The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-08-03
CHAPTER XII CContinued).

His situation now, though still crit
zeal, did not appear to be so hopeless
as il had been. The hounds would
soon close In on him, and he would Kill
them or drive them away. IL was beyond
the bounds of possibility that any men
could have followed running hounds
through that brake in the night. The
thing that worried Duane was the fact
of the bonfireS. He had gathered from
the words of one OF his pursuerS that
the brake was n kind Of trap, and he
began to believe there was only one way
out Of it. and that was along the
bank where he had entered, and where
obviously all night long his pursuers
had kept fires burning. Further con-
lecture on this point, however, was in
terrupted by crashing in the willows
and the rapid patter of feet.
Underneath Duane lay a gray, foggy
obscurity. He could not see the ground,
nor any object but the black trunk Of
the tree. Sight would not be needed to
tell him when the pack arrived. With
a pattering rush through the willows
the hounds reached the tree; and then
high above crash OF brush and thud OF
heavy paws rose a hideous clamor.
Duane's pursuers far off to the south
would hear that and know what II
! meant. And at daybreak, perhaps be-
fore, they would take a short cut across
the brake guided by the baying OF
houids that had freed their quarry.
1t wanted only q few moments, how
over till Duane could distinguish the
vague forms of the hounds in the gray
shadow below. Still he waited. He had
no shots to spare. And he knew how to
treat bloodhounds. Gradually the OBJ
security lightened, and at length Duane
rad good enough sight of the hounds for
his purpose. His first shot killed the
huge brute leader OF the pack. Then,
i 1AI
others. That stopped the baying. Pterc-
ing bowls arose. The pack took fright
and fled its course easily marked by the
howls Of the crippled members. Duane
reloaded his gun, and, making certain
oil the hounds had gone, he descended
to the ground and set off at a rapid
pace to the northward.
The mist had dissolved under a ris-
ing sun when Duane made his first
halt some miles north of the scene
where he had waited for the hounds.
A barrier to further progress, In shape
OF precipitous rocky bluff, rose sheer
from the willow brake. He skirted the
base OF the cliff, whe:e walking was
comparatively easy, around IN the dl-
rectlon of the river. He reached the
end finally to see there was absolutely
no chance TO escape from the brake at
that corner. 1t took extreme labor, at
tended by some hazard and considera-
bic pain to his arm, to get down where
no could fill his sombrero with water.
After quenching his thirst he had a
| look at his wound. 1t was caked over
with blood and dirt. When washed off
the arm was seen to be inflamed and
| swollen around the bullet hole. He
bathed it, experiencing soothing re-
lief in the cool water. Then he ban
| daged ii as best he could and arranged
q slip around his neck. This mlti-
gated the pain of the injured member
and held it in a quiet and resttul po-
sition, where ii had a chance to begin
menuIng.
AS Duane turned away from the
river he felt refreshed. His great
strength and endurance Mad always
made fatigue something almost unr
known to him. However, tramping on
foot day and night was as unusual to
him as to any other riders OF the
southwest, and it had begun to tell
on him. Retracing his steps, he reached
the point where he had abruptly come
upon the bluff, and here he determined
to follow along It's base in the other
direction until ne found way out or
discovered the futiltty of such effort.
Duane covered ground rapidly. From
time to time he paused to listen. But
he was always listening, and his eyes
were ever rowing. This alertness had
become second nature with him, so
ton he performed it while he pondered
his gloomy and fateful situation. such
habit Of alertnesS and thought made
time fly swiftly. I'D
BY noon he had rounded the wide
curve of the brake and was facing
south. The bluff had petered out from
high, mountainous wall to a low
abutment Of rock, but it still held to
its steep, rough nature and afforded no
crack or slope where quick ascent
could have been possible. He pushed
ON, growing warier as he approached
the danger zone, finding that as he
neared the river on this side IL was
imperative to go deeper into the will
lows. In the afternoon he reached a
point where he could see men pacing
to and fro on the bluff. This assured
him that whatever place was guarded
was one by which he might escape.
He headed toward these men and APP
preached to within 100 PAGES oe the
bluff where they were. There were
several men and several boys, all
armed and, after the manner OF Tex
ans, taking their task leisurely. Far
ther down Duane made out black dots
on the horizon of the bluff line, and
these he concluded were guards sta
toned at another outlet. Probably all
the available men in the district We're
on duty. Texans took q grim pleasure
in such work. Duane remembered
that upon several occasions he had
served such duty himself.
Duane peered through the branches
and studied the lay or the land. For
several hundred yards the bluff could
be climbed He took stock of those
careless guards. They had rifles, and
that made vain any attempt to pass
them in daylight. He believed an at
tempt by night might be successful;
and he was swiftly coming to de-
termination TO hide there till dark and
then try it, when the sudden yelping
of a dog betrayed him TO the guards
on the bluff. IA. rs NE
The dog had likely been placed there
to give an alarm, and he was Justify
true to his trust. Duane saw the men
run together and begin to talk eS-
citedly and peer into the brake, which
was a signal for him TO slip away
under the willows. He made no noise,
and he assured himself he must be in
| visible. Nevertheless, he heard shouts,
! then the cracking OF rifles, and bullets
began to zip and swish through the
| leafy covert. The day was hot and
| MINDLESS, and Duane concluded that
whenever he touched willow stem,
L. i,rl,k ryflNr fnd IN