The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-07-28


on h marchsssand when that was spent
or spoiled we did as we could. betne
eue comfortably Allied. / think. and
ortener hagKNrd and enfeeb!ea for the
want of food. Since we dared not stop
to go aside for game. the Catawsa
would set overnight snares for rab-
bits, and for another shift va cut
knobbed sticks for throwing and ran
keen-eyed along the trace, alert to muir
der anything alive and fit to eat. In
this h~aphazard hunting nothing. ever
fell to Jennifer's skilless clubbing. or to
mine: but the old borderer and the In
and then some bird or squirrel or rab-
bit sitting on its form came to the pot.
though never enough OF all or any to
more than sharpen the famine edge Of
hunger.
For all the sharp privations OF the
lip OF turning back. With Margery's
desperate need to key us to the un-
ftnching pitch. Richard III I would
so on while there was strength to set
one foot before the other. But for the
old borderer and the Indian there was
no such bellows to blow the fire OF
perseverance. None the less, these two
did more than second us; they set the
strenuous pace and held US to it; the
Catawba Spartan-proud and uncom-
planning; the old hunter no whit less
ttreless and enduring. At this far-dis-
tant day / can close my eyes and see
the gaunt. leather-clad figure OF Eph-
RAIN Yeates, striding or always In the
lead and ever pressing forward. tough.
wirv. and iron tn nAOrn md vaf uitho1
so elastic that the shrewdest discour-
agement served only to make him re-
bound and strike the harder. Good
stuff n true there was in that old
man: and Ia Richard or I been less
determined, his fine and noble heroism
In a cause which vas not his own would
have shamed US into following where
he led.
We had been ten days in this starry
ing wilderness, driving onward at tho
pace that kills n making the most OF
every hour of daylight, before Yeates
and the Indian began to give us hope
that we were finally closing in upon
our quarry.
The dragging length of the chase
grew upon two conditions. From the
beginning h kidnappers were able to
increase their lead by stretching out the
days n borrowing from the nights;
also. they We're doubtless we'll provis-
Toned. and they had horses for the cap
tives and their impedimenta. But as
daylight let us see the trail; and though
ran well at first, the lack Of proper
food soon took toll of speed.
So now, though the hoof prints grew
hourly fresher, and we were at asst so
close upon the heels of the kidnappers
that their night lamp fires were scarce
ly cold when we came upon them. we
ran no longer-could hardly keep a
logged foot pace for the hunger pains
that griped and bent US double.
The tenth day, as I we'll remember,
furnace hot, as were all the fair
weather days of that never-to-be-for-
gotten summer, with O stin air in tho
forest that hung thick and, lifeless like
the atmosphere of an oven; his though
we were we'll among the mountains and
rising higher with every added mile OF
westering.
The sun had passed the meridian.
and we were toiling, sweaty-weak. up
rock-strewn mountain side, when a
thing occurred to rouse us roughly from
the famine stupor and set US watch
fully alert. In the steepest part Of the
ascent where the wood scanted Of root
ing ground by the thickly sown strew-
ing of boulders. was open and free Of
underground, Ephraim Yeates halted
> - W No NAIx4 ApAlA4Ae
hand. and dropped behind a tree, as one
shot; and in the same breath the Ca.
ia VIDA, running at Yeates' heels,
lulched aside and vanished rs if ne
earth had gaped and swallowed him
"A ONE later the twang
OF a bow string buzzed
upon the GREATNESS noontide stiffness,
and Jennifer clutched and dragged me
down in good time to let the arrow
whistle harmless over us. Then, like
distorted echo Of the buzzing bow
string, the sharp rack of the old bor-
derer's rifle rang out smartly. setting
the cliff-crowned mountain side all
a-clamor with hooking repetitions.
missed him, slick and clean, b. the
coon-skin!" growled the old
marksman. sitting up behind his tree
to reload. THAT there's what comes o.
being SO dad-blame' hongry that We
can't squinch fair atween the gun
sights. I reckon ez how ye'd better
bunker down and lie clost. you two.
'Twouldn't s'prise me none If that red
skin had a wheen more o. them sharp
sticks in his The Lord be
praised for all His marcies! the chiefs
got him!"
But Uncanoola had not. He came in
disappointment, saying in answer to
Yeates' question that the yell was his
own; that his tomahawk a sped no
truer than the old borderer's bullet.
"Chelakee snake heap slick; heap
quick DODGE" was all we could get out
OF him; and when hat was said he
squatted calmly on a flat stone and fell
to work grinding the nick out of the
Of the misSped Ratchet.