The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-09-14
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.
Next morning Duane was off again,
working south. During the next few
days he paid brief visits to several
villages that lay in his path. And In
each some particular friend had a
piece Of news to impart that made
Duane profoundly thoughtful. A
ranger had made quiet, unobtrusive
call upon these friends and left this
message. "Tell Buck Duane to ride
into Captain MacNelly's camp some
time after night"
Duane concluded, and his friends all
agreed with him, that the new rangers
main purpose in the Nueces country
was to capture or kill Buck Duane,
and that this message was simply an
original and striking ruse, the daring
of which might appeal to certain out
laws.
But it did not appeal to Duane. His
curiosity was aroused; it did not, how
ever, tempt him to any foolhardy act.
He turned southwest and rode hun
dred miles until he again reached the
sparsely settled country. Here he
heard no more of rangers.
He got into rough country, rode for
three days without covering much
ground, but believed that he was get
ting on safer territory. Twice he came
to q wide bottom-land green with will
low and cottonwood and thick as
chaparral, somewhere through the
middle Of which ran river he de-
cided must be the lower Nueces.
One evening as he stole out from
q covert where he had camped, he saw
the lights of village. He tried to
pass it on the left, but as he mounted
a ridge he noted that the road made a
sharp turn, and he could not see what
was beyond it. He slowed up and
was making the turn, which was down
hill between high banks Of yellow
clay, when his mettlesome horse heard
something to brighten him or SHE'D at
something and bolted.
The few bounds he took before
Duane's iron arm checked him were
enough to reach the curve. One
flashing glance showed Duane the open
once more, little valley below with a
wide, shallow, rocky stream, clump
of cottOnwoods beyond, somber
group Of men facing him, and two
dark, limp, strangely grotesque figures
hanging from branches.
The sight was common enough In
southwest Texas, but Duane had never
before found himself so unpleasantly
close.
A hoarse voice pealed out: "By hell
there's another one!"
stranger, ride down an account fer
yourself!" yelled another,
"Hands-up!"
"Thet's right, Jack; don't take no
chances. Plug him.!
These remarks were so swiftly ut
tered as almost to be continuous,
Duane was wheeling his horse when a
rifle cracked. The bullet struck his
left forearm and he thought broke 1t,
for he dropped the rein. The frighten-
ed horse ieaped. Another bullet
whistled past Duane. Then the bend
in the road saved him probably from
certain death. Like the wind his fleet
steed went down the lors 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
from it. Giving the horse his head
Duane wound his scarf tightly round
the holes, and with teeth and hand
tied 1t tightly. 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 a land where
all riders are good. They would not
have owned any but strong, swift
horses. Moreover, 1t was q district
where ranchers had suffered beyond
all endurance the greed and brutality
Of outlaws. Duane had simply been so
unfortunate as to run right into q
lynching party at a 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 a
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 i'm
possible to keep one horse very long
at a time, and this one was an I'M
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 a hopeless distance for any
good horse if not too closely pressed.
| He began to hope and look for trail
or q road turning off to right or left.
There was none. A rough, mesquite
dotted ar yucca-spired country ex-
| tended away on either side. Duane
| I;orod tbot he would he comnaIIad to