The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-01

AS came through the desert -
City of Dreadful Night.
All around them, the savage, search.
ing glare of the desert moonlight fell
on a world of nightmare shapes and
sLadoWs-gaunt,f fantastic cacti, grotes-
quely misshapen yuccas, goblin bu1ks
of rock and cliff and sand-dune: over
mead the stars glittered hard and white
and brilliant. They rode swiftly, un-
sWeryingly, as ride those whose Jour
ney is long and desperate, the man
sswaying easily to the stride of his
morse, the woman, awkward in her
male attire, clinging to the saddle from
exhaustion, her eyes fixed on the
shoulders of her husband. Save for
the shuffiing. dust-muffied footballs of
their horses, there was nowhere any
sound
Now and then, the man looked back
anxiously at his Companion, and at
length, refining in, he united a canteen
from his saddle, passed his arm around
her shoulders and poured the last few
drops of water between her lips. she
caught at his arm to steady herself.
You're sure were headed right 81
she queried.
Certain sure" he returned, pointing
TO the Pole Star. Due north to Dead
Horse Draw and then follow that up to
Crater Tank. Wen make Dead Horse
in an hour now, and the Tank before
sun-up''
High above them an owl fitted by,
loud-winged. A spasm Of fear crossed
the woman's face, and catching her
breath audibly, she frightened her grip
on his arm.
Listen" she whispered. IT thought
-
He patted her shoulder awkwardly.
Steady. lassie,'' he said, s.just a hawk
or something" Then in a changed.
bitter voice he added, s'Oh, they're like
ly to catch us all right before we get
out to the railroad. because we'll have
to lay over awhile at the tank, but they
can't be near up to US YET
you've got the money safe?'
Safe as can be-seyenteen thousand.
Five thousand sheep at three dollars
head all round-that's a fair price this
year. And two thousand extra for
you-to make up for all the hard time
you've had
The woman shivered and moved
YEARLY in the saddle. "AIl the same
she said Il wish you hadn't taken
but the fifteen thousand-just what was
fair. Some way it seems as though
they'd be less like to catch US if we'd
just done that"
He laughed grimly. ~ reckon that
won't make any difference. They'd
have camped on our trail all right
anyway. But if we keep our nerve up
we can get away with it just the same.
Now we've got to hit the dust
Dismounting, he cut piece from his
lariat and tied the woman's feet under
the belly of her horse. Then swinging
stiffly into the saddle, he, took her
bride rein in his right hand. and set
off rapidly through the black,
sprawIing shadows of the yuccas.
Coming to a wide, gravel-strewn
arroyo, they turned up its nearer bank;
and as the man had prophesied, in the
first flush of dawn they caught a sight |
of Crater Tank--a small volcanic cone
not more than fifty yards across, at
the bottom of which, as in basin, had |
collected a little pool of rain water. |
Dropping on their faces, they drank |
deeply, luxuriously, cleansing the dry, |
caked dust from their eyes, and in /
sheer delight at the cool moisture /
pulling up wet. delicious handfuIs of |
the green moss at the brink.
Rising, the man surveyed the scene |
with the narrowed eyes of strategy. /
Above him the upper rim of the era
ter rose forty feet or more. a rough /
crag of broken basalt that sloped /
down on either side to a mere +, low
parapdt. cut away to breast height by
the eroding waters of the annual flood.
wen camp up here he announced,
"if we can make it, Stay here while
1 try"
Five minutes later he came back and,
after unsaddling and hobbling the
horses, disappeared again, burdened
with the saddles, his rife and the re-
filed canteen. Returning, he led the
woman by the hand, up a devious path
among the sharp rocks, to a little shell
tered ledge on the outer side of the !
crag. just under the crest. And then.
while she spread their blankets, he
placed two stones together on the rock
before them, to form a loophole for
his rifle.
They slept heavily, in utter exhaus-
tion. until the full blaze of the noon
day sun fell on the mans face He
rose quickly to his feet and. climbing
to the pinnacle of the cras, peered
carefully about him, but there was
nowhere any sign of pursuit-noWhere
ANYTHING but a limitless waste of rock
and sand and cactus that seemed
to flow away in simmer
ing pillows from under the fiery yio-
lence of the sunnght-a scene painted
nv a mailman, af1ame with light ana
color, empty of meaning.
The man dropped back TO the ledge.
drank heavily from the canteen, ana
then wetting a handkerchief. carefuIly
wiped away the little drops that bead
cd the forehead of the sleeping "o-
man. He paused a moment then. gaz-
ing at her with troubled eyes. 1t was
a face that had been pretty once per-
hans more than that, for the features
we're regular and delicate; yet the SKIN
was tanned 10 dry, leathery brown,
the tousled hair was harsh and lusteT-
loss and the cheeks were sunkeh.
IF they found our trail" he mutter-