The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1912-11-22

paddock neck and neck, and the new
day found them at the farther gate.
The noon still poured unbrOken bril-
lance upon that desert world Of sandy
stretches tufted with salt bush and
erratically overgrown with scrub. The
shadow of the gate was as another
gate lying ready to be hung. For
each particular wire in the fence there
was e thin black stripe upon the
ground. The three passed through and
came in quick time upon the edge Of
that scrub in which the crime had been
committed. And here the chief called
a halt.
"The two to nail him must be on
foot" said he. you can creep upon
him on foot as you never could with a
horse, but I will remain mounted in
the road and ride him down If he
shows fight"
So the pair in the pugarees walked
one at either stirrup Of their crooked
chief, leaving the two horses tethered
to a tree, until Of a sudden the whole
party halted as one. They had round
ed a bend in the road with great eau
ton. for they all knew where they
were, but only one of them was pre-
pared for the position of the light
which flashed into their eyes from the
heart Of the scrub.
1t was a tiny light. set low upon the
ground, and yet It flashed through the
forest like a diamond in a bundle OF
hay. 1t burnt at no little distance
from the track, for at a movement it
was lost, but 1t was some hundreds of
yards nearer the station than the
scene Of the murder. The chief whis-
pered that this was where he had
found the buried booty, and over half
the distance he had led the way, wind
ing in and out among the trees, now
throwing a leg across his horses with
erS to avoid a bO!e, anon embracing it's
neck to escape contact with the
branches. 1t was long before they could
discern anything but the light itself
amid the trunks and branches of the
scrub.
Suddenly the horscman stopped,
reckoning with his free hand to the
pair afoot, pointing at the fire with
the one that held the reins, and as they
crept up to him he stopped in the stir
rupS till his mouth was close to the
ser@eants ear.
Hes sitting on the far side Of the
light, but O cant see his face. |
thought he was Il log. and | still be-
lieVe he's asleep. Creep on him like
Gets till he looks up. then rush him
with OH reviewers before he can draw
his. and I'll support YOU with nine"
Nearer and nearer stole Cameron
ami Tylcr. Tho rider managed to coax
a few more noiseless steps from his
clover mount. but dropped the rciNs
and SQUARED his elbows some twenty
PAGES from the liuht-a hurricane lamp
now in the sharpcot focus. The no.
licemcn crawled some yards ahead:
all three carried Il revolver in hand.
But still tho unS;lSprctinC figure sat
molionl"ss. his chin upon his chest.
tie brim Of his WideuWAke hiding his
face, II little heap of 4oId and notes
before him ON the ground. Then the
suporintenlent's horse lung M it's
head: its teeth rnHmped upon the hit:
tho man sat lnl; upright. and the light
of the hurricane lamp fell full upon
the face of IIardcastlc tn" sQuatter.
"Ku>h him. rush him, That's the
man we want"
But TIE morlontary stUpofaction Of
the police had given IIardrastle his
opportunity: the hurricane lamp few
between them, going ont where it fell.
.1
harmlnssly III the remaining patchwork
Of moonShino and shadow.
scot behind trees: shoot low, don't
kill him" shouted the chief from his
saddle. "Now on to him before he