The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-10-18
Hardy waved 10 him imperntiveIv

~ ~ hAAah III
Go n - he shouted. Guard Miss
Dupont. May be more Of them. Send
the police around to flank"
Nandervyn's pinto leapcd out of
sight. A shot grazed the mares with.
ers. In n flash he flung up his rifle
and fired at the down-peering devillsh
face. 1t vanished as he pressed the
trigger.
Swift ms a puma, he sprang around
the mares head and dashed up the
slope, keeping n large bowldcr In line
between himself and his enemy. A bull
let came pinging down owe the bowl.
der and passed under his appraised
arm. A few seconds more and. safe
behind the huge stone, he slowly edged
his hat above the top. The ancient
ruse drew Il shot. Instantly he scram-
BLEED obliquely upward towards another
bowlder. Ii was n desperate move. A
bullet grazed his thigh as he flung
himself behind the bushes beside the
second bowlder. Hardy waited.
The twilight WIS fast fading. Still
Hardy waited, his gaze scanning the
cleft and the rocks on either side. 1t
was time for tAe police to come creep
Ing around on the flank OF the assas-
render close shooting difficult. Yet
the precious moments slipped by, and
no sign Of the police.
Over on the far side Of the cleft
there was a faint CLINT Of metal In the
deepening shadow. Without a mo-
ment's hesitation Hardy aimed and
fired. The mountainslde rang with q
shrill yell. The bullet had found its
mark. Hardy leaped to his feet and
dashed up the mountain.side, keeping
behind shelter where IL was available,
but in places boldly rushing up over
open spaces.
There, OF the spot where he had
seen the CLINT, he found a trace OF
blood. The wounded man had crept
nway up the cleft. For several yards
Hardy followed the trail by the splash
rs Of crimson on the leaves and rocks.
Then the traces ceased. But over In
one OF the many clefts on the far side
Of the gap he thought he saw some
thing move among the powders. He
sprinted down the slope and across the
gap, his face flushed with exertion.
but his eyes still cold and hard.
Among the heaps Of broken rocks In
the bottom Of the gap Hardy lost sight
OF the cleft for which he was heading.
When he started to return along what
he supposed To be the passage by
which he had entered, he soon found
himself In n cul-de-Suc. Dusk was
now deepening into night. lie came
out and Into II steep ascent between
o~verhanging lodges. This certainly
was not the way by which he had en-
tered, but he kept TO 1t, eager to es-
cape out of the maze.
Night had fallen when at last he
reached the top Of the cleft and clam
bered up on n ridge crest. But the sky
was clear, and the starlight enabled
him 10 see the outlines Of the noun
tains that cut the skyline. A star lower
down than any Of the Others caught
his eye, He peercd nj IL iixedly. The
~ . punt WI hkIN
not u start VAS u fire. two or three
miles away across the intervening val
ley. Hardy took his bearings by the
stars n started down the mountain
side directly toward the fire.
Oncc clear OF the rocks II the shat.
tered mountain top, he found the going
Unexpectedly easy, Almost from the
first he had lost sight OF the fire and
mt no time did he see any trace OF the
trail To the mine. on to the left he
heard the iiminutive rOu OF n noun,
tain rlll dnshlng down a rHvine to Join
the main stream In the valley.
At last he came up over the edge OF
the rldgetop, OF terrace, GA which the
rlll headed. The mOrient his eyes
cleared the low underbrush below the
few scattered pines he perceived the
flicker of the fire for which he was
looking. lie could make u the ap
pearance OF the dark forms around Ia,
fire, but their number and the half
dozen white tepees grouped around III,
fire told him that he had not found the
camp OF his party.
He had no more than made this dis
coyery when a number of yelping
snarling mongrel cogs rushed out n
him Ikea pack OF wolves. lie me
their attack by swinging his rifle bar
rel around in a circle. The coward!
ours closed about him, but were afrni'
to leap In within reach OF the club. Ill
had not stopped his advance. Nor di,
he pause Or hesitate when over tn,