Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-20

looks fine. There's gold up there
} heaps of it."
"Let 1t stay there, then. l Amt
going. That's fiat" Holt turned to
! adjust the damper of his stove.
, "oh, l don't know. wouldn't say
, that" drawled Bill insoiently.
The man at the stove caught the
change In tone and turned quickly. He
r was too late. Macy had thrown him.
! self forward and the weight of his
, body flung Holt against the wall, Be
fore the miner could recover the other
, two men were upon him. They bore
; him to the floor and in spite of his
! struggles tied him hand and foot
! Big Bib rose and looked down deri-
! slyely at his prisoner. Better change
your mind and go with us, Holt. Wen
spend a quiet month up at the head-
quarters of Wild Goose. Say you'll
come along.n
"What are you going to do with
mef" demanded Holt
II reckon you need a church to fall
on You before you can take a hint.
Didn't | mention Wild Goose creek
three or four times?" jeered his captor.
Holt made no further protest. He
was furious, but at present quite help
less, However 1t went against the
grain, he might as well give in until re-
bellion would do some good. sa''
Ten minutes later the party was
moving silently along the trail that
led to the hills. The pack horse went
first in charge Of George Holway. The
/ prisoner walked next, his hands tied
D behind him. Big Bib followed, and
I the man he had called Dud brought up
a the rear.
n Macy had released the hands of his
Q prisoner so that he might have a
chance to fight the mosquitoes, but he
q kept q wary eye upon him and never
e let him move more than few feet
from him. The trail grew sleeper as 1t
}. neared the head of the canyon TIL at
l. last 1t climbed the left wall and
s emerged from the gulch to an uneven
# mesa.
J. The leader of the party looked at
II his watch. "Past midnight. Wen
If camp here, George, and see II we can't
o get rid OF the 'skeeters."
They built smudge fires of green
r wood and on the lee side of these an
r. other one of dry sticks. bud made
coffee upon this and cooked bacon.
|, While George chopped wood for the
fires and boughs OF small frs for bed
d ding, Big Bib sat with a rifle across
his knees just back OF the prisoner
II "Gid's n shifty old cuss, and ! amt
!? taking any chances" he explained
I? aloud to bud.
r. Holt was beginning to take the out
o rage philosophlcally. He slept peace
8 fully while they took turns watching
O. him. Just now there would be no
!" chance to escape, but In few days
d they would become careless The
;" habit Of feeling that they had him se-
curely would grow upon them. Then.
20 reasoned Holt, his opportunity would
d come. One Of the guards would take
1t chance 1t was not reasonable to
Al suppose that In the next week or two
N he would not catch them mapping once
for short ten seconds.
There was, of course, just the pos
"A sibility that they Intended to murder
IS him, but Holt could not associate Self
u ridge with anything so lawless The
man was too soft Of fiber to carry
~ through such a program, and as yet
"A there was need of nothing 50 drastic
No, this kidnapping expedition would
It not run to murder. He would be set
70 free in few weeks, and If he told the
r. true story Of where he had been his
foes would spread the report that he
1t was insane in his hatred of Macdonald
a. and imagined all sorts of prosecutions.
t They followed Wild Goose creek all
next day, getting always closer to It's
headwaters near the divide. On the
q third day they crossed to the other
il side Of the ridge and descended into
Q. little mountain park.
n The country was SO much primeval
!. wilderness that big bull moose
II stalked almost upon their camp before
discovering the presence of u strange
i bIped. Big Bill snatched up rifle and
II took shot which sent the intruder
O. scamperlng.
d From somewhere In the distance
Il came faint sound
!. "What was that?" asked George.
O SOUNDED like shot Mebbe 1t was
n an echo" returned bud.
Game too late for an echo" Big Bill
q said.
n Again family from some far corner
n of the basin the sound drifted. II was
I like the pop Of scarcely heard fire.
A cracker.
q The men looked at one another and
. at their prisoner.
o "Think we better break camp and
driftT asked bud.
mo. We're in little draw here
I as good hiding place as we'd be like
iy to find. Drive the horses into the
brush, George. Wen sit tight
, Dud had been busy stamping oct
the campfire while Holway was driv-
ing the horses into the brush.
"Mebbe you had better get the camp
things behind them big rocks" Macy
conceded.
Even as he spoke there came the
crack of revolver almost at the en-