The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-07-20


have been borne away prisoners.
Confident that no bostiles would be
left behind to observe his movements,
Keith pressed steadily forward, lead
ing his horse. He had thus traversed
fully half mile before coming upon
any evidence OF fght--here the pur-
suers had apparently come up with
the wagons, and circied out upon
either side. From their ponies tracks
there must have been dozen In the
band, Perhaps a hundred yards furth.
er along lay two dead ponies. Keith
examined them closely-both had
been ridden with saddles, the marks
of the cinches plainly visible. Evil
IDENTIFY one OF the wagon mules had
also dropped in the traces here, and
had been dragged along by his mates.
Just beyond came sudden depression
in the prairie down which the wagons
had plunged 80 heavily as to break
one OF the axles; the wheel lay a few
yards away, and, somewhat to the
right. there lay the wreck of the wag-
on itself, two dead mules still in the
traces. the vehicle stripped of con-
tents and charred by fire. A hundred
feet further along was the other
wagon. its tongue broken, the canvas
top ripped open. while between the
two were scattered odds and ends OF
wearing apparel and provisions, with
pile OF boxes smoking grimly. The
remaining mules were gone, and no
semblance of life remained anywhere.
Keith dropped his reins over his
horses head. and, with Winchester
cooked and ready. advanced eau.
tiously.
Death from violence had long since
become almost commonplace occur
renee to Keith, yet now he shrank for
an instant as his eyes perceived the
figure OF man lying motionless
across the broken wagon tongue. The
grizzled hair and beard were streaked
with blood, the face almost unrecog-
nizable. while the hands yet grasped
bent and shattered rife. Evidently
the man had died fighting. beaten
down by overwhelming numbers after
expanding his last shot Then those
fiends had scalped and left him where
he fell. Fifty feet beyond. shot in
the back, lay younger man, doubled
UP In heap, also scalped and dead.
That was all: Keith secuted over a
wide circle, even scanning the stretch
Of gravel under the river bank, before
he could fully satisfy himself there
were no others in the party II seem
ed impossible that these two travelling
alone would have ventured upon such
trip in the face of known Indian
hostility Yet they must have done
SO, and once again his lips muttered
"Of all the blame fools!"
Suddenly he halted. staring about
over the prairie. obsessed by new
thought, an aroused suspicion There
had appeared merely the footprints
of the one horse alongside OF the flee
ing wagons when they first turned
out from the trail, and that horse hat
+ been newly shod. But there were two
dead ponies lying back yonder; Meth
err shod, yet both had borne saddles
, More than this, they had been spur
red, the blood marks still plainly Wis
ible, and one of them was branded
! he remembered II now, a star and ar
row. What could all this portend
Was IL possible this attack was M
Indian affair after all? Was the dis
figuring of bodies. the scalping, mere
savages? Driven to investigation b.
this suspicion. he passed again owe
the trampled ground. marking thi
time every separate indentation, ev
cry faintest imprint of hoof or foot
There was no impression Of mecca
III sin anywhere: every mark remaining
was of booted feet. The inference
was sufficiently plaintiffs had beel
the deed of white men, not OF red; fou
murder, and not savage war.
II The knowledge seemed to sea
Keith's brain with fire. and he spran
to his feet, hands clinched and eye
blazing. He could have believed thi
| OF Indians, ii was according to thei
nature, their method of warfare; bu
the cowardliness of It, the atrocity o
the act, as perpetrated by men of hi
own race, instantly aroused With
him desire for vengeance II
wanted to run the fellows down, :
discover their identity. Withou
thinking of personal danger he ra
forward on their trail. which led d
rectly westward, along the line @
cottonwoods. These served to col
ceal his own movements, yet for tn
moment, burning with passion, h
Il was utterly without caution, withou
slightest sense of peril. He mus
know who was guilty Of such crime
he felt capable Of killing them even q
no would venemous snakes. II was
perfectly plain trail to follow, for tn
fugitives. apparently convinced {
safety. and confident their coward