The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-08-14
XII.
I MEET owAN VAUGHAN.

I MEET OWAIN VAUGHAN. @
I turned Whitesock and moved gently
toward the approaching horseman, in
order to give as much ground as pos
prise b sound of hoofs had died
way.
I pulled up and sat listening for a
moment, and heard them again. The
riders had stopped to water their
horses at a little stream which I re-
membered passing some distance back.
This did not seem very much like a
pursuit, and I cantered sharply down
toward them to settle the matter.
At thirty yards distance T checked
Whitesock and challenged the two
horsemen coming up the hill. They
halted at once and called upon me in
the language Of thec country. Perceiv-
I spoke to then in English n ad-
vanced in their direction; but they,
wheeling their horses round, and clap
ping in their spurs, returning down the
hill at full speed.
"'Tis a false alarm" thought I, trot-
ting back well pleased at the outcome
Of the affair. "They are two fellows
who have escaped from the inn and got
to the nags 7 saw in the stable"
I pushed on rapidly to regain my
companions but was not to do so, for T
fell into q mistake easy to be made
among such rude tracks as I was fol-
lowing. But q few hundred yards from
the stop where we had parted, the
chief road too a sudden bend to the
right n seemed to disappear down a
narrow gully, yet straight on ran q
road, white in the moonlight, and, to
be sure, no n would have any sus-
ptcion that in following 1t he was going
directly out Of his way, and merely
heading for a lonely farm far among
the hills.
This Is what I did, and on I went for
three or four miles, thinking to see the
ponies at every turn Of the road, yet
seeing nothing.
When I became convinced that I had
missed them In some fashion, for at the
pace I had ridden I knew that they
could not be before me, I was puzzled
what to do. I still felt certain that I
was following the main road, for I had
ridden past the mouth Of the gully into
which 1t turned without a glance aside;
and, after a little thought, I could see no
better plan than to pursue my journey.
Three miles further, the road turned
directly into one Of those narrow val
leys with steeply sloptng sides, such as
the Welsh call a cwm. and ran up the
middle Of It. The sides Of the valley
were dotted with sheep, and 7 looked
eagerly forward for some h~abitation.
Soon I saw a light ct the head OF the
glen, where the hill seemed to close in
upon either side. I came nearer and
saw something white stretching across
the road. I cantered up and found my
self staring across a gate into a farm
yard, where the road abruptly ended,
and, facing me, q long, low, white
washed house, through whose naked
windows a bright freight was stream
ing.
At this moment a man came out of
an clubhouse with a lantern in his hand.
I hailed him, and he came toward the
gate. Luckily he had a little English,
and at once told me where I had gone
wrong, assuring me that 1t was uncom-
mon misfortune, so easily was the ROAD
missed at hat point.
He Hospitality desired me to come in
and stay, and knowing hat Whitesock
had earned her rest and would be bet
ter to maxi a fresh start with the day
light, I thanked him and rode through
the gate, which he unbarred.
He led the way back to the building
from which he had come, and helped