Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-07-27

MN, the Whlp OF tWlSS, che rush or
wind. the heavy. rapid pound of hoofs,
We'd in sensation with the smart OF
sweat in his eyes. the rack Of his
wound the cold, sick cramp in his
stomach. With these also was dull,
raging fury. He a to run when he
wanted to fight. 1t took all his mind to
force back that bitter lat of himself,
OF his pursuers. of this race for his
useless life.
Suddenly he burst out of a line of
mesqaite into the road. A long stretch
of lonely road! How fiercely, with hot,
strange joy, he wheeled his horse upon
it! Then he was sweeping along, sure
now that he was out in front. His
horse still had strength and speed, but
showed signs of breaking. Presently
Duane looked back. Pursuers-he could
not count how many-were Looping along J
In his rear. He paid no more attention
to them. and with teeth set he faced
ahead, 2rimmer now in his determine
alton to foil them.
He passed a few scattered ranch !
houses where horses whistled from COR
rails. and men curiously watched him
lily past. He saw one rancher running, |
and he felt intuitively that this fellow
was going TO join in the chase Duane's
Steed pounded on. not n~oticeably
slower. but with a lack of former
smoothness. with a strained. convul-
SlVe, Jerking stride Wnlcu showed ne |
was almost done.
Sight of the village ahead surprised
Duane. He he'd reached it sooner than
he expected. Then he made Il discov-
eTy--he had entered the zone of wire
fences. AS he dared not turn back
now. ne kept on. intending to ride
through the village. Looking back
ward he saw IA his pursuers were
half a mile distant, too far to alarm
any villagers in time to intercept him
in his flight. AS he rode by the first
houses his horse broke and began TO
labor. Duane did not believe he would
last long enough to go through the
village.
Saddled horses In front of a store
gave Duane ar idea, not by any means |
new. and one he had carried out sue
c~essfully before. AS he pulled in his
heaving mount and leaped. off, . couple
of ranchers came out of the place. and
one Of them stepped to a clean ii1nbed,
fiery bay. He was about to get into his
saddle when he saw Duane, and then
halted, q foot in the stirrup.
Duane stored forward, grasped the
bride of this mans horse.
Mines done-but not killed." he
painted. Trade with me-"
wal. stranger, I'm shore always
ready to trade" drawled the man. But
amt you a little swift?"
Duane glanced back up the road. His
pursuers were entering the village.
I'm Duane-Buck Duane" he cried.
m~enacingly. will you trade? Hulry!"
The rancher. turning white. dropped
his foot from the stirrup and fell back.
Il reckon I'll trade" he said.
Bounding UP. Duane dug spurs into
the bays flanks The horse snorted in
fright, plunged into q run. He was
fresh, swift. half wild. Duane flashed
by the remaining houses on the street
4 o,rt s~tN H. TN,k A- ---1 --1-
at the village or else led out from
some other quarter. for he had ridden
straight into the fields and from them
into rough desert. When he reached
the cover of mesquite once more he
looked back to inc six horsemen with
In rifle-shot of him, and more coming
behind them.
His new horse had not had time to
get warm before Duane reached a high
sandy bluff below which lay the willow
brakes. AS fsA. as he could see ex-
tended an immense flat strip of red
tinged willow. How welcome it was to
his eye! He felt like a hunted wolf
that, weary and lame, had reached his
role in the rocks. IigZagging down the
soft slope. he put the bay to the dense
wall of leaf and branch. But the horse
baked.
There was little time to lose. Dis
mounting, he dragged the stubborn
beast into the thicket. This was harder
and slower work than Duane cared to
risk. If he had not been rushed he
might have had better success. So he
had to Inc the horse-a ct.cum-
stance that only such sore straits could
have driven him to. Then he went
Slipping swiftly through the narrow
aisles.
He had not gotten under cover any
too soon. For he heard his pursuers
piling over the bluff, loud voiced. con-
fident, brutal. They crashed into the
willows.
Hi, Sid! Heah's your hoss!" called
one, evidently to the man Duane had
forced into q trade.
Say, il you locoed gents IL hold up
Il little I'll tell you somethin'," replied
Il voice from the bluff.
Come on, Sid! We got him cor
rallied" said the first speaker.
wal. mebee, an if you hev it's liable
to be damn hot. Tibet Teller was Buck
Duane!"
Absolute silence followed that state
ment. Presently it was broken by q
rattAng OF loose gravel n then low
voices.
Gle can't git acrost the river, I tell
you," came to Duane's ears. Hes
corralled in the brake. I know tibet
hole"
Then Duane. gliding silently and
swiftly through the willows. heard no
more from his pursuers. He headed
straight for the river. Threading q
passage through q willow brake was ar
) old ask for him. Many Jays and
nights had gone to the acquiring of a
skill that might have been envied by
an Indian.
t The Rio Grande and It's tributaries
| for the most Of their length in Texas
ran between wide. low. flat lands O
| cred by a dense growth OF willow
Cottonwood. mesquite, prickly pear
and other growths mingled with the
. willow. and altogether they made g
!, matted. tangled copse, a thicket thai an
! inexperienced nan would nav consid.
, cred impenetrable. From above, these
r wild brakes looked green and red;
= from the inside they were gray and yell
Iowa striped wall. Trails and glades
l were scarce. There were a few deer
runways and sometimes little path:
j, made by peccaries-the jabali, or wolt
pigs, of Mexico. The ground wa clay
/ and unusually dry. sometimes baked sc
hard that it left nj imprint of a track
3 Where a growth of cottonwood hat
9 held back the encroactment OF the
willows there usually was thick gras!
and underbrush. The willows wer,
short, slender poles with stems ST
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