Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-21
CONTINUED FROM PRECEDING PAGE

afF~a-
the foliage was pulled aside. The mountain
mosquitoes settled down upon them in,swarms,
pnd they hardly dared to brush them away.
!. But painful and difficult to maintain as were
Their positions, the boys knew Bart was suf-
serlng tenfold more bodily agony, to say moth
esng OF the anguish Of mind that must have
Apeen his as the hours brought nearer and
nearer the time when the road agent would
carry out his threat.
Mhen they were at the side OF the encamp-
ment where they had full view of the pris-
Sner' they saw that the rawhide rope had
peen wound around him so tightly as almost
20 20 cut INTO the flesh, and the pressure upon
MS wounded arm must have been painful in
the extreme
Out the day came to a close finally, and the
very thought of action, even accompanied by
great danger to the boys, as it would be, was
relief
we've got to creep quite a ways before
we get to the hut" Kirk whispered to Dory,
ana we may as well begin now, for it isn't
likely that any of the men will be prowling
around the woods after dark"
IAN right You go ahead. and I'll walk
rignt behind you with my hands on your
shoulders, so that there'll be no chance
OF our getting separated Besides, in that
would"
nave your revolver where you can use it,
lor L snail give mine to Bart as soon
geC tne chance, and sling your rife over vorr
back
Only for an instant did the boys wait to
complete these simple preparations, and then
they started on their dangerous errand, walk
ing as Dory had proposed.
Ihe distance to the hut was not great, but
yet 1t took them nearly an hour to cover it,
so cautiously did Kirk move through the
woods
They could hear the men talking, but could
not see them, for now the hut was between
them and the campfire, around which the
outlaws were undoubtedly sitting.
The tree to which Bart was bound was at
the right of the shanty, and close beside it,
SO that one could easily slip up behind with
out crossing any ray of light.
Twenty PAGES back of the hut the boys stop
ped. The darkness there was profound, the
glare of the fire that could be seen from the
front of the hut making the surrounding por-
ton Of the forest appear to be in more in
tense gloom
I'm going to try to let him know we've
come, Kirk said to Dory, his mouth so near
his cousins ear that only the faintest Of
whispers was necessary. You stand right
here till | come back
Dory pressed Kinks hand in reply, and the
latter stole silently toward the prisoner.
Bart was still standing as when the boys
had last seen him, only portion of his face
being in view, as he was partially hidden by
the shadow cast by the hut.
Although the men around the fire were talk
ing and laughing loudly, Kirk did not dare
to whisper.
The prisoners hands were lashed down at
his side, and Kirk reached out and touched
one quickly.
Dim as was the light, he saw a marvellous
change come over Bart's face. The look of
despair was instantly replaced by one of hope
and joy, and Kirk could have asked for no
better sign that the guide knew friends were
near.
Gliding back to where Dory was, as noise.
lessly as he had come, Kirk told him of his
success by pressure of the hand, and then
came another weary time of waiting.
1t surely seemed as if the men intended to
keep awake. all night, so late did they sit by
the fire and talk; but after a very long time,
the voices ceased one by one, and the en-
campment appeared TO be wrapped in the
most perfect repose.
Then Kirk started forward. his cousin close
behind him.
They had no means of knowing whether
any one of the enemy was doing guard duty;
but of course, Bart would have observed those
details as, from where he was standing. he
could see nearly all that took place around
the fire.
1t was comparatively an easy matter to creep
up to the tree, although Kirk walked further
away from the tree than when he had come
to let Bart know they were there, and in ten
minutes they were both close behind the pris-
Oner.
Again Kirk touched Bart, this time to let
him know that the moment for action lad
come, and then he began to sever the raw.
hide fastenings, running his knife up and
down on the treetrunk back of the prisoner
Thn eaUered nienes ahmed from +ba,,, ,1I,oa,