The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-08-01

skulk by under cover of q hedge, whom
Solano suddenly halted.
I'VE need something-at least, I
think we'll need It awfully soon," ex-
claimed the Cuban, land I think We
can get 1t at this house. Come right
along-no time to lose, but this Is
something we've really got to have"
A pleasant-faced old lady answered
Solano's knock. and the Cuban, with
the utmost politeness, a~pologized for
the intrusion. I'VE would not have
disturbed you," he continued, but for
the fact that We are quite a ways from
q store, and We really must have
some pepper. Could you favor US with
a little pepper-red. II possible? We
are camping out on the river-bank,
and pepper is one of the things you
simply can't do without when you are
cooking in the woods"
The old lady, beaming upon tho
g~ood-looking, gentlemanly youngsters,
fastened to present them with a lib
eral quantity Of fiery cayenne, and
then urged them to sit down and rest
awhile. With polite excuses Solano
explained The necessity of a quick re-
turn to the imaginary camp, and they
trotted of, Solano exultant, Brockett
deeply mystifed.
What on earth Is the pepper for,
Ramona" he demanded.
Dogs" replied Solano. "If I know
anything about these people they'll
have hounds on our track at any mo-
ment. Long ago, when Cuban slaves
hid in the canebrake, they used to
stop the hounds with a little pepper,
used at the right time and place, and
the stories l had heard came back to
me-"
And even as the Cuban spoke the
howl of a hound came down the wind
then another, and then the chorus
of a pack!
The events of the next few hours
seemed like some sort Of a weird,
wildly mingled dream. Brockett and
Solano found a stretch of rocky ground
near the river bank, and ran briskly
OF this for several minutes. Then,
descending to the waters edge, they
skirted the river a little ways, while
the noise of the pack grew m
tarily nearer and stronger. They
came to a little creek, running at right
angles to the river, and crossed 1t,
wading knee-deep in the brown water.
Then they struck off into the woods.
At the very edge OF the jungle was a
big boulder, a relic of some glacial
slide OF centuries ago. They climbed
this rock, and took a long jump from
its summit, after carefully spreading
pepper all over the fiat top of the
stone. The deep footprints made as
they landed from their leap were
%sprinkled with cayenne. Cayenne cov-
cred their tracks into the woods for
the next half mile, and when they
leaped a slender stream they peppered
the spoor on each side of the water.
Then they raced on, tired almost to
the dropping point, staggering, STUN
bling now and then, but keeping their
nerve and spirit undiminished. At
last a railroad cut appeared before
them. They crossed it, climbed the
bank on the farther side and burrowed
in a tangle of long, dry grass and
weeds. There they lay, gasping and
putting, while their lungs seemed
bursting through their ribs. And from
the dim distance, borne upon the
breeze, came family the bowls of
hounds in bitter agony, and the shouts
of bafled men in fruitless rage
That seems to have worked pretty
WELL" grimly commented Solano.
THAT particular pack Of dogs won't
be in shape to trail anybody for a
week to come. If they want to fol-
low US with hounds, they'll have to
send back for another batch, and by
the time they arrive we can be some
distance on our way. If they try to
track us without dogs, we have a