The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1913-09-25

| and cooked his rifle. The hound com
ing down did not bay; it was as tn
the brute knew more than the human
being it led-that death lay in wal
for them. No, it did not bay; blu
it whimpered as it showed its clums,
legs back against the pebbles anc
tried to drag the cautious man hold
ing the leash down to the water.
This was no posse of marshal
Leary's; these were as stern fighter!
as the outlaw and as utterly fearless
or they would never have come upor
him in that way. They knew the man
They knew that one of their number
must infallibly draw the first desper-
ate shot before they could riddle the
bushes and free the world of slayer
There were dozen of them at least
and his sharp eyes made out several
who carried sawed-off riot guns. Yet
he would fire once; and then their
buckshot would scatter his flesh and
blood in the willows like warm red
ochre. At this untimely moment as
he stood, hard bitten rough parable
of resolution, and saw the figures of
the men in silhouette, his latest ac-
QUESTION sang through his brain,
along with the fever of his blood:
"Thou shalt not kill"
"That's a fool commandment" he
grumbled to himself, the sights ting
ed with sunlight against the body of
the nearest horseman.
The troops began to pass over the
ford, still with that eager vigilance
on all about them. Two faces looked
at Steve from within himself some
where. The muzzle of his rifle shifted
to the bloodhound floundering across
the stream.
"a fool commandment, Jack-but
I'll give it try"
The sharp report crashed out, and
the dog turned over on its side in
gush of bloody bubbles. Steve did
not see it there, for he had flung him
self on his face, and by the miracle of
the smokeless powder he had used the
fire breadth of the buckshot thun-
dered over him. The men shouted as
they plunged toward the spot, empty
ing their magazines. The cliffs ech-
oed, harshly sonorous, and the posse
do cbad i,to tba 1aafIace e,uo+L +ba,r
murderous fire had scared. The smoke
waited against their faces in acrid
clouds. They tore up and down and
around, their horses breast high in
the willows and found-nothing
"He's the devil himself" frothed
Durly OK of a man with face like
some beast of prey, raving to and fro
IN a white horse and disappearing.
Five thousand dollars Damn the
lack soul of him!"
The gray dawn dissolved the but
resses and walls of the ancient Cliff
Palace in a film of soft light; and
he outlaw crawled painfully to the
dge of crumbling, precipitous wall
nd gazed over. 1t was 500 feet and
more straight down upon the wooded
anyon with the frowning, perpendic-
lar sides. They were there, the enc
ny, and they would be looking for
i'm again soon. For they did not be-
leve in vanishing spirits, that hard
yed gang who hunted down a man
or gold.
His mind went back to the wild
i've minutes of time he had crawled
long on his belly beneath the plung-
ng hoofs of horses and felt the seethe
nd rush of lead all about his body.
hat fiery storm had nicked tatters
rom his clothing and he was bleeding
rom a score of scratches; but by a
MIRACLE he had emerged from the bap-
ism of fire and maelstrom of iron
lad hoofs practically unhurt. Be
ides the scar of bullets, his knees
nd hands were surfaces of raw flesh
which left their traces on the rocks.
splendid trail, surely, for the
oundS theu wauld h,.ixaoe IN fro,,, II