The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-03-17
BY
Robert Ames Bennett

| when few minutes later VanderVyn
halted, and scrambled down from the
trail to get drink out of the creek.
The crease in Hardy's forehead deep
ened.
Ahead, the walls of the canyon were
slOping back into the widened valley
| where had been the first Indian camp.
Dogs, Indians and tepees, all were
gone. Only a brush-walled dance
lodge remained to mark the camp. site.
AS the mare pounded past, she curved
her outstretched neck toward the
lodge and whinnied. Hardy heard no
answer to the call, but his frOwn sud-
denly deepened.
| He reached forward and stroked
the mares sleek neck. Hot as had
been the race from the agency, she
had not turned a hair. His frown re-
Taxed. Yet his tight lips showed that
ne was still uneasy. He balanced him
self In his stirrups, and began to ride
as lightly as possible.
Ascending the mountainside, he was
compelled to content himself with the
mares nervous, long-strided walk.
But whenever the trail was not 100
steep or rough, he put her into a trot,
and varied the pace with an occasional
short gal1op.
An hour passed. He was already
well into the mountains. He came to
a succession of steep climbs and de-
| scents that held the mare down to a
walk. Presently he thought he heard
| hOOfbeats behind him. He listened.
He had not been mistaken. An IN
shOd horse was coming up with him at
steady jog trot
It seemed impossible that Wander
vyn's pinto could have so recuperated
from that Whirlwind heading of the
rush as to be able to take this steep
trail at a trot. Hardy gazed back, ex-
pecting to see one of the cowboys. AS
he went down over a ridge crest, the
| rider came up the ridge back across
the intervening gulch. The man
| Snatched off his broad brimmed hat to
wave salute. The sun glinted with a
golden sheen on the unmistakable
blond head of Vandervyn.
At the first small break in the de-
-scent Hardy dismounted, unsaddled,
| and SpOnged out the mares mouth and
nOstrils with water from his canteen.
He then shook out and refolded his
Navajo saddle blanket, and started to
resaddle. But before he buckled the
cinch-strap he shifted the pistol from
| his breast to a front pocket in his rid
ing breeches.
He was vigorously grooming the
mare when Vandervyn came jogging
down through the thickets of tall brush
that grew close on each side of the
trail. He did not pause in his rub
bing until the nimble-footed unshod
pony ambled into view, less than
dozen yards up the trail. Then he
glanced about, Strengthened, and stood
staring. The pony was a pinto.
Vandervyn, smiling with insolent ex-
ultance, rode down to him, his right
hand jauntily poised on his hip, over
the hilt of his revolver. His eyes
challenged his rival with an audacious,
provoking stare. But Hardy looked
only at the pinto. There was no sign
of sweat Iather on his rough coat, no
| WEAKNESS in his gait. He was fresh
Lots of comeback to a bronco,
| captain" purred Vandervyn. "Sorry
| to see that you've stove up your mare
She's too. highbred for a rocky road
like this. But you might take of her
shoes and travel light. the way I've
| done"
| The pony was now ambling down
the slope past the mare. Hardy looked
at the unshod hOofs. They were COW
cred with a coating of clay mire from
the bottom OF the last gulch, and the
beasts shutting pace did not expose
the under surface Of the hoofs Wheth-
er. the pony had or had not been re-
Gently unshod could not be seen.
"Great horse. my little old pinto,
eh?" Knocked Vandervyn. "'By-byI I'll
| tell Marie you'll be along later
Hardy perceived in a flash why he
had seen neither the girl nor her IA
Their at the agency. Swiftly he wheeled
about to mount. Startled by the quick
action, Vandervyn spurred his pony,
and went down the steep descent at a
gait far from easy on even a noun
tain-bred horses knees. Hardy fol-
lowed at a walk. The opposite rise
was gradual. He let the mare take it
at a slow trot. At the top was q fair
ly level stretch of trail. Vandervyn
was far ahead. Hardy put the mare
into a fast gallop. A few minutes
brought her up so close behind the lop-
ing pinto that Vandervyn spurred his
beast to sprinting speed Hardy fol-
lowed at an easier yet swift pace that
again brought him near, as the pinto
slackened to q lope.
A steep ridge made break In the
game. The pinto crossed it at a jog
trot The mare had to walk. Beyond
was long stretch OF broken country
that favored the pinto. He could jog
over ground that held the mare to a
walk, and canter where she could no
more than trot. On such a trail he
was fully equal to travelling at these
PAGES for twelve hours at stretch, all
the time in the lead Of the mare. OF
this Hardy was as well aware as was
Vandervyn.
Though he steadily lost ground, he
kept on In pursuit, coolly studying the
landmarks ahead and lifting" his
mare along over the heartbreaking
trail. To have given way to the
impotence that betrayed itself in bis