The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1911-08-17

AVN piuh " OiuA "AIiOut tLOuSht
except for its wild beauty. Then he
perceived something which instantly
startled him into attention-yonder.
close beside the river. just beyond
that ragged bunch Of cottonwoods.
slender spirals of blue smoke were
visible. That would hardly be camp
OF freighters at this hour Of the day.
and besides. the Santa Fee trail along
here ran close in against the blum.
coming down to the river at the ford
two miles further west. No party OF
plainsmen would ever venture to build
a fire in so exposed spot. and no
small company would take the
chances of the trail. But surely that
appeared to be the flap of a canvas
wagon top little to the right of the
smoke. yet all was SO far away he
could not be certain. He stared In
that direction long while, shading
his eyes with both hands. unable to
decide. There were three or four NOV
Ing black dots higher up the river. but
SO far away he could not distinguish
whether men or animals. Only as out
lined against the yellow sand dunes
could he tell they were advancing
westward toward the ford.
Decidedly puzzled by all this. yet
determined to solve the mystery and
unwilling to remain hidden there I'M
til night. Keith led his horse along the
slant of the ridge. until he attained
sharp break through the bluff leading
down into the valley. 1t was rug
ged cash, nearly impossible. but a
half hour of toll won them the lower
prairie, the winding path preventing
the slightest view of what might be
meanwhile transpiring below. Once
safely out in the valley the river could
no longer be seen. while barely q
hundred yards away, winding along
like great serpent. ran the deeply
rutted trail to Santa Fee. In neither
direction appeared any sign Of human
life. AS near as he could determine
from those distant cottonwoods out
lined against the sky. for the smoke
spirals were too thin by then to be OBJ
served the spot sought must be con-
siderably to the right Of where he had
emerged. With this idea in mind he
advanced cautiously, his every sense
alert searching anxiously for fresh
signs of passage or evidence of
wagon train having deserted the beat
en- track, and turned south. The trail
itself. dustless and packed hard. re-
vealed nothing, but some five hundred
yards beyond the ravine he discovered
what he sought-here two wagons had
turned sharply to the left, their
wheels cutting deeply enough into the
prairie sod to show them heavily
laden. With the experience Of the
border he was able to determine that
these wagons were drawn by mules.
two span of each. their small hoofs
clearly defined on the turf. and that
they were being driven rapidly. on
sharp trot as they turned, and then.
a hundred feet further, at slashing
gallop. Just outside their trail ap-
peared the marks of a galloping horse.
A few rods farther along Keith came
to a confused blur of pony tracks
sweeping in from the east. and the
whole story of the chase was revealed
as though he had witnessed it with his
own eyes. They must have been
crazy, or else impelled by some grave
necessity to venture along this trail
| in SO small a party. And they were
travelling west-west! Keith drew a
deep breath, and swore to himself.
"Of all the blame fools!"
He perceived the picture in all its
grewsomes details-the two mule
drawn wagons moving slowly along
the trail in the early morning; the
band of hostile Indians suddenly
swooping out from some obscure hid
ing place in the bluffs; the discovery
OF their presence; the desperate effort
at escape; the swerving from the
open trail in vain hope of reaching
the river and finding protection I'M
derneath its banks; the frightened
mules galloping wildly. dashed into
frenzy by the man on horseback; the
pounding of the ponies hoofs. pune.
tuated by the exultant yells of the
pursuers. Again he swore:
"Of all the blame fools!''