The Ozark spectator., 1916-10-18

certain death.' Like the wind his fleet steed went down the long hill.
 Duane was In no hurry to look back. He knew what to expect. His chief concern of the moment was for his injured arm. He found that the bones were still intact; but the wound. hav- ing been made by soft bullet, was an exceedingly bad one. Blood poured 1 from 1t. Giving the horse his head. Duane wound his scarf tightly round the holes, and with teeth and hand tied it tigli ly. That done, he looked back over his shoulder.
 Riders were making the dust fly on the hillside road. There were more coming round the cut where the road curved. Duane needed only one glance to tell him that they were fast and hard-riding cowboys in land where all riders are good. They would not have owned any but strong, swift horses. Moreover, it was district 1 where ranchers had suffered beyond all endurance the greed and brutality of outlaws. Duane had simply been so l unfortunate as to run right into | lynching party at n time of all times when any stranger would be in danger and any outlaw put to his limit to escape with his life.
 Duane did not look back again till he had crossed the ridgy piece of ground and had gotten to the level road. He had gained upon his pur- suers. When he ascertained this he tried to save his horse, to check little that killing gait. This horse was magnificent animal. big. strong, fast; :; but his endurance had never been put to a grueling test. And that worried Duane. His life had made 1t irn- possible to keep one horse very long at a time, md this one was an un- known quantity.
 Duane had only one plan-the only plan possible in this case-and that was to make the river-bottoms, where he might elude his pursuers in the willow brakes. Fifteen miles or so would bring him to the river, and this was not hopeless distance for my good horse if not too closely pressed | llc pSSuh to hol'S uho Aoon AoA A II iaAA or road turning of to right or left. There was none. A rough, mesquite dotted and yucca-spired country ex- tended away on either side. Duane believed that he would be compelled to take to this hard going. One thing was certain-he had to go round the village. The river, however, was on | -A st, .r in the willows. he would be safe.
 Dust-clouds far ahead caused his alarm to grow. He watched with his eyes strained; he hoped to see q wagon, a few stray cattle. But no, he soon deserted several horsemen. Shots and yells behind him attested to the fact that his pursuers likewise had seen these newcomers on the scene. More than q mile separated these two parties, yet that distance did not keep them from soon understanding each other. Duane waited only to see this new fac tor show signs of sudden quick action, and then, with muttered curse. he spurred his horse off the road into the brush.
 He chose the right side, because the river lay nearer that way and put his horse to his best efforts, straight ahead. He had to pass those men. When this was seemingly made i'm possible by deep wash from which he had to turn, Duane began to feel cold and sick. Almost he lost his bear- ings, and finally would have ridden toward his enemies had not good fortune favored him in the matter of an open burned-over stretch of ground
 Here he saw both groups of pur- suers. one on each side and almost within gunshot. Their sharp yells, as much as his cruel spurs. drove his horse into that pace which now meant life or death for him. And never had Duane bestrode gamer, swifter, stancher beast. He seemed about to accomplish the impossible. In the dragging sand he was far superior to any horse in pursuit. and on this sandy open stretch he gained enough to spare q little in the brush beyond. Heated now and thoroughly terrorized, he kept the pace through thickets that almost tore Duane from his saddle. Some thing weiyhty and grim eased off Duane. He was going to get out in front! The horse had speed, fire. stamina.
 A race began then, dusty, crashing drive through gray mesquite. Duans could scarcely See. he was so blinded by stinging branches across his eyes. The hollow wind roared in his ears. He lost his sense of the nearness of his pursuers. But they must have been close. Did they shoot at him? He imagined he heard shots. But that might have been the cracking of dead snags. His left arm hung limp, al- most useless; he handled the rein with his right; and most of the time he hung low over the pommel. l Suddenly he burst out of line of mesquite into the road A long stretch of lonely road! How fercely. with