The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1913-08-14
warm N their veins they would keel

Carrolls horse stumbled and rolled,
catching the numbed trooper under
his weight. The Jerk on the lariat
flung Wade out Of the saddle, dangling
head downward. With sti:rened An
gers. scarcely 'comprehending what
they were about, the Sergeant and
WATSON came to the rescue, helped
the frightened horse struggle to his
feet, and, totally blinded by the. fury
OF the storm which now beat fairly in
their eyes, grasped the dangling
body. swaylng back and forth as the
startled animal plunged In terror. 1t
was a corpse they gripped, already
stiff with cold, the eyes wide-open and
staring. Carroll, bruised and limping.
came to their help, grooming with
| pain. and the three men together man.
aged to lift the dead weight to the
horses back and to bind 1t safely
with the turn Of rope. Then, breath
less from exhaustion. crouching be.
hind the animals, punched helplessly
together, the howl Of the wind like
the scream of lost. souls, the three
men looked into each others faces.
Il reckon Jim died without ever
KNOWN it," said the sc,ut, breaking
again the film of ice over his eyes, and
thrashing his arms. II alters heard
, tell it was an easy way q goin'. Looks
to me he was better off than we are
Just now. Hurt much. Carroll?"
"Crunched my leg mighty bad;
can't bear no weight on it. Twas
darn near froze stiff before; thet's
, why 1 couldn't get out O. the way
quick"
"sure; we'll, yen have ter ride, then,
we'N take the blanket of Jim; he
won't need it no more. Brick an l
kin hoof it yet awhile-hey, Brick 2
/ Hamlin lifted his head from the
shelter of his horses name.
II reckon l can make my feet
move" he asserted doubtfully, but
> they don't feel as though there was
any life left in them" He stamped
on the snow. "How long do these biz
yards generally last, Sam?"
"Blow themselves out in about three
days"
"Three days? God! We can never
. live 1t out here.
! His eyes ranged over the dim out
= = line of Wade stretched across tho
= saddle, powdered with snow, rested al
. instant upon Carroll. who had sunl
. back upon the ground, nursing his IN
: jured limb, and then sought the face
:. of WATSON.
- what the hell can we do?"
= Go on thet's all OF It; go on til
we drop lad. Come, Brick my boy,
:. and the scout gripped the Sergeant
- shoulder, you're not the kind to Ii
= down. We've been in worse boxe
- than this and pulled out. It's up t.
~ you and me to make good. Let
% crunch some bareback and go or
- afore the whole three Of us freez
- stiff"
. The Sergeant thrust out his hant
"That Isn't what's taken the nerv
. out of me, Sam" he said soberly. ut
thinking Of the girl out in all thi
| with those devils"
| Likely as not she amt" returne
| the other, tramping the snow undo
| his feet i've been thinlsin' bout thu
4
! hours the start O. us, didn't they?"
Hamlin nodded.
well, then, they couldn't ben f.
from the Cimarron when the stor
come. They'd be safe enough und'
the bluffs; have wood fer fire, al
lay thar mighty comfortable. That
whar them bucks are, all right. VIII
damn it, man, we've got to G
through. 'Tain't just our fool liv
that's at stake. Brace up!"
"iow far have we Gomez"
"a good ten miles, an the compa
has KEEP us straight"
They drew in closer together, al
munched hard cracker apiece, OCT
sionally exchanging muttered wo
or two. thrashing their limbs abo
to keep up circulation. and dampeni
e. their lips with snow. They we're b
In dim, spectral shapes in the darkne
o,r the air filled with crystal pelle
1th sweps about by merciless wind,
in horses standing tails to the storm a
va heads dropping. In spite of the liz
,ba refraction Of the snow the eyes col
,ad scarcely see two yards away throu
,ad the smother. Above, about, the cea
tho less wind howled, it's icy breath CHI
am. ing to the bone. Carroll clambal
yon stiffly into his saddle, crying 4
swearing from weakness and pa
The others, stumbling about In
7tlS deep snow, which had drifted arc,
INN them during the brief halt, strip
ing the blanket from Wade's dead DO
"h' and tucked it in about Carroll as b
=, 90, q they could.
neu Now keep kicking and thrash
lke1 about, George ordered the Serge
ger sternly. For Gods sake, don't
oVe to sleep, or you'll be where Jim
ase- Wen haul you out Of this, old N
'ney Sam, you take the rear, and hit
o. roll whack ever..' few minutes;
'sou break trail Forward! now"
ping (TO BE CONTINy1ED)
ees.
)ped Deiicacy on the Bench.