The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-02-25
CHAPTER xxxViii.
The Upper Trail.

The Upper Trail.
In the ten minutes delay necessi-
tated by this reverse, a number of
more or less innocent ~bystanders
picked up the man Texas and carried
him off to breathe his last beneath a
roof; Hopi Jim picked himself up,
brushed his person tolerably clear Of
clouds Of dust and profanity, and de-
parted in search of a mount to replace
the horse that had been shot under
him; and Judith sat her horse calmly,
smiling sweet insolence into the exae-
perated countenance of Marrophat.
Incidentally the fugitives disap-
peared round a bend in the road that
led directly into the wild and barren
heart Of the Painted hills.
In the brief interval that elapsed be-
fore his return with Hopi Jim, Mario
PLAT contrived to persuade the bandit
that Judith had been, at least indi-
rectly, responsible for the catastrophe,
with the upshot that, temporarily
blinded to her destinations by the gilt
ter of nineteen thousand dollars In the
near distance, Mr.. Slade maintained
his distance and a deaf ear to her
Establishments. The only information
as to their purpose that she was able
to extract from either man, when the
pursuing party turned aside from the
main trail, some distance from Mesa,
was that Hopi Jim knew a short cut
through the range, via what he termed
the upper trail, by which they hoped
to be able to head the fugitives off be-
fore they could gain the desert on the
far side of the hills.
Only at long intervals did they draw
rein to permit Hopi Jim to make re-
connoissance of the lower trail that
threaded the valley on the far side Of
the ridge.
Toward noon he returned in haste
from the last of these surveys
scrambling recklessly down the noun
tain-side and throwing himself upon
his horse with the advice:
We've headed 'em-can make 1t
now If we ride like all get-out!"
For half an hour more they pushed
on at the best speed to be obtained
from their weary animals, at length
drawing rein at a point where the trail
crossed the ridge and widened out
upon a long, broad ledge that over
hung the valley of the lower trail, with
a clear drop to the latter from the
brink of a good two hundred feet.
One hasty look back and down into
the valley evoked a grunt Of satisfac-
ton from Hopi Jim.
Just in time" he ~asseverated. Here
they come! Ten minutes more d. :"
His smile answered Marrophat's
with unspeakable cruel significance.
Texas will sleep better tonight
when he knows how I've squared the
deal for him!" the bandit declared.
What are you going to do?" Judith
demanded, refining her horse in beside
Marrophat as the latter ~dismounted.
A gesture drew her attention to a
huge boulder poised insecurity on the
very lip of the chasm.
Were going to tip that over on
! your friends, Miss Judith" Marrophat
replied, with a smack Of relish in his
voice. Observation-Disclosures?
What more can you ask"
She answered only with an irrepress-
ible gesture of horror. Marrophat's
laugh followed her as she turned away.
For some moments she strained her
vision vainly, e~ndeavoring to pene-
trate the turbulent currents of super.
heated air that filled the valley. Then
she made out i~ndistinctly the family
marked line Of the lower trail; and
Immediately she caught a glimpse of
three small figures, mounted, toiling
painfully toward the point where death
awaited them like a bolt from the blue.
Hastily she glanced over-shoulder:
Hopi Jim and Marrophat, ignoring her,
were straining themselves against the
boulder without budging 1t an inch,
for all its apparent nicely of poise. For
an instant a wild hope flashed through
her mind, but 1t was Immediately ex-
orcised when Hopi Jim stepped back
and uttered a few words Of which only
two-"dynamite" and "fuse"-reacheG
her ears.
Kneeling beside the boulder he dug
busily for an instant, then lodged the
stick to his satisfaction, attached the
fuse. and breaking of. edged on his
belly to the edge of the cliff and
looked down, carefully calculating the
length Of the fuse by the distance of
the party down below from the spot
where the rock must fall.
But while he was &c engaged and
Marrophat aided him, all eager inter
est, Judith was taking advantage of
their disregard Of her.
Hurriedly unbuttoning her jacket,
she whipped . playing card from her
pocket, q trey o. hearts. and with the
stub Of q pencil scrubbed three words
on its face-"Dangerl Go back!"
Then finding . small. nattish bit Of
rock. she bound the card TO II with
Ia bit Of string; and With n more