The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

we IOur ldlQ IncIc al ulSlt, SnOIllS
and snorting to bull con each other into
the belief that we was gormandizing
ourselves. on sweet dreams. About an
hour before day, when the dew is cold
and the sleep drags heaviest at your
eyes. we heard Mystery" rise. stealthy
as a Sioux; then the click-click of his
Winchester. In the dying light of the
Goals saw him kneeling with the gun
throwed on us, while Coarse Gold"
was busy with the ponies. q.
We two snored SO natural it beat the
real article, and just ossihed in the
blankets till we heard the last of EN-
down the trail Then we punched up
the FIRE and boiled pot Of coffee. When
the sun came over the peaks, beating
the mist out of the gulches, we loaded
the good pack and were ready to start
There THY go, the dirty thieves :"
said. Martin, pointing down the valley
Sure enough, the back trail wound
down the mountain for miles below US
and twisted out across the fats to the
ford. We made out our old pardners
like specks crawling along the white
thread
Won't they uplift blooming an
them when they unpack:"
There's nothing TO it, Kid" he an
swered, serious. "A cheatin' dog never
thrives. recall my old mothers first
lesson was about honesty being better
than policy. or craps, or to that effect" )"
Hello, There's other people travel
ing this morning. They're going to
meet, too"
We saw a group OF fggers crawl over
a raise in the trail and swarm around
Coarse Cold and Jim. Then. instead
of passing. we noticed two dots break
out and slide back along the thread
with the whole pack after them, while
a streamer of white dust followed like
long snake.
They're chasing our boys" broke in
Kink. 'Them's soldiers Mexikins prob
ably, and they must have rode right
into EN- thout knowing it
Even as he spoke. first one, then the
other of the front specks stopped, while
the big troop closed around EN-.
They're down." cried Kink. excited
ly. They've got 'em both-and l amt
noways anxious to form third"
Something's going to erupt when
them Greasers cut certain lash rope" "
says. It's time for us to go" And
we went.
I've pounded hard trails in my time.
bur the next FIVE days was the punish
INCEST | ever tackled 1t made a forced
march feel like wedding trip in a
blackboard
We crossed the line safe. all right.
and bought new horses. Then plugged
ahead day and night. because the United
States troops were on the lookout for
a certain gang of church robbers filthy
with the proceeds. We never opened
that chatelaine, for obvious reasons !;
just glosted over it from the outside
and dreamed about niger footmen and
engraved visiting cards. Kink was 60
ing to have the Statue OF Liberty in
his saloon for a cigar-lighter
> We'd been aiming for Santa Fe. till
one night found paper from there
with some headlines that started the
sweat on me.
"Dastardly Niolators of a Sanctuary
Captured il read. -Four Texas des-
peradoes, headed by the notorious Nit
and-a-half' Smith, were surrounded
by Capt Hodge, of the Sixth Cavalry.
near Sierra Blanca. The authorities
have>complete descriptions OF the rest
of the gang. and New Mexico is on the
qui vive." Then it detailed an account
of the downfall OF our friends
We're the last relics OF a departed
grandeur" says Kink, "and this region
is gettin' too hospitable for me. If we
try to sell this stuff, they'll simply in
sist on our spending a few years with
EN- here. | know an assayer in Den
YER No questions asked-full value
rendered. 1t means a long pike, but
they'll fall on our necks like country
cousins if we try to cash these checks
here" So we traded horses again, as
ours looked wose'n DR.. Tanner on the
forty-hrst day. and hit the old Santa
Fe trail for the North.
This life was wearing our nerves
raw. It's disturbing to be on intimate,
not to say compromising. terms with
200 pounds OF precious metal day and
night; Just married to it and no way
of kissing the bride. In those days sill
yer was al par. too. and we worked our
selves down to shadders guarding that
bundle, growing peevisher every day, /;
jumping at any sound and glaring over /,
our shoulders for all the world like
thieves.
We ruined eight horses on the trail, ]
and, as we were broke so fiat We were I
concave. we had to trade. We. always
did this at night, and what with dodg- |