Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-10-23
FATAL WATER-HOLE
To Track and Kill the Hunted
One Must Have Great
Endurance.
BY L. X. DEvENDoRF.

Suol Ut udWH SHeTOhee TuDUeu stus
circulation back into his leather,
face, shlvered bit, and looked dowr
across the rock-strewn dip. Ou
across the wavy haze-purple ant
undulating-that hung over the sand
covered earth like the enshroudinl
gauze OF dancer, he knew the water
hole lay.
For days he had kept to the painted
tower-like buttes. Scanning every
nook and Granny among the rocks
silent; and stalking the sun-peoplet
crevices; creeping up to the overhang
ing boulders and peering down below
to the thin yellow ribbon OF trail
that seemed to squirm in and Out
among the dull heaps of drift.
He had watched, as mother
watches for the fever to turn in the
flrst-born, for the thin blue spiral oi
smoke climbing skyward, to mark the
location Of Mitchell's campfire. II,
had watched and looked at shadows
that melted into nothing until his
eyes seemed dry.
When he winked the lids appeared
to be coated with sandpaper, that
scratched and burned his eyeballs like
the back-fire from loose breech-block
But Mitchell was covering" well;
there was no smoke-no telltale. Still
he knew that somewhere in this great
cradle of rocks, snugly tucked In, lay
his game-knew, too, that sooner OF
later Mitchell must make for the
water-hole.
Today was the day he had figured
that he would break cover"
Several times he had foun,. the un
mistakable signs of another'S pres
ence. Cleverly concealed, in fact hid
den entirely to less skillfIl observer
than he. but nevertheless signs"
Once he had found the burnt ticks
and ashes of his flre-found them be
cause the sand by which they were
covered was OF a lighter hue than
that next to the little circle under
which they lay. The fire had burnt
out the color. Then, farther on and
In line with the water-hole, his pony
had pulled of some OF the leaves OF
a crub-oak-plain, and speaking to
Cherokee like the pages Of book
plain because OF the inherited intui
tion from Cherokee mother. and
they all told him that he was coming
up with the game.
All he wanted was a glimpse OF
him; just sight at him along the
blue octagon barrel.
He "hobbled" the pony and left her
In a sand-pocket.
Down across the slope he crawled
and out into the gray sand; into the
opalescent half.light; out to the fringe
around the water-hole-to lie perhaps
for hours In the suffocating sun rack
{ He cautiously looked over the
'tumbling sand rim OF the little crater
but no living thing was within III
basin. He quickly slipped down the
side. Flat upon his stomach he la,
and drank. When he had finished h,
filled his canteen and climbed back tc
the rim. Here he dug a trench In tn,
sand and mounded II up In front o.
him. leaving low place through
which he poked the muzzle OF hi
gun.
[ Now, II was to walt.
Back OF him lay the desert, out o
which. burning its way through tn
amethyst haze. came the sun. and h
shrank farther into the sand.pit a
he thought OF what he was to suffei
In front lay the tumble OF rock
and scrub from which he had come
and from which Mitchell was to 70
bow. Unless, perhaps, he had misca
culated-or that II was not Mitche
In The Chimneys." and he had bee
following lonely prospector dodgin
the Apaches-or maybe he wouldn
take the chance OF stopping at IN
springs before he crossed into Mexic,
This did not seem possible. for II wa
over forty miles to the Southern p,
cific and the next water, and no tow
nearer than Columbus on this side {
the line.
He'd stop: OF course he'd stop: "a
sure as hell lacks water, he'd stop
he muttered.
For the first two hours he watche
the shore-timbered pile before hin
saw the sun chase out the lurin
shapes from each pocket: felt It's In
partial rays burn into his back, IN
heat almost to moderation the san
about him.
He drew from his vest pocket
piece OF folded paper and read n
lines printed thereon. and then car
fully refolded II and put II back
paper worn from many readings, 80
and damp from his body.
From under the brim Of his hat
could look away straight into Il
cloudess space.
A buzzard was idly describing n cI
Gle. He watched II as long as 1
path was in front OF him. He cour
ed from when II left his sight, In 1
ureless swing, until II came arour
Into range again. lie fell to wond,
Ing II Il was the same one or n the
were two. for the count did not tai
each time.