when sudden
ly an idea struck him-loring, Loring
with his precious saddlebags, had been
left alone-and calling for a set of tours
to follow him Blake clapped his spurless
heels to his indignant horse's TANKS and
galloped for home, only to find Sancho
and Pete lamenting over the PROSTATE,
senseless and bleeding form of the engi-
neer whose arm was still thrown pro-
tectingly over the ravished saddlebags.
The pocket containing that precious
envelope was slashed open. The envelope
and watch were gone. The record OF
the court in the other bag was undis.
turbed.
Aud then as he bathed his comrades
head and stanched the blood and strove
to call him back to consciousness Blake
saw it all or thought he did and CRASHED
his teeth in impotent wrath. He was
tricked, betrayed-yes, possibly ruined
all by gang of miserable "Greasers,
through the medium of pretty Mexi-
can girl and his own wretched imbecil-
ity. There was no name Blake didn't
call himself. There was nothing disrep-
,,to In ho n ~, l. &c D.
what could be prove: Sancho was a
heavy loser. Sancho's best mules and
all his fine horses including the famous
roam, had bean spirited away. The gang
had made wreck of the bar and pud-
die of his famous liquor
Manuel, his brother, with his beloved
wife and child, had fled in terror, said
Sancho,. else would they now he here,
nursing the heroic officer who had striv-
Ell to defend them against such a rush
OF wretches Blake drove him away
with imprecations, vowing that he.
Sancho, was il collision with the gang,
against which unmerited slur Sancho
protested in sonorous Spanish, and to
prove his Innocence pointed to his be-
spattered barroom and as that failed to
move the obdurate heart of the raging
cavalryman went sorrowfully back to
the dark ranch, whence there suddenly
arose sheet of flame and the Cry that
the villains had set fire to the corral
before they left For half an hour the
straw and hay made q fierce blaze, and
the troopers turned to and saved the
ranch as Sancho knew they would, and
the actual damage was but slight
Some day Sancho would present q
claim against the government for 30
times the amount and get such portion
OF it as was not required by the local
agent and lobbying aids who rushed it
through congress Against Sancho there
was no proof whatever. and when Blake
rode away at dawn to take the trail CT
the rObEer band he had to invoke San
chos assistance in looking after his
stricken friend There were hours that
day when Blake could almost have
blown his brains ont. He who prided
himself on the field record he was max
ing had been outwitted, tricked utterly
and ridiculously fooled, By heaven, if
horses could hold out. those rascals
should not so unwhipped of justice!
Bitter as was his cup the previous year
this was bitterer still
Not for ten days. after long and
fruitless chase through the Dragon
mountains and almost into Mexico, did
Blake return to the Bend, and by that
time Loring was just gone, borne in the
ambulance, to Yuma He had regained
consciousness under the doctors cure,
said old Feeney, but was sorely weak and
shaken, and the doctor had gone Oh with
him
So ended, for the time being at least,
the survey Of the ella valley, for the
surgeon at Fort Yuma conceded in the
opinion Of his brother from Cooke that
Lieutenant Loring could perform no
duty for weeks; that he should have
care rest AMI a sea voyage The record
OF the court had been sent on by mail
stage to San Francisco, and after fort
night of total quiet at Yuma Loring was
conveyed down the Colorado to the gulf
and shipped aboard the coasting steam,
er for the two weeks run around old
California and up the Pacific to Yerba
Buena. The very day they sailed old
Turnbull came to join him on the voy-
age. Not trace had been discovered Of
the fugitive. Captain Nevins and such
suspicious characters as Blake had over
hauled were long since released for lack
of evidence Sancho held the fort as i'm
narturbably as ever The family of