Mower County transcript., 1907-12-04

would not permit any neglect of the
bought without haggling over prices,
but insisted on the best. So it was
four in the afternoon when he finally
struck into the trail leading north.
ward. He rode mettlesOme. half
broken b-"c2cC, a wicked-eyed brute,
which requil ed to be conquered twice
within the first hour of travel; q Sec
ond and more quiet animal traled be-
! hind at the end of lariat, bearing the
necessary equipment.
He had, by persistent questioning,
acquired considerabl bic informa ton, dur
ing that busy hour spent in Cheyenne,
regarding the untracked regions lying
before him, as we'll 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 pathless 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 direc-
ton, yet Hampton scarcely noted this,
so 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 were 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, conf
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
a 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 reined up
his horse and gazed forward into q
broad valley, bounded with precipi-
tous bluffs The trail led directly
down toward where a considerable
stream of water shone silvery in the
sun, half concealed behind fringe OF
willows. And yonder, close in against
those distant willows, some black dots
| were moving. Hampton glued his
anxious eyes to the glass. The leveled
tubes clearly revealed man on horse
back, leading another horse. THE ami
mails were walking. There could be
little doubt that this was Silent Muir
ply.
Hampton lariated his tired horses
behind the bluff and returned to the
summit, lying fiat upon the ground,
with the field-glass at his eyes. The
distant figures passed slowly forward
into the midst of the willows, and for
half an hour the patient watcher
scanned the surface of the stream be-
yond, but there was no sign of at
tempted passage. The sun sank lower
and finally disappeared behind those
desolate ridges to the westward
Hampton's knowledge of plainscraft
rendered Murphy's actions sufficiently
clear. This was the Fourche; beyond
those waters lay the terrible peril of
Indian raiders. Further advance must
be made by swift, secret night riding,
and never-ceasing vigilance. This was
; what Murphy had been saving himself
and his horses for. Beyond conjec-
ture, he was resting now within the
shadows of those willows, studying
the opposite shore and making ready
for the dash northward. Hampton be-
lieved he would linger thus for some
time after dark, to see if Indian fires
would afford any guidance. Confident
of this, he passed back to his horses,
rubbed them down with: grass, and
then ate his lonely supper, not ventur-
ing to light a fire, certain that Muir
phys. eyes were scanning every inch
of skyline. s:.
Darkness came rapidly, Willie Hamp-
ton sat planning again the "details of
: his nights work. Then: with the two
animals trailing cautiously: behind, he
felt his~slow>, way :on foot down the
steep bluff, into the denser. blackness
of the valley: :: .:.. r.. :: *:.'% =.
So! CHAPTER xviii. :. Y Y.
i The Haunting Of a Crime. n
| MnrnhY rested on his back in tho