The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-07-28
CHAPTER xN.-Continued.

bLiilStitS up tlt rem. me llit MSob
ed wilderness by length and breadth, the
old man held on through thick and thin,
straight as an arrow to the mark: and
so we had never q sight of the road again
till we came out upon it suddenly at the
ford of violence.
Here 1 should have been in despair for
the lack of any Ineligible hint to point
the way and l think not even Jenuiier.
with all his woodcraft, could have read
the record of the onfall as Yates and the
Catawba did But for all the overlapping
tangle of moccasin and hoof prints neith-
err OF these men of the forest was at fault,
though ten minutes later even their skill
must have been bafiled, inasnuch as the
first few splitting raindrops were patter-
ing in the tree tops when we came upon
the ground.
That's Jest about what / was most
afeard Of" said the borderer. with Il
hasty glance skyward. Down on Your
hunkers, chief, and help me read this sign
afore the good Lord takes to sending his
rain on the jest and the unjest,' ard
Herewith these two fell to quartering all
the ground like trained dogs nosing for Il
scent.
We stood aside and watched them. Rich
ard and /. realizing that we were of small
account and should be until. perchance,
1t should come to the laying on of hearty
blows. After the closest scrutiny which
took account of every broken twig and
trampled blade of grass, this prolonged
until the rain was falling smartly to wash
out all the footprints in the dusty road,
Yeates and the Indian gave over and came
to join us under the sheItering branches
of an oak.
"'Tis a mighty curis sign: most mighty
curtis" qucth the hunter, singing the
rain drops from his fur cap and elnptying
the pan of his rifle. not upon the ground,
as a soldier would, but saving every preci-
Gus grain. e l allow. l never heerd tell
of any Iniuns a-doing that-uway afore;
have you, chief? hey?"
TIL Catawba's negative was his gut
tural "Wah." and Ephraim Ieates, hay
ing carefully restored the final grain of
the printing to his powder-horn. proceeded
TO enlighten us at some length.
Mighty curtis. ez L was a-saying. Them
1njuns fixed up an adjustment. biazed in
a volley at the closest sort O. range, and
followed it up with a tomahawk and knife
rush-lessen that there Afrikin was too
plumb daddled to tell any truth, what
somedever. And, spite of all this here
rampaging, they never drawed a single
drop O. blood in the whole enduring scrim-
mage! Mighty curtis. that; amt it, now?
And that amt all: some O. them same
Injuns, or leastwise one of 'em, was "a
wearing boots with spurs onto 'eln. What
say chief?"
Uncanoola held UP all the fingers of one
hand and two of the other. "Sebben In
jun; one pale face he said, in confirms
ton.
I looked at Richard. and he CAV me
back the eye-shot, with a hearty curse TO
speed 1t.
"Falconnet.' said he. by way of tall
piece to the oath: and 1 nodded.
Twas that there same hoss-captain.
sure enough. ez 1 reckon" drawled Yeates.
aNTn&.ha Nt,n ~ furn ~, toll whnt-lll
he mought be arriving at"
Jennifer shook his head, and I, too, was
silent. Twas out of all reason to suppose
that the baronet would resort to sheer
violence and make a terrified captive of
the woman he wanted to marry. 1t was
a curious mystery, and the hunters next
word involved it still more.
And yit that amt all. Whilst some o
the Injuns was a-whooping it up acrost
the creek, a-chasing the folks that was
making tract for their city o refuge,
%t'otliers run the two gals off into the big
woods at the side O. the road. Then
Mister Hoss-Captain picks up the Afri-
a-kiting with his flea in his ear: after
which he climbs his boss and
makes tracks hisself-not to ketch
up with the gals. ez you mought reckon,
but off yon way" pointing across the
creek II down the road to the south
ward.
Jennifer heard him through, had him
set it all out again in plainest fashion,
and after all could only say: You are
sure you have the straight of It, Eph?"
The borderer appealed to Uncanoola
Come, chief; give us the wo'th of your
Judgment. Has the old Gray Wolf gone
stun-blind? or did he read them sign like
they'd ort to be read?"
"Wah! the Gray Wolf has sharp eye
Ehnrn NOSa-Sharp tongue. sometime,
Sign no can lie when he read 'um."
Jennifer turned to me. What say YOU,
Jack? Ills all far enough beyond me,
I'll confess"
1 was as much at sea touching the mys-
terry as he was; yet the thing to do
seemed plain enough.
Never mind the ~baronet's mystery; It's
Mistress Margery's hazard that concerns
u.s." 1 would say. And then to Ephrain
Yeates: viii this rain kill the trail,
think you?"
He shook his head obviously. "I dunno
for sartain; twill make a heap O. differ
If they was anyways anxious to hide 1t.
Ez 1t starts out, with the women a-hos--
back, tits plain enough for a blind man
to lift on the rum"
"Then let us be at It," said I. I'VE can
very well afford to let the mystery untan-
gle itself as we CO." And with this the
pursuit began in relentless earnest.
Ine 1rall or the W horses ridden by
Margery and her woman cut a right
angle with the road, turning northwest
along tho left bank of the stream; and,
despite the rain. which was now pouring
steadily even in the thick wood, the hoof-
prints We're SO plainly marked tina we
could follow at a smart dog-trot.
In this speeding the old hunter and the
Indian easily outwearied Jennifer and
me. They both ran with a slow swing
ing leap. like the racl<ing gait. half pace,
half gallop, of a well-trained troop horse.
Mile after mile they put behind them in
these swinging bounds; and when, well
on in the afternoon. we stopped to eat a
snack of the cold meat and to Stake our
thirst at one of the II rain pools, ]
was fain to follow Jcnn:fer's lead, throw
ing myself fiat on the soaking mold to
pant and gasp and pay of the arrears OF
breathlessness.
This breathing halt vas Of the brief.
est; but before the race began again
IIphraim Yeates took time to make q
careful scrutiny of the trail. measuring
the stride of the horses. and looking
sharply on the briars for some bit OF
cloth or other token of assurance. Wher
we came up with him he was mumbline
to himself.
"Um-hm: jes' so. They was a-makine
tracks along ,hereaway: Sarta!n, sure