Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-01
CHAPTER xxvI.
The Stronghold.

to talk OF what I've seen, and reckon I'm
lot incompetent. The men who wrote the
Bible ought to be turned loose on this earth
again to make another book Then folks
who have not seen might understand such
places as the Painted Desert, the Rock
City and the Grand Canon of the Colo
RADIO.
What with delays in packing and driving
l had to track Curly for maybe thirty miles
pefcre caught her up at Clay Flat by the
edge of the forest. Her horse was dead,
and she sat beside him. her stone-white
face set cold, staring straight ahead Be
low US lay the Painted Desert, SO wide that
the further edge was lost in mist We
rode down to the trickle of water at the
bottom, then up the further side, and all
the rock lay in belts red as flame, yellow
as gold, purple as violets, which seemed to
shine Of their own light burning nc nh.
men VINO stop in that country mostly go
mao, which Is natural. Beyond we came out
on mesa of naked rock and sand-drffts.
s ~nels we round a pool between high cliffs,
spiashed through it, and maybe a dozen
mics beyond found after nightfall a few
pants OIL grass. We had covered a hundred
una ten miles at a tearing pace that day.
changing horses, robber fashion, at every
halt We made.
Next morning we met up with small
puAcHeS OF navajo Indians strange breed
Oh people. dressed UP in their private brown
SKINS, with great plenty of TURQUOISE neck
lace. silver harness and a wish OF breacb
clout, riding with bows and arrows to hIrut
RABBITS. They handed a few arrows after ms.
their company.
Then we came to the City of Rocks. fam
ing red, and high as mountains; their
thousand-foo walls sheer to the desert. all
cai ,N IN needle spires, towers, castles,
pdlaces The street was six miles wide /
reckon, and we rode along it maybe fifty
miles. like crawling flies In the sand.
beyond the city we curved around by a
gap IN the desert, sort of crack half a
mile deep, with a river along the bottom.
II swung about like snake, getting deeper
and deeper; but we kept to the level desert.
until we reached little side canyon, where
there. taking Curly's buckskin and my pet
morse sam. The rest of our bunch we
turned down into that pasture and left
shem, riding on along the rim rock.
just after shutdown we came abrupt to
what looked like the end of the world a
Sulf so deep that we couldn't gee to the
pot'om. Ihat mighty cash in the earth is
PIX PIX hundred miles In length, it's usually
len miles wide; it's more than a sheer mile
deep ana fuil of mountain ranges all shaped
like gigantic buildings Dead weary as I
was from riding more than two hundred
i iiiiies M Iofty-eight hours, forgot about
oelng tirea when saw that place, the most
tremendous thing in the whole earth the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado.
1here was no rest for us, but seven miles
OF such a break-neck trail as I'd never inn
agined possible. for it overhung black death
from start to finish, Looping round the face
OIL outrageous cliffs which seemed to have
no pottom Midnight was past before we
got to camp beside the river flung off the
harness, turned the horses loose and tIrop-
ped in our tracks to Sleep
gunshot reused me, and starting broad
wall to wall
It's only me- said Curly, signaling"
DARK banks of fog were driving over our
heads, and l shivered with the dawn
eoi n Inen l looked up and more than
mile In the air saw scarlet cliffs ablaze in
the sunlight. The river rolled beside our
camp, wide as the Thames In London. gray
water so thick mat splashes of it
from the further bank, then Curly
gave the cougar war-howl. The yelp of a
wolf came back.
Both boats" said Curly, ARE on this
side OF the river-somet thing GAVIN wrong
COOK breakfast while l cross
She took little crazy boat and lowed Ii
upstream, scrambling over bouIders a GUAR
ser-mlle or SO. From there she pulled the
poat across the great gray sluce, fetching
the other pank after ha1f-mile drift down.
stream. There was strong backwater
along that further bank, and she pulled
easy, drifting past the camp I'D to a rocky
headland. The man who had answered the
signals was waiting there to throw his sad
die into the boat, and follow. leading two
horses so they could swim behind. BY the
tlme they crossed again l had our two
horses to camp, and breakfast waiting
1t was not until after he fed and he laid
In provisions generous, that this robber-
ms name was Pieface-had word to say,
He took no more notice of me than II |
was dead, and when he talked with Curly
he sat close beside her whispering I heard
nothing; but allow I thought heap,-tor
this mans face was bad the very look OF
him was poison. My gun was plenty ready
While l watched.
"Chalkeye," says Curly out aloud. but
her eyes were set on this ladrone all the
While. This Pieface says that ten of our
boys were sent down to wait for the ram
som. They were camped at Clay Flat, you
remember
Il amt much forgetful,'' says I. for this
meant that all the towards had deserted,
We had seen no men at Clay Flat
The chief" says Curly. lis right on his
ear, and sends this Pieface to find out
what's wrong at Clay Flat"
When this Pieface person had hit the
trail we took both boats across the river
and swan our horses From the far bank
our way turned sharp to the left into the
side canyon of Dirty Devil creek There we
rode along some miles in the water, so as
to leave no trail: then, quitting the bottom.
turned sharp back up ledge, threading
the face of the cliffs. The heat was blind
ing; 1t seemed as II we were being baked
alive, and even my tanned hide broke out
in blisters Curly allowed this cliff was
over six thousand feet high and the trail
Of broken rock, to one sheer cape where
nothing lay below us but blue space Then
we swung into little arroyo with trickling
water. shady trees and gentle glade until
we reached the summit. At the rim rock
a robber halted US. until Curly pushed her
hat-brim up. showing her face She an
swered for me, and we rode on through
level pine woods / noticed horse tracks
scattering everywhere, but no trail what
ever; and then even the horse tracks Pc
tered out. I looked back, and there was not
a sign to show the way we had come. For
the first mile we headed toward where the
sun would set, now we swung around on a
long curve until we pointed northeast /
might just as well have been blindf0ld
Curly" asked, is this Main street?'
IT reckon" she laughed. Gould you find
the way back?"
Once Before she had told me that no trails
led to the stronghold.
Then away to the left saw a big cor
raj, with dust of horses inside and men
sitting round on the top rail-. maybe, a
dozen of .hem Beyond 1t lay streak OF
open water, and right in front doomed a
house, set In the standing woods, where one
could hardly see a hundred PAGES. It was
ranch house of the usual breed, log
built. low pitched. banked UP around with
earth as high as the loopholes, and at each
end against the gable stood dry stone