The Benson signal., 1917-08-18

IL.
anywhere in sight that he could recog-
nize was Music mountain. This now
lay to the northwest, and he knew he
must be long way from any country
he was familiar with. But there was
no gainsaying, even in his confused
condition, Music mountain. After
looking at 1t long time he headed
with some hesitation cautiously toward
1t, with intent to intercept the first
trail to the northeast This would take
him toward Sleepy Cat.
AS his eyes continued to sweep the
horizon he noted that the sun was
down and it was growing dark. He
was aware at intervals that he was
steadying himself like a drunken man.
His efforts to guide the horse only be-
wildered the beast, and the two trav-
eled on maudlin curves and doubled
back on their track until De Spain de-
cided that his sole chance of reaching
any known trail was to let go and give
the horse his head. A period of uncOn-
sciOusnesS, blank in De Spain's mind,
soon followed. How long he rode In
this way, or how far, he never knew.
He was reused to consciousness by the
unaccustOmed sound of running water
underneath his horses feet.
1t was pitch dark everywhere. The
horse after the hard experience of the
evening was drinking welcome draft.
De Spain had no conception of where
| 0OIl6 q hI1t h0 CTR fol hiv,oh ho
had somehow reached the range,
though Music mountain itself had been
swallowed up in the night. A sudden
and uncomfortable thirst seized the
wounded man. He could hear the wa
ter falling over the stones and climbed
slowly and painfully out of the saddle
to the ground. With the lines in his
left hand he crawled toward the water
and, lying fiat on the ground beside the
horse, put his head down to drink. The
horse, meantime, satisfied, lifted his
head with gulp, rinsed his mouth,
and pulled backward. The lines
slipped from De Spain's hand. Alarmed,
the weakened man scrambled after
them. The horse, startled, SHE'D. and
before his rider could get to his feet
scampered off In trot. While De
Spain listened in CONSERVATION, the es-
capped horse, falling into an easy stride.
galloped away into the night.
Stunned by this new misfortune, and
listening glOomily to the retreating
hoof-beats, De Spain pondered the siru-
alton in which the disaster left him.
1t was the worst possible blow that
could have fallen, but fallen it had,
and he turned with such philosophy as
he could to complete the drink of water
that had probably cost him his life.
When he had slaked a seemingly un.
Quenchable craving, he dashed the run
ming water, first with one hand and
then the other, over his face. He tried
feebly to wash away some Of the alkali
that had crusted over the wound in the
front of his head and was stinging and
burning in it. There was now moth
ing to do but to secrete himself until
daylight and wait till help should reach
hint was manifestly impossible for
him to seek it.
Meanwhile, the little stream beside
him offered first aid. He tried it with
his foot and found it slight and shall.
low, albeit with rocky bed that made
wading in his condition difficult But
he felt so much better he was able to
attempt this, and, keeping near to one
side of the current, he began to follow
it slowly upstream. The ascent was
at times precipitOus, which pleased
him, though it depleted his new
strength. 1t was easy in this way to
hide his trail, and the higher and fast.
er the stream took him into the noun.
tains the safer he would be from any
Calabasas pursuers. When he had re.
gained a little strength and oriented
himself, he could quickly get down into
the hills.
Animated by these thoughts, he held
his way upstream, hoping at every
step to reach the gorge from which
the flow issued. He would have known
this by the sound of the falling water,
but, weakening soon, he found he must
abandon hope Of getting up to it. How.
ever by resting and Scrambling up
the rocks, he kept on longer than he
would have believed possible. Encoun.
tering at length, as he struggled up.
ward, ledge and clump of bushes,
he crawled weakly on hands and knees
into it, too spent to struggle farther
stretched himself on the fattened
brambles and sank into a heavy sleep
He woke in broad daylight. Con
sciousness returned slowly and he
raised himself with pain from his
rough couch. His wounds were stiff
and he lay for long time on his back
looking up at the sky. At length he
dragged himself to an open space near
where he had slept and looked about.
He appeared to be near the foot of
mountain quite strange to him, and in
rather an exposed place. He clambered
a hundred feet above where he had