The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1916-04-06


una"
Suppose it's the Pintos. then. How
do we get there?"
"Hard-ash breeze" returned the
other succinctly Our rowboat is out
fitted and waiting. Sixty miles to the
turn of the Laguna. There's 8 four
mile current to help. They've a scant
two days start. and wen catch up
some"
All that day and all the night the
two men swung at the oars; swung
until every muscle In the young east
erner's back had turned to live nerve
fiber and the flesh had begun to strip
from the palms OF his hands.
Meantime, between spells at the
oars, Average Jones had outlined the
case in full to Funcke. After long and
silent consideration the captain gave
his views.
ut isn't buncO. It's hold-up. They
get him off in the mountains, out of
sight of the lake, so he'll have no land
mark to go by. Then they scare him
into signing co-partnership papers,
and make him turn over those certified
checks to them. All they'd do then
would be to quit the boy while he was
asleep. A tenderfoot would die of
thirst over there in a short time.
rs there no water?"
There's a tenaja-rock-bas holding
rainwater the hunter. "If
they find the tenaja empty they'll have
barely enough in the canteens they
pack to get them to the next water,
the Tenaja Poquita, around behind the
mountains and across the desert into
the next range"
Get me to young Hoff, then, cap
tain. You're in command from the mo-
ment we land"
It was broad day when the keel
pushed softly into the muddy bottom
OF 8 long. shallow arm of the lake.
Captain Funcke rose. stretched the
kinks out of his back, and jumped
ashore.
You say I'm in commando" he in
CURED.
Absolute"
Then you roll up under that mes
quite and fall asleep. I'm going to cast
about for their trail"
To the WORKOUT oarsman, II seemed
only few moments later that an in
sistent grip on his shoulder aroused
him.
I've found their boat" said Captain
Funcke. The trail heads for Pintos
They're travelling heavy l don't be
lieve they're twenty-four hours ahead
of us"
Average Jones stumbled to his feet
I'm ready" he said.
IT'S a case of travel light" The
hunter handed over a small bag of
food and a large canteen full OF water
He himself packed a much larger load,
including two canteens and q powerful
tield-glass. Taking a shotgun from the
boat, he shouldered it and set out at a
long, easy stride.
To Average Jones the memory of
that day has never been wholly clear.
Sodden with WEAKNESS, dazzled and
muddled by the savage sun-glare, he
followed, with eyes fixed, the rhythmic
ally, monotonously moving feet of his
leader through an interminable desert
of soft, clogging sand. AT midnight
the wearied pursuers dropped down
from a high plateau to a narrow ar
royo. There the pursuers found the
camp. 1t was deserted.
Like a hound on the trail, Captain
Funcke cast about him.
Here's where they came in. No
yes-this is it, Confound the cross
tracks! Straight for the rocky
mesa. That's it! They made their
sneak while Hoff was asleep and
struck out for the inside desert route
to the Tenaja PoQuita' He took a
quick look about the camp and picked
up an empty canteen. "Of course they
wouldn't leave him any water"
He turned and renewed his quick
progress, leaping from bowlder to
bOwlder between narrowing walls of
gray-white rock Just as Average
Jones was spent and almost ready to
collapse the leader checked
"Hark!" he whispered.
Above the beating of the blood in his
ears Jones heard an irregular. insist
ent scufiing sound. He crouched in
silence while the captain crept up to a
ledge and cautiously peered over, then
went forward In response to the 9TH
er's urgent reckoning They looked
down a rock-basin OF wild and curious
beauty. A figure, naked from the
waist up, huddled upon the hard
baked mud, digging madly at the
earth. a sharp exclamation broke
from Average Jones The digger half
rose, turned. collapsed to his knees.
and pointed with bleeding fingers TO
his open mouth. in which the tongue
showed black and swollen.
They went down to him
An hour later. Hickey HoR was
sleeping the sleep Of utter exhaustion
in camp. Average Jones felt amply
qualified 20 join him. But it was not
in the Advisors character 10 quit an
enterprise before 30 was wholly com
pleted. So long as the two bandits
were on their way TO cash the young
spendthrift's chccks-Joncs had heard
from the victim a brief account of the
eXtortion- success was not fully won
We've got to get that money back"
he said to Captain Funcko with conyic-
ton
The hunter made no reply in words
He merely leaned his shotgun against
his thigh. reached around beneath his