Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-01-09
BY
Robert Ames Bennett

"You have no right to block the
trail" said Hardy. "Allow me to
pass
Vandervyn looked over his shoulder
with an insolent sheer. go on and
pass, if you're in hurry. You've
got all outdoors to do it in. If there's
not room enough, shoot me in the back
and take the trail I'll not get out
of it for you"
Hardy did not reply nor did he at
tempt TO force passage. At last,
twelve miles from the goal OF the
heartbreaking race, came the opportu-
nifty for which he had been waiting.
The trail smoothed out in another
easy stretch. For this he had been
hol4ing the mare in hand. He started
at a canter, and gradually let her
strike into her long, swift gallop. Van
dervyn saw them coming, and at once
put spurs to his luckleSs pony. As
before, Hardy held the mare down to
her best lOng-distance speed. The
mare came up alongside the pinto and
forged ahead.
Hardy eyed Vandervyn with utmost
wariness. And, as before, at the head
of the canyon of Sioux creek, Wander
vyn turned in the saddle, and looked
full at him with a hateful, mocking
smile. He pulled in his staggering
pony to walk the moment Hardy
swung into the trail ahead.
AT once Hardy eased down the mare
to q trot. Though he saw no third
pinto waiting in the thickets, his eyes
grew hard and cold with grim deter
mination. He was examining his rifle
when turn of the trail suddenly gave
him his first view of the broken-topped
mountain and the ridge-side where
Redbear had made the second attempt
to assassinate him. AS he looked at
the shattered summit, his hazel eyes
flashed. He thrust the rifle back into
its sheath, and drew the mare down
to walk.
Behind him he heard a muffled drum
ming of unshod hoofs. Vandervyn was
coming up at gallop.
When the hooking trickster came
up behind Hardy, he refined in to
jog trot, and, as before, rode past him
with his hand on his hip.
There were marked differences be-
tween the third pinto and the two first.
He was taller and leaner, and one of
his feet was white. But Hardy ap-
peared to be too detected to heed the
fact. AS the pinto ambled away in
the lead, Vandervyn smiled, and
looked back at his rival with all the
hate gone from his face. "By-by again,
old man." he bantered. SORRY l can't
stay TO keep you company. The lady
is waiting-and the mine. 1t may also
please you to hear that l have a duly
signed and witnessed contract with
the tribe. giving me a fee of 20 per
cent on all moneys appropriated in
payment to the tribe for their min
eral lands. Let's hear you congratu-
late me. Show you're camel"
But Hardy did not raise his eyes.
AS soon as Vanderyyn was out of
sight around the castellated rocks at
the top of the ridge, Hardy stopped
the mare and dropped from the saddle.
His shapely mouth was curved in
resolute smile, and his hand was rap
idly transferring from the saddlebags
to his pockets a pocket ak, handful
of pistol cartridges and the legal no.
tees for posting a mining claim.
He glanced up the slope, and, seeing
no sign of Vandervyn, stripped off the
mares bride, sponged out her nostrils
and mouth with the last water in his
canteen.
Hardy took the steep slope at an I'M
hurried pace. He reached the place
where he had found the bloody trail
of Redbear. Up the cleft the climbing
was not stiff. He came out on the
valley slope, extremely hot and dry
but not out of breath. Drawing an
airline across to the opposite noun
tainside, where he had seen the light
of Ti-owa-konza's campfire through the
darkness, he started down into the
valley at jog as brisk as that of the
third pinto. He was almost spent as
he tottered through the pines up the