The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-02-21

wide and the woods came down
thick to the trail. We reckoned
1t would be no kind of healthy
place for us around daylight; so,
the first grayness just then sift-
ing down among the trees, we quit
the trail.
Along toward the middle of
the afternoon we caught a queer
kind of noise. We made it out,
at last, to be woman's voice cry
ing and moaning. / said I'd go
and kind of prospect around and
bring back word what was the
matter; but Badly and Antonio
allowed they'd go along too.
I'VE didn't have to go far
before we saw what 1t was. There
at the bend of the trail, tied to a
tree, was a girl with long coal
black hair all down her face to
her knees. And in front of her,
where she could see 1t plain, but
couldn't any way get at 1t, was a
jar of water keeping nice and cool
in the shade. 1t struck us-we
being thirsty ourselves just them
AS a mighty simple but ingeni
Gus kind of torture.
Well whispered I, L reckon
we've got to see what can be done
for that kid Antonio's eyes
showed their whites at me with
leer of misunderstanding and ap-
proval; but Badly protested.
What for. Martini he de-
manded.
You haven't got much sense,
Badly, have you? Can't you see
this is our big chance? Well make
her show us the way
Il slipped out of the brush
with my knife in my hand. The
girl gave cry of terror as she
saw me coming. Then her face
lighted up with hope.
Don't be frightened, we
won't hurt you any, says | in
Spanish as | cut the leather
thongs that dashed her to the
tree.
"She didn't seem to understand
Spanish. but began to thank me
kind of wild like in an Injun lingo
which I'd picked up down on the
coast; and she tried to kiss my
hands. The moment I'd freed her
little feet she grabbed my arm
and fairly dragged me into the
brush.
We must get away quick,
she whispered, all shaking with
terrible excitement. But when we
came to Badly and Antonio she
looked scared and slipped behind
my arm.
They're friends says l to
her. This satisfied her.
+" Come on, then, come quick!'
she painted, and started to drag
me away as If to get me out of
the canon, but I wouldn't stir.
" MOI says /. Not that way,
yet. We have come to get the
gold. I've saved you. Well fight
for you, but you must show us
how to get the gold
"She seemed terribly frightened
at this and fell on her knees and
begged me to take her away at
once or we'd all be killed. She
make kind of signs to show us
that we'd be tortured and she
poured out such a string of stuff
about the Injuns have just MUIR
dered her mother, and having
condemned her to death for
kind of witch - and about how
shed tell us all about the gold, by
and by, so as we could come back
with a lot of soldiers and get it,
and all such crazy childish stuff.
Badly and Antonio, not under
standing her lingo, got impatient
and Badly began to grumble some
thing ugly. But says I, shut
up, Badly. Who's running this
show?' Then, says / to the girl,
In her own gibberish: No, my
girl, that won't go. We're after
that gold; we've helped you and
will stand by you, and you must
help us. No more talk. Will you
or won't you?'
well, at that time, she got up,
kind of proud and straight; and
then her eyes began to blaze, and
she said that maybe, with her to
guide us, Snd being brave men as
we we're, we might, perhaps, man
age 1t. With that she fell to NUT
tering to herself about revenge,
and seemed to forget all about
how scared she'd been two min
utes before.
Next minute she lifted her
head and listened sharp, though
we couldn't hear anything, then
quick as lightning she turned.
Her plan was this: She was to
lead us along the face of the cliff
by a ledge she knew, till we came
to the place where the ladder was
kept. With this we'd mount from
ledge to ledge, pulling the ladder
Iup after US. In the cave at the
ltop-it was not the mine, she said,
but the tribes treasure chamber
= there was always a guardian
sleeping. He was kind OF a
Elupatic, she said, and regarded by
the tribe as very terrible, and
sacred, and under the protection
of the gods; so that no Injuns
would ever dare to interfere with
him, lest his curse should blast
them. But she was not an .Injun,
she declared, with her chin in the
air! She did not fear him. Fur
Ithsrmore, she reckoned 1t was he
thu had marked her, and her