The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-17

by the stripping and p~funging we were bach
at the fire in time to give good day to
Gphraim feates. at that moment returned
with the headquarters Of a fine yearlinG
brck. fresn-killed. across his shoulders.
Seeing the dcer's meat, we would think the
: Old hunters thrift Of the dawn sufficiently
accounted for: but when the cuts were -
bfoil. We were made to know that the buck
was merely a lucky incident In the early
morning scouting.
Taking time by the forelock. the old
borderer had swept a circle Of reconnals-
sarce around our hating place. Ito get the
pints of che compass" as he would say.
His first discovery was that the ford we
had found in the darkness served as the
river crossing Of an ancient and well-usod
indian trace. Along this trace from the
eastward the powder train had
come, no longer ago than mid-afternoon Of
yeEterday: and arguing from this that the
night camp OF the band would be but a
snort march 10 the westward. Yeates had
pushed on TO feel out the enemy's position.
For a mile or more beyond the ford he
mad trailed the convoy easily. The Indian
trace or path. well-trampled by the numer-
Gus horses of the cavalcade, followed the
upstream windings Of the swift river
straight into the eye OF the western noun.
tains. But in the eye itself. a rocky defls
where the slopes on each hand became
frowning battiements to narrow valley and
stream. the one TO a darkling gorge. the
other to a laundering torrent. the trail was
lost as completely as II the powder convoy
had vanished into thin air.
Here was a fresh complication. and one
that called for instant action. We had
counted upon a battle royal In any attempt
to rescue the women: but that Falconnet.
fmpeded as he was by the slow movements
OF the powder cargo. could slip away. was
a contingency for which We were wholly
unprepared.
SOFAS you would guess. the hunter break
fast was hurriedly DISPATCHED; and by the
time the sun was shoulder high over the
eastern hills We had broken camp and
crossed the river. and were pressing for
ward to the gorge of disappearance.
On each hand the mountains rose pre-
cipitous. the one on the left swelling unbro-
ken to a bald and rounded summit. forest
covered save for its tonsured head high in
all. while that on the right was sleeper
and over. with q Line of cliffs at the top.
As We Jared on. the valley narrowed to
mere chasm. with the river laundering
along the base of the tonsured mountain.
and the Indian path hugging the cliff on
the right.
In the gioomiest depths Of this defle We
came upon the hunters stumbling block.. "A
tributary stream, issuing from q low cav
ern In the right-hand elf. crossed the In
dian path and the chasm at q bound and
az oabA ihNV lLc uOOu Ot II ldTBtK
river. On the hither side of this barrier
stream the trail of the powder convoy led
plainly down into the water; and. so far
AZ one might see. that was the end of It.
As we made sure. we left no stone un-
turned in the effort to solve the mystery.
No horse. ridden or led. could lave lived
to Cross the pouring torrent Of the main
river. or to wade up or down its bed; and
IL the cavalcade had turned I'D the barrier
stream its progress must have ended alb
ruptly against the sheer wall OF the cliff
at the entrance to the low-arched cavern
whence the tributary came into being. But
IL Falconnet and his following had ridden
neither up nor down the bed Of the barrier
stream. It seemed equally certain that no
horse of the troop had crossed 1t. The En-
dian trace. which held straight on up the
gorge and presently came out above into .
high upland valley. was unmarked by any
hoof print. new or old.
To Be Continued.