The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-09-08

AAtci' OuCo tuo ueSTOb uOISv
dropped. and had to be dashed to its
feet again; once Keith's pony STUN
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. AZ It 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 II they were
not lost and merely drifting about In
a circle. They had debated this
fercely once. the ponies standing de-
jectedly. tails to the storm, Neb Argyll
ing that the wind still blew from the
south, and Keith %contending II 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 hen 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. Swaytng
in their saddles, the riders let them
so, 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 q ANN express
sive Of WEAKNESS. Keith hung him.
self on the ground. every muscle OF
his body aching. his exposed flesh still
smarting from the hail Of sand.
He had not the slightest conception
as to where they were. except he
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 ne clue as tt
their point Of emergence. The vol
ume Of water in the stream alone
suggested that in their wandering
they must have drifted to the eaat
ward, and come out much lower dowr
than had been originally intended. Il
SO, then they might be almost directly
south Of Carson City. and in a sector
with which he was totally u~nacquaint
ed. One thing was. however, certaiI
they would be compelled to wait fol
daylight to ascertain the truth. ant
decide upon their future movements
Keith arose reluctantly. and remov
ed the saddles from the animals. hob
bling them SO they could Craze a
will. Neb was propped up beneath al
out-cropping Of the bank. which partl!
protected him from the wind. a mer'
hulk Of a shadow. Keith could no
tell whether he slept or not. but mad
no effort to disturb him. A momen
he stared vacantly about into tn
black silence, and then lay down. pi
lowing his head upon q saddle. H
found 1t impossible to sleep, the chi
Of the wind causing him to turn an
twist, In vain search after comfort
while ~unappeased hunger gnawed II
cessantly. His eyes ranged about owe
the dull gloom of the skies until the
fell again to the earth level. and the
he suddenly sat up, half believing him
self in q dream-down the stream, HOY
far away he could not Judge. Their
r. cleaned a steady, yellowish light
a was no flicker of a camp fire, yet r.
o NAMED stationary. Surely no sta
It could be so low and large; nor did h
recall n with that popularity c
IS color. II such a miracle was possibl
IS in the heart of that sandy desert b
would have sworn 1t was a lamp shir
lie ing through a window. But he ha
O. never heard Of any settler on the Sal
Fork, and almost laughed at tn
thought, believing for the instant hi
brain played him some el1sh tricl
Yet that light was no Illusion; he rul
s. bed his eyes, only to see it more clea'
ly, convinced now of its reality. H
n strobe hastily across, and shook Ne
e. into semi-consciousness. dragging hill
a bodily up the bank and pointing dow
q the stream.
ID DO you see that" he inquired an
iously. There. straight ahead {
ID your"
re The negro stared. shaking with coli
II nd scarcely able to stand alone.
IS Maybe 1t am de moon, Massa Jack
IT, . muttered, thickly, "or a goblin
intern. Lawd, I don't Jest like d
91.,s OBJ dat ting"
OF Well. I do" and Keith laughed III
m easily at the negro's fears. All
It. wanted to know was II you saw whs
| raw. That's a lamp shining throug
- a window, Neb. What In heaven
v name It can be doing here l am Vi
s. able to guess, but I'm going to find GU
~ 1t means shelter and food, boy. even
d. we have to fight Tor It. Come on. tn
Il. horses are safe. and we'll discovs
what is behind that light yonder."
a.. CrO BE CONTINUED
10 OvarppIifopocc 60 tho curast india