Arizona republican., 1911-07-31

Five hours out of Dry Bottom Fer guson struck the Ute trail and was loping his pony through a cottonwood clump that skirted the river. For five hours his mind had dwelt soberly on the circumstance that was sending him to the Two Diamond ranch 10 ac- cept a position as gunighter. He had sought work earnestly. sought for honest work from the Mexican border to the Canadian. and had found none. It was useless to think of the past; his mind must be on the future. AS he rode steadily through the cotton wood certain thoughts moved his lips into ironic curves.
 I'm a gunfighter now he said; ga simOn-pure gunfighter. l wonder what the boys back at the Flyin' l. would think if they knowed?" His face grew serious. "I reckon they'll never know. l ain't goin' to advertise"
 It was not the pony's fault. Neither was it Ferglison's. ThB pony was ex. perienced; behind its Slant eyes was stored a world of horse-wisdom that had pulled him and his rider through many tight places. And Ferguson had ridden horses until he would not have known what to do without one. But the pony stumbled. The cause was prairie-dog hole concealed under clump of matted mesquite. Ferguson pitched head foremost out of the sad dle. turning completely over and alighting on his feet He went dowr immediately, and when he tried tC rise a twinge of pain in his right ankle brought grimace of pain tc his face. He hOpped over 10 a fai rock. near where the pony now stood grazing as though nothing had hap pened.
 Withdrawing his boot, Ferguson made a rapid examination of tho ankle. IL was red and inflamed. but not broken. He believed he could set it swelling. He rubbed if, hoping tC assuage the pain. The woolen sock interfered with this and he drew il off also.
 The pony had moved off; it was grazing at a little distance from the rock upon which he was sitting. He rose. hObbling on one foot towards the animal. the discarded boot in his hand. He thought of riding with the foot bare. At the Two Diamond he might find some sort of linimeni which. with the help of bandage would materially-
 He was passing filmy mesquite clunp-the bare foot swinging wide There was a warning rattle, a sharI thrust of fiat. brown head.
 FergUS6n's face went white. he stared duily and uncomprehendingly at a sinyOus. lOdy that was slipping noS>iessly away through the matted grass.
 Somehow. he had never thought of being bitten by a rattler. He had seen so many of them that he had come to look on them only as targets at which he might shoot when he thought he needed practice. The unreality of it surprised him. He looked around at the silent hills. at the great, vast arch of sky that yawned above him. Hills and sky seemed also unreal in their silence.
 Then he looked down at his foot. A livid. pin-pcint wound showed in the flesh beside the arch. A little stream of blood was ooZing from it. He forgot the pain of the sprained ankle and stood upon both feet. his body rigid. his face red with a sud den. consuming anger, shaking tense fist at the disappearing rattler.
 You damned sneaki" he shouted shrilly. Tn the same instant he had drawn one of the heavy guns and swung it over his head. Its crashing report brought a sudden swishing from beneath the grass, and he hopped over closer and sent three more bullets into the threshing brown body. He stood over it for a moment, his teeth showing in a savage snarl.
 You won't bite anyone else, damn youi" he shouted.
 The impotence of this conduct struck him immediately. He flushed and dropped his head. a grim smile slowly wearing down his expression of panic. The swiftness of the rat tiers attack, the surprise when he had not been thinking of such thing, the fact that his life was in danger, all had a damaging effect upon him. And yet the smile showed that he was still master of himself.
 Very deliberately he returned to the rock upon which he had been sitting, ripping off his coat and tearing away the sleeve of his woolen shirt. Twist ing the sleeve into the form of rude rope. he tied it loosely around his leg. just above the ankle. Then he thrust his knife between the improvised rope and the leg forming a crude tourni- quet He twisted the knife until tears of pain formed in his eyes. Then he fastened it by tucking the haft of the knife under the rope. His movements had been deliberate but swift, and in a very few moments he hobbled to his pony and swung into the saddle.