The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1915-07-16
FATAL WATER-H0LE
To Track and XIII the Hunted
One Must Have Great
Endurance.
BY l. X. DEvEhpoRr.

across the rock-strswn dip. Out
across the wayy hass-purpls and
undulating-that hung over the sand
covered earth like the snshsouding
gauxe OF q danosr. he knew the water
hole lay.
For days he had kept to the painted
towerlike buttes. Scanning every
nook and Granny among the rocks,
silent; and stalking the sun-peopled
crevfces; creeping up to the overhang-
ing boulders and peerins down below
to the thin yellow ribbon Of q trail
that seemed to squirm In and out
among the dull heaps Of drift
He had watched. ~ o mother
watches for the fever 10 turn In the
frst-born, for the thin blue spiral Of
smoke climbing skyward. to mark the
location OF Mitchell's campfire. Ho
had watched and looked at shadows
that melted into nothing until his
eyes seemed dry.
When he winked the IDS appeared
to be coated with sandpaper. that
scratched and burned his eyeballs like
the back-fre from loose breech-block.
But Mitchell was covering" we'll;
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 or
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 anothers pres
ence. Cleverly concealed, in fact hid
den entirely to less skillful observer
than he. but nevertheless signs"
Once he had found the burnt sticks
and ashes OF his f1re-found them be-
cause the sand by which they were
covered was Of lighter hue than
that next to the little circle under
which they lay. The IRE had burnt
out the color. Then. farther on and
In line with the water-hole, bis pony
had pulled off some Of the leaves OF
a scrub-oak-plain, and speaking to
Cherokee like the pages Of Q book
plain because OF the inherited intui-
ton from a Cherokee mother. and
they all told him that be was coming
up with the game.
All he wanted was Q glimpse Of
him; just a sight at him along the
blue octagon barrel.
He "hobkied" 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 It's
basin. He quickly slipped down the
side. Flat upon his stomach he lay
and drank. When he had finished he
filled his canteen and climbed back to
the rim. Here he dug a trench in the
sand and mounded II up in front Of
him. leaving low place through
which he poked the muzzle Of his
gun.
Now, 1t was to wait.
Back OF him lay the desert. out OF
which, burning It's way through the
amethyst haze, came the sun, and he
shrank farther into the sand-pit as
he thought of what he was to suffer.
In front lay the tumble Of rocks
and scrub from which he had come.
and from which Mitchell was to fol-
low. Unless. perhaps. he had miscal-
culated-or that It was not Mitchell
in 1.-THE Chimneys," and he had been
following a lonely prospector lodging
the Apaches-or maybe he wouldn't
take the chance Of stopping at the
springs before he crossed into Mexico,
This did not seem possible, for It was
over forty miles to the Southern Pa
cific and the next water, and no town
nearer than Columbus on this side Of
the line.
He'd stop: Of course he'd stop; ''aa
sure as hell lacks water, he'd stop.
he muttered.
For the first two hours he watched
the shore-timbered pile before him;
saw the sun chase out the Turing
shapes from each pocket; felt its i'm
partial rays burn into his back. and
heat almost to moderation the sand
about him.
He drew from his vest pocket {
piece OF folded paper and read the
lines printed thereon, and then care
fully refolded 1t and put II backs
paper worn from many readings. soft
and damp from his body.
From under the brim of his hat HI
could look away straight into the
cloudless space.
A buzzard was idly describing a cir
Gle. He watched II as long as III
path was in front Of him. He count
ed from when 1t left his sight. in III
tireless swing. until 1t came AROUND
into range again. He fell to wonder
ing II It was the same one or II Their,
were two, for the count did not tally
each time.
He felt an almost uncomfortable de
sire to turn over and look, but b,
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