The San Francisco call., 1905-02-26

The bitterness OF it chung round him
all the long way down to Korbel, where
he was to load up with goods from
Eureka for the return trip.
But for all that Billy could not resist
ring that caught his eye in at the
watchmaker's where he went to get his
watch, that evening. He was quite car
ried away with two hands cIasping
two hearts and bought 1t then and
there, calling himself fool all the
time he was doing it and doubling that
she would let him give it to her.
The seco-d morning out from Kor-
bel Billy looked to the loading of the
packs himself. He tried each rope and
strap to test the strength of its fasten-
ing. Each pack must be balanced to
the fraction of an ounce.
With Johnny in the lead on Old
Gray they were off up the river be-
times.
Acftss the ford the trail turned
sharply to the right up stream over a
level strip three or four rods wide. For
a mile or more the path kept its mar
Sin, then all at once the crowding
mountain wall pushed it over to the
very rivers brink.
Just here Billy halted the train and
went from pack to pack relying
rope, recasting diamond hitch. Ioos-
ening and resetting a pack, shaking an
other to find out If it were Arm. till he
had made each secure for the perilous
trail beyond.
Easily round to the left swung the
trail 1t bore round dip in the can
yon wall, cut again round sharper
nj ha IN ca1 oil
oipitately almost from the. mules feet
sixty, eighty. hundred feet to the
swirling. turbid waters of the Trinity
below.
Johnny slid from Old Gray's shoul-
ders to the trail and ran on into the
deep bend of Devils Elbow. where
cluster of pepperwoods and holly
found root i'll the scanty soil in the
seams OF the rocks.
Billy watched Old Gray away at the
lead jingle- -jangling slowly round into
the Elbow, passing III behind the
shrubs and jangle-jingling leisurely
cut again on the other side coming
on toward him not two rods off across
the bend. The train followed eon at
a snail's pace behind her. Fifteen,
sixteen, seventeen, then Johnny car
rying a partly skinned rattlesnake
came in sight.
Round out of DEVILS Elbow Billy
logged behind the train, this last out
ward curve turned round to a
straight stretch, with smoother walls
below, more threatening masses above
than any they had yet passed. Away
on beyond there it ran safely out into
n grove of pines.
Billy felt an uneasy thrill every
time the train came to this part of
the trail, with its ledge SO, narrow
there was just room for the mules
feet, so narrow he must take infinite
care lest some bulky pack hang out
and brush the canyon wall.
Across the river, tier on tier, rank
on rank, rose the pines. An criole
somewhere in a bend Tilted and trilled
in an ecstacy of song. Below, the
river, narrow and deep and yellow
from the washings of the mines
Numbered over its bowldery bed.
Billy reached out and loosened a bit
of rock and flung it into the depths
below. A long way down it was. Then
he watched buzzard soaring round
and back and round again in the blue,
cloudIess sky. Had somebody's mule
gone down the bank. he wondered,
that this creature was sailing about in
search of?
His eyes roamed. back to the mules
in front, toiling on, each with muzzle
close to the heels of the next, only
step between, pacing steadily on to
the ting, ting-a-ling of the bell. A
long string they made of dun and gray
l<zt~~ H. l. -.
now and then pair Of ears Tapping