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

1
men creeping TO left and right around
the rim of the crater were driven
back by two shots fired in such close
| succession that their echoes merged;
an attempt to retreat back into the
desert was likewise frustrated. And
before the last reflected glow of the
sunset had quite faded away, the
moon rose over the desert like a
wateEul eye, scintillant, searching,
| immutahle. 81
The night passed on. slow-footed.
| Once the cattlemen tried the vigilance
| of their captor by second attempt
| to creep upon him around the rim of
/ the crater; once, conceiving the fan
/ tastic idea of dropping a bullet upon
! him by holding their rifles mortar
| wise, they woke the echoes of the hills
/ by brief and utterly Intellectual bonn
/ bardment; and once, too, a solitary
| cloud. drifting slowly across the sky,
| threatened .for a little time to veil the
moon, but after an hour of aching
! suspense, by what seemed no more
than a handsbreadth, it passed to one
side. At daybreak the game was yet
unfinished.
already the cruel heat of the sun lay
like a blown flame against the black
| rocks of the crater, that a strange,
raucous voice. like that of one sitting.
burst forth in a confused babble of
invectiye.
''Ah, damn you! damn you!" the
voice cried. rising in a fury of anger.
Whats the good of keeping up a
play like this? / wouldn't turn such
a trick on a dog--no-no-not on a
dog!"
The man above moved his rifle
slightly. mo, nor would L." he re-
turned calmly. Because a dog
wouldn't ever have played SUCH a
game with me. Oh, you're suffering
now, Amt you?'' he pursued, with
growing passion. but what do you
think I suffered all the years that you
men had the upper hand of me? When,
because there was dozen of you and
only one of me. you tried to shut me
off from all the water-holes? When
you tried to run me off the range that
was as much mine as it was yours Z?
When I didn't dare leave my well
alone for fear you'd poison it, nor my
house fer fear of what would happen
there?"
"Ah-you suffer now And you've |
camped on my trail because you think |
it was me that blew open the safe of |
your bank and got away with little
of your money? What if I did? Who
was it that came in the night and |
drove my five thousand sheep over the
cliff into Deep Creek Canon? That |
took from me all I had in the world
that I'd worked for all my life? What I
do you think I suffered then, and my
wife that's stood by me through it ALP
Tell me that, will you, tell me that"
For a moment no one answered him,
and there was no sound except an echo
from across the crater and the shriIl,
insensate piping of a little sand-plover
that ran back and forth along the edge
of the pool. Then the raucous voice
from below spoke again:
Yes, yes, I know all about that,
Howard. But what's the use of GO
ing over it now? And what's the use
of killing each other off like this?
What is it you're trying to do?'t
Trying 90 do? Just what you said
you'd do to me-starve you out, only
for water. When you're ready to sign
a paper giving me that money you lost
from your bank in payment for my
sheep that you killed, then you can
put your hands up and come out and
I'll let you get to the water Sabe?
2"
''Yes-we savvy. But we amt all in
yet, and we reckon we can stand it
as long as you can. Go on with your
Once again stiffness resumed domin-
ion of the desert. From time to time
now the woman relieved her husband
at his post that he might for a mo-
nent rest his streaming eyes from the
olinding strain. They drank the last
IF the water in their canteen and ate
he last of their food. In the crater
below the waiting coyote fell to trot-
ing uneasily up and down. panting1
open-mouthed, now and then stopping
% lap the water, or by a faint and
whine giving voice to his
mpatience. Over all the sun rose
nigh, an implacabIe vampire whose g
,linging lips sucked the moisture from
heir bodies insatiably.
Noon Commemorative o'clock, that
moment of the SUMS uttermost vio-
ence. And like a sudden blow upon /
he calm face of the silence, frenzied,
oeast-lfke scream echoed across the
,rater, and from behind the lower rock
| man plunged out into the desert,
at his throat, and, with the /
'pasnodic movement of a mailman, 4
caring off his clothing.
The man above leaned closer over
lis rifle. but did not fire Slime BIRTHS
gone loco" he observed And then,
They've hauled him back-guess
hey're tying him-ah!'
With hands appraised above their
reads the two others had stumbled out
rom behind their breastworks. and S
With dry. horrible mouthings announc-
d their capitulation.
Not for an instant shifting his eyes
rom the gun barrel. the man above
'ade them halt, then waited while at
lis direction the woman scrambled
Town and brought back the arms and
artridges of all three. Searching out S
pencil and a bit of paper in which
Office has been wrapped. she then