The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-12-13

81 saddle, the feathers creaking
unsteady under him TO keep
time to the shufaing fox trot
Of the wiry little range pony once
free Of the mining camp and out
upon the mesa. he found a corn husk
wrapper and his bag Of dry tobacco
and deity rolled cigarette. doing it
with one hand. cowboy fashion. When
the cigarette was lighted the horseman
ahead was mere khaki-colored dot.
rising and falling in the mellowing
distance
With the eye Of a plainsman he
measured the trails length to the
broken hin range where the Pannikin
energies from its final wrestle with
the gorges. Then he glanced up at the
dull crimson spot in the murky sky
that marked the suns altitude. There
was time sufficient-and the trail was
long enough. He did not push his
horse out Of a shufiing trot. At the
portal hills the horseman now disap-
pearing over the rim of the high mesa
would slacken speed. In the canyon
self a dog could not go faster than
a walk.
On the lower mesa the Mexican picked
UP the galloping dot again. holding
il in view until it halted on the river
bank a hundred yards below the en-
trance TO the canyon. Since the water
was low In the ford, the river bank
hid the crossing. and the Mexican drew
f~
on the opposite shore.
A slow minute was lost; then a second
and a third. The man in the corded
sombrero and laced buckskins touched
his horses flank with a spur and crept
forward at a walk. keeping his eyes
fixed upon the point where the quarry
ought to come in sight again. When
three more minutes passed and the
farther shore was still a deserted
blank. the Mexican dug both rowels
into his mustang and galloped down
to the river. muttering curses in the
patois Of his native Sonora.
Apparently the closing in had been
delayed too long. There were fresh
hoof prints in the mari of the hither
approach TO the shallow ford. but none
TO match them on the farther side. The
Mexican crossed hastily and searched
for the Outcoming hoof marks. The
rocky bar which formed the northern
bank Of the stream told him nothing.
Now it is only in the imagination Of
word-smith that the villain in the play
is gifted with supernatural powers Of
dfscernment Ruiz Gregorio Maria y
Alverez AIattacheco. Familiarity and less
cumbrously known as Mexican
George" was a mere murderer, with
quick eye for gun sights and a ready
and itching trigger finger. But he was
no Vidocq. to know by instinct which
Of the two trails. the canyon passage
Ford had chosen.
Having two guesses he made the
wrong one first. urging his mustang
toward the canyon trail A stumbling
half mile up the narrow cleft Of the
rover's path revealing nothing, he be-
gan 10 reconsider. Drawing a second
blank Of the same dimensions. he
turned back To the ford and tried the
hu trail Al the end Of he first hun
dred yards on the new scent he came
again upon the fresh hoof prints, and
took off the brow-cramping hat to
swear the easier.
Two courses were now o,5en TO him:
10 press hard upon the roundabout
Hill trail in the hope of overtaking the
engineer before he could reach the
Horse creek camp. or 10 pass by the
shorter route 10 the upper ford to head
him of at the river crossing. The Mex
fcan gave another glance at the dull
red spot in the western sky and played
for safety. The waylaying alternative
commended itself on several counts.
The canyon trail was the shorter and
il could be traversed leisureIy and in
daylight. Pressing his livery hack as
lie could. Ford would scarcely reach
the crossing at the mouth of Horse
creek before dusk Moreover, it would
be easier to wait and to smoke than
TO chase the quarry over the hills
wearing ones pinto to the bone.
fk4lL AEFEOIlO -tldIld set HIS morse
once more at the task Of picking a
path among the canyon boulders, riding
loosely in the saddle. first in one stir
rup and then in the other, and smoking
an unbroken succession Of the corn
husk cigarettes.
one small cloud fiecked the sky OF
satisfaction. His instructions had been
explicit II Ford should resign, quit
wash his hands Of the Pacific South
western, he might be suffered TO es-
cape. II not-there was only one con-
dition attached to the alternative
what was done must be done neatly
with dispatch, and at a sufficient dis.
lance from any of the MacMorrogt
camps to avert even the shadow Of
suspicion.
Now the upper crossing of waylay.
ing was within a stones throw of the
end OF track yards; nay, within al