The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-08-20
.LyKhera n Custer2'l

where near the mouth Of the Powder,
although he may have left there by
this time, moving down the Yellow;
stone. Murphy's orders were to inter
cept his column somewhere between
the Rosebud and the Big Horn. No
other scout along this border would
take such a detail. But that old devil
/ Of a Murphy Just enjoys such a trip.
He started Of as happy as eyeri see
him.
How far will he have to ride" Y
"oh, bout 800 miles as the crow
flies, a little west Of north, and the
better part Of the distance, they tell
Iame. It's almighty rough country for
night work. But then Murphy, he
knows the way all right. Sorry you
didn't come along a little earlier be
said, genially DO you know Muir
phy?'
"Im not quite certain. Did you
happen to notice a peculiar black scar
on the back Of his right hand?"
"sure; looks like the half OF a pear.
He said It was powder under the g !"
A new look Of reviying determine
ton swept into Hamptons gloomy
! eyes-beyond doubt this must be his
man.
How many horses did he have'i?"
1.-TWO"
"Did you oyerhear him say anything
definite about bis plans for the trlp%
What, hln2 He never talks, that
fellow. He can't do nothing but sput-
ter IL he tries. But / wrote out his or.
ders, and they give him to the 25th to
make the Big Horn. You wasn't plan
ming to strike out after him. was
you?"
II might risk it II ] only thought l
could overtake him within two days;
my business isof some Importance"
well, stranger. / should reckon you
might do that with a dog.gone good
outfit. Murphys sure to take things
pretty easy today, and he's almost
certain to follow the old mining trail
as far as the ford over the Belle
Fourche, and that's plain enough to
travel. Beyond that point the devil
only knows where he will go. for then
is when his hard ridin' begins"
The moment the operator mentioned
that odd scar on Murphy's hand, every
vestige Of hesitation vanished, BE.
You'd any possibility Of doubt he was
on the right scent this time. Murphy
was riding north upon a mission as
desperate as ever man was called
upon to perform. The chance OF his
coming forth alive from that Indian
haunted land was, as the operator
truthfully said, barely one out Of a
hundred. To tile end, to the death II
need were, he would follow!
The memory OF his old plain craft
would not permit any neglect Of the
few necessarles for the trip. He
bought without haggling over prices,
but insisted on the best. So 1t was
four in the afternoon when he finally
struck into the trail leading north.
ward. He rode mettlesome, half.
broken bronco wicked.eyed brute,
which required to be conquered twice
within the first hour of travel; sec.
ond and more quiet animal trailed be-
hind at the end Of a lariat, bearing the
necessary equipment.
He had, by persistent questioning,
acquired considerable information, dur
ing that busy hour spent in cheyenne,
regarding the untracked regions lying
before him, as well as the character
and disposition of the man he pur-
sued. Both by instinct and training
he was able to comprehend those brief
hints that must prove Of vast benefit
in the painless wilderness.
The night was already dark, but
stars were cleaning brilliantly over
head, and the trail remained easily
traceable. 1t became terribly lonely
on that Wilderness stretching away
for unknown leagues in every direo-
ton, yet Hampton scarcely noted this,
30 watchful was he lest he miss the
trail. To his judgment, Murphy would
not be likely to ride during the night
until after he had crossed the Fourche.
There was no reason to suspect that
there we're any hostile Indians south
Of that stream, and probably therefore
the old scout would endeavor to con-
serve his own strength and that Of his
| horses, for the more perilous travel
beyond.
About midnight, the trail becoming
obscure, the rider made camp, conn:
dent he must have already gained
heavily on the man he pursued. he
lariated his horses and finging him
self down on some soft turf, almost
! Immediately dropped asleep. He was
up again before daylight and, after
q hasty meal, pressed on. The nature
Of the country had changed consider.
ably, becoming more broken, the view
circumscribed BY towering cliffs and
deep ravines,
Late in the afternoon he refined up
his horse and gazed forward into .
broad valley, bounded with precipi.
tous bluhs. The trail led directly
down toward where q considerable
stream, Of water shone silvery in the
sun, half concealed behind fringe Of