The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-05-23
CHAPTER X.
After the Storm.

For "a week the StuTti cbiltllutu udy
and night, but each day, even each
succeeding hour, reduced the expec-
tation OF ever seeing De Spain alive.
Spies working at CalabasaS, others
sent In by Jeftries to Music noun
min among the Morgans, and men
from Medicine Bend haunting Sleepy
Cat could get no word Of De Spain.
Deaf Sandusky and Logan had been
found dead at the Inn by Lefeyer on
the night after the fight. Fairly accu-
rate reports accounted for Gale Nor
gan, nursing a wound at home, and
for Sassoon, badly wounded and under
cover somewhere in the gap. Beyond
this, informau1n halted.
Toward the end Of the week n Mexi-
can sheepherder brought word in 10
Lefever that he had seen In Duke
Morgan's stable S%assO0n's horse-the
one on which De Spain had escaped.
He averred he had seen the blood
stained Santa Zee saddle that had been
taken off the horse when the horse was
found ut daybrcak of the day follow
Ing the fight, waiting at S%asSoon's cor
raj to be cared for. There could be,
It was fairly well asccrtained, no mis-
take about the hOrSe-the man knew
the animal but his information threw
no light on the fate of its missing
rider.
Though Scott had known first Of
De Spain's helpless condition in his
lnGnprnfn 1ipht nc rapo rInI Gnlf-1D-
Tense, the Indian was the last to aban-
don hope of seeing him alive again.
One night, in the midst Of Il gloomy
council ut Jetfries' office, he was
pressed for an explanation OF his q n
fidence. 1t was always difficult for
Scott TO explain his reasons for think
Ing anything. Men with the surest in
stinct are usually poorest at reason
Ing Il conviction out. But Bob, cross
examined and harried, managed to give
some explanation of the faith that was
In him. in the first place" he said,
'Tve ridden n good deal with that
man-pretty much all over the coun-
try north of Medicine Bend. He is as
full of tricks as a nuts full of meat.
Henry de Spain can hide out like an
Indian, and doctor himself. Then,
again, | know something about the
way he fights: up here they don't. If
those four fellows had ever seen him
in action, they never would have eX-
pected to get out of a room alive, after
Il showdown with Henry de Spain. As
near as | can make out from all the
talk that's floating around, what fooled
them was seeing him shoot at Il mark
here one day in Sleepy Cat"
Jeffries didn't interrupt, but he
slapped his knee sharply.
you might just as well try to stand
on a box of dynamite, and shoot into
1t, and expect to live to tell it," con-
tinued Scott mildly, "as 20 shoot into
that fellow in Il room with closed doors
only way the bunch can ever kill that
man, without getting killed themselves,
Is to get him from behind and at that,
John, the man that fires the gum" muir
INJURED the scout, fought to be behind a
tree.
" oky Lt 10 - L I, III
concluded. But | knew him once.
when he was hit, to lie out in the bush
for a week. He got cut Off once from
Whispering Smith and Kennedy after
a scrimmage outside Williams Cache
two years ago"
"You don't believe, then, he's dead.
Bob?" demanded Jeffries impatiently.
"Not till | see him dead" persisted
Scott unmoved.
De Spain, when ne climbed into Sas.
soon's saddle, vas losing sight and
consciousness. He knew he could nc
longer defend himself, and was sc
faint that only the determination OF
putting distance between him and any
pursuers held him to the horse after
he spurred away. With the instinct OF
the hunted, he fumbled with his righl
hand for his means of defense, ans
"a relieved ito find his revolver. afte,
his panicky dash for safety, safe In il.
place. He put his hand to his belt fol
fresh cartridges. The belt was gone.
The discovery sen a shock through
his failing faculties. He could no
recollect why he had no belt. Beiley
ing his senses tricked him. he fel
again and again for ii before he woult
believe 1t was not buckled somewhere
about him. But ii was gone, and h
stuck back In his waistband his useles
revolver. One hope remained-figh'
and he spurred his horse cruelty.
Blood running continually into hi
y e from the wound in his head mad
him think his eyes were gone, and d
rection was a thing quite beyond hi
power Of compass. He made little e
fort to guide. and his Infatuated hOrs
few along as If winged.
A warm. sticky feeling In his rigf
boot warned him, when he tried I
make some mental inventory Of h
condition, Of at least one other woun'
He could not e twenty feet ahead {
behind. Even when he hurriodly wipe
the cloud from his eyes his visio
soomod IN have failed. and he COul