The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-08-11
XIV.
HOW WE FOUND THE suNKEN
VALLEY

Looking back upon the hazards and
chance-takings of our adventure in the
wilderness, I recall no more promising
risk thar hat we ran by sleeping un-
sentrted within rifle shot, for aught we
knew, of the camp Of the enemy.
But touching this, it's only on the
mimic stage of the that the
players rise to the plane of superhuman
sagac1ty and angel-wit, never faltering
In their lines o betraying by slip or
tongue-trip their kinship with common
humankind. Being mere mortals, we
We're not SO endowed; we We're but four
outwearied men, well spent in the long
chase. with never q leg among US At
to pace a sentry beat o a decent
wakeful eye to keep it company. So.
as l ave said, we took the risk and
slept; would have slept as soundly, I
dare Say had the risk been twice as
great.
We were astir at the earliest grazing
OF h dawn. Richard and /, and were
h laggards Of h company at that,
since the old hunter was already out
and away. n the Indian had kindled
a fire and was grinding more of the
parched corn for the morning meal.
Dick sat UP in his leaf litter, yawning
like a sleepy giant.
Lord. Jack" said he, IF ever we win
out of this coil with a full day to spare,
= "a " SAOCp Sl1C C1OCA udHU6 IWlC0
around at a stretch, I promise you.
Twas but a catch, this cat-nap; no
more than enough to leave a bad taste
In the mouth"
AYE. but the taste may be washed
out" said I. II am for a dip in the
river; what say you?"
He took me at the word, and we had
an eye-opening plunge in the spring
cold food of the swift little river at the
mouth Of u ravine. Twas most mar
velous refreshing, Inc with appetites
sharp set and whetted by the stripping
and plunging we were back at the fire
in time to give good day to Ephraim
Yeates. at that moment returned with
the headquarters Of a fine yearling
buck, fresh killed, across his shoulders.
Seeing h deeris meat, we would
think the old hunters thrift of the
dawn sufficiently accounted for, but
when the cuts were a-broil we were
made to know that the buck was mere
ly a lucky incident in the early morn
ing scouting.
Taking time by the forelock, the old
borderer had swept a circle of recon-
naissance around our hating place., ito
get the p'ints Of the compass" as he
would say. His first discovery was
that the ford we had found in the dark
ness served as the river crossing of an
ancient and we'll used Indian trace.
Along this trace from the eastward the
powder train had come, no longer ago
than mid-afternoon of yesterday, and
arguing from this that the night camp
Of the band would be but a short march
to the westward, Yeates had pushed on
to feel outsthe enemy's position.
For a mile or more beyond the lord
he had trailed the convoy easily. The
Indian trace or path. well trampled by
the numerous horses Of the cavalcade,
followed h upstream windings OF the
swift river straight into the eye of the
western mountains. But in the eye it.
self, a rocky defile where the slopes
on each hand became frowning battle
ments to narrow valley and stream, the
one to a darkling' gorge. the other to
a laundering torrent, the trail was lost
as completely as IL the powder con-
voy had vanished into thin air.
Here was q fresh complication, and
one that called for instant action. We
had counted upon g. battle royal in any
attempt to rescue the women, but that
Falconnet, impeded as he was by the
! slow movements Of the powder cargo,
could slip away, was a contingency for
| which we were wholly unprepared.
So, as you would guess, the hunter
breakfast was hurriedly dispatched.
and by the time the sun was shoulder
high over the eastern hills we had bro
ken camp and crossed the river, and
were pressing forward to the gorge Of
disappearance.
fcontinuad Nexf weak