The Springdale news., 1909-04-09
CHAPTER NNIL

O ness that always characterized II his mental apprehension, had understood enough of my stran- gled cry He had not hesitated nor de layed for an explanation. but had turn cd track and was now running as fast as his long legs would carry him back toward the opening of the rasine. My companions stood watching him. hut making no attempt either 10 shoot or to follow For moment 1 could not understand this. then remembered the disappearance of Perdosa. Ny heart jumped wildly, for the Mexican had been gone quite long enough to have cut off the assistants escape. ] could not doubt that he would pick off his man Tt close range as soon its the flu gitiye should have reached the en- trance to the arroyo.
 There can be no question that he would have done so had not his MeXi- can impatience betrayed him. He shot too soon. Percy Darrow stopped in his tracks Although We heard the but. let sing by Us. for an instant We thought he was hit. Then Perdosa fired T second time again without re suit. Darrow turned sharp 10 the left and began desperately to scale the steep cliffs.
 l once took part in a wild boar hunt on the coast of California Our dogs had penned small band 1t the head of a narrow barranca. from which a single steep trail led over the hill We, perched on another hill some 300 or 4oo yards away, shot at the animals as they toiled up the trail. The range was long but We had time. for the severity of the climb forced the boars to foot pace.
 It WAS exactly like that. Percy Oar. TOW had 200 feet of ascent to make. He could go just SD fast; must con- sume just so much time in his snail like progress up the face of the hill During that time he furnished an ex- eeilent target, and the loose sandstone showed where each shot struck.
 \ significant indication was that the men did not take the trouble 10 get nearer. for which maneuver they would have had time ill plenty, but distributed themselves leisurely for shooting match.
 First shot" claimed Handy Solo mon, and without delay fired offhand. A pun of dust showed to the right. Nerve no good he commented. "Jerked her just as ] pulled
 Pulz fired from the knee. The dust this time puffed below
 Thought shed carry tip that dis tance," he muttered.
 The nigger too. missed. aud Thrac- kles erinned triumphantly.
 II get show. said he.
 He spread his massive legs apart, drew a deep breath and raised his weapon. It lay i'll his grasp steady as log. and l saw that Percy Oar rows fate was in the hands of that dangerous class of natural marksman that possesses no nerves. But for the second time my teeth saved his life. The trigger guard slipped against Thrackles' lacerated hand almost at the instant of discharge. He missed, and the bullet went wide
 Darrow had climbed a matter of twenty feet.
 Now, the seamen distributed them selves for more leisurely and accurate marksmanship. Handy Solomon lay flat on his stomach. resting the rife muzzle across the top of a sand dune Pulz sat down, an elbow on either knee for the greater steadiness. The nigger knelt, but Thrackles remained on his feet No rest could be steadier than the stonelike rigidity of his thick arms
 The firing now became miscellane- ous. No one paid any attention to any one else. Each discovered what l could have told them. that even the human figure at 500 yards is small mark for strange rife. The constant correction of elevation, however, brought the puffs of dust always clos