The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-08-31

mounted, ana staggered FORWARD ou
foot leading them stumbling blindly
after. Once the Negroes horse
dropped, and had to be dashed to it's
feet again: once Keith's pony stum'
bled and fell on him, hurting him face
down into the sand, and he would
have died there, lacking sufficient
strength to lift the dead weight, but
for Neb's assistance. AS 1t was he
went staggering blindly forward,
bruised, and faint from hunger and
fatigue.
About them night finally closed in,
black and starless, yet fortunately
with a gradual dying away Of the
storm. For an hour past they had
been struggling on, doubling their d.
rection, wondering duly If the, were
not lost and merely drifting about In
circle. They had debated this
iercely once, the ponies standing de
jectedly, tails to the storm. Neb argu'
ing that the wind still blew from the
SOUTH and Keith contending it had
shifted into the westward. The white
man won his way, and they staggered
on uncertain, the negro grasping the
first pony's tail to keep from being
separated from his companion. Some
| instinct of the plains must have guild
ed them. for at last they dragged
themselves out from the desert, the
crunching sand under foot changing
into rock, and then to short brittle
grass, at which the ponies nibbled Gag
erly. The slope led gradually down
ward, the animals seeming water, and
struggling to break away. Swaying
| in their saddles, the riders let them
go, and they never stopped until belly
deep in the stream, their noses buried
The men shivered in their saddles,
until, at last satisfied, the ponies con-
scented to be forced back up the bank,
where they nibbled at the short tufts
of heritage, but in manner express
sive of WEAKNESS. Keith flung him
self on the ground, every muscle OF
his body aching, his exposed flesh still
smarting rom the hail Of sand.
He had not the slightest conception
as to where they were, except ne
knew this must be the Salt Fork, Ut
terly confused by the maze Of shifting
dunes, through whose intricacies they
had somehow found passage, the black
ness of the night yielded no clue MI to
their point of emergence. The vol
ume of water in the stream alone
suggested that in their wander'ngs
they must have drifted to the east
ward, and come out much lower down
than had been originally intended. II
so, then they might be almost directly
south of Carson City, and in section
with which he was totally unacqualnt'
ed. One thing was, however, certain
they would be compelled to wait for
daylight to ascertain the truth. srnd
decide upon their future movements.
Keith arose reluctantly. and remov7
ed the saddles from the animals, hob
bling them so they could Craze ut
will. Neb was propped up beneath an
out-cropping of the bank, which partly
protected him from the wind, mere
hulk of a shadow. Keith could not
tell whether he slept or not, but made
| no effort to disturb him. A moment
he stared vacantly about into the
black silence. and then lay down, Pill
lowing his head upon saddle. He
found it impossible to sleep, the chill
of the wind causing him to turn and
twist, In vain search after comfort
while unappeased hunger gnawed IN
cessantly. His eyes ranged about ovel
the dull gloom of the skies until they
fell again to the earth level, and the1
he suddenly sat up, half believing him
self in a dream-down the stream, how
far away he could not Judge, ther'
: cleaned a steady, yellowish light.
a was no flicker of camp fire, yet re
O NAMED stationary. Surely no sta
It could be so low aud large; nor did h
>. recall any with that popularity Q
s color If such a miracle was posslbl
s in the heart of that sandy desert h
g would have sworn it was a lamp shin
@ ing through a window. But he ha
}. never heard of any settler on the Sal
II Fork, and almost laughed at tn
g thought, believing for the instant nj
Al brain played him some elfish trlcl
10 Yet that light was no illusion; he ru'
s. bed his eyes, only to see it more clea
"a ly, convinced now of it's reality. II
n strobe hastily across, and shook Ne
e. into semi.consciousness, dragging hi
Id bodily up the bank and pointing dow
ID the stream.
ID do you see that?" he inquired an
iously. :'Tnere, straight ahead {
ID you?"
re The negro slsred, shaking with col
N and scarce,7 able to stand alone.
lg Maybe IL am de moon, Massa Jack
" he muttered, thickly, "or a goblin
le lantern. Lawd, don't j""' like
I'd looks OBJ dat ting"
Of well, do" and Keith laughed II
m easily at the Negroes fears. IAN
It. wanted to- know was If you saw VIII
at saw. That's lamp shining throus
- window, Neb. What in heaven
y. aame it can be doing here ! am u
IS able to guess. but I'm going to find OF
ey 1t means shelter and food, boy, even
e.