The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-03-01
CHAPTER v.
In Deem Water.

IN Deep water.
The dawn thrust aside nights som
Der curtains while they ate, revealing
a sky overcast with slaty clouds. What
with her wanderings of the night be
fore and the journey through the dark
with Roaring BIZ, she had absolutely
no idea of either direction or locality
The Unfolding timber shut off the out
look.
do you suppose / can get home in
time to open SCHOOL," she inquired
anxlously.
Roaring Bill smiled ~ don't know
he answered. ut all depends"
'You know where you are now
don't your" she asked.
"Not exactly" he responded. "But
will before long-I hope"
The ambiguity Of his answer did not
escape her, She puzzled over 1t while
Silk ambled sedately behind the other
horses. She hoped that Bill Wagstaff
knew where he was going. If he did
not-but she refused to entertain the
alternative. And she began to watch
eagerly for some sign of familiar
ground.
For two hours Roaring Bill trampled
through aisles bordered with pine and
spruce and fir, through thickets of
berry bush, and across limited areas of
grassy meadow. Not once did they
cross a road or a trail. Eventually Bill
halted at n small stream to get drink,
Hazel looked at her watch. It was
half past eight.
"Aren't we ever going to get there?"
she called impatiently.
"Pretty soon," he called back, and
struck out briskly again.
Another hour passed. Ahead Of her,
leading one pack horse and letting the
other follow untrammeled, Roaring
Bill kept doggedly on, halting for moth
ing, never looking back.
They crossed ravlne and slanted
up a steep hillside. Presently Hazel
could look away over an area Of wood
land undulating like a heavy ground
swell at sea. Here and there ridges
stood forth boldly above the general
roll, and distantly she could desery a
whlte-capped mountain range. They
turned the end of a thick patch of pine
scrub, and Bill pulled up In small
opening From case swinging Mt his
belt ne took out pair of field glasses,
and lelsurely surveyed the country.
"Well7" Hazel Intercepted.
Nothing In sight, is there?" Bill said
thoughtfully. IF the sun was out,
now. Funny can't spot that Soda
Creek TRAIL"
"Dont you know this country at
all?" she said gloomily.
81 thought l did" he replied. "But
I can't seem to get my bearings to
work out correctly. I'm awfully sorry
to keep you In such pickle. But 1t
can't be helped"
He took up the lead rope and moved
on. They dropped over the ridge
crest and once more into the woods.
Roaring Bill made his next halt beside
a spring, and fell to unlashlng the
packs.
"what are you going to doi" Hazel
asked.
Cook a bite, and let the horses
Craze" he told her. do you realize
that we've been going since daylight
It's near noon. Horses have to eat and
rest once in while, Just the same as
human beings"
The logic Of this Hazel could not
well deny, since she herself was tired
and ravenously hungry. BY her watch
II was Just noon.
Bill hobbled out his horses on the
grass below the spring, made a fire,
and set TO work cooking. He worked
silently at the meal setting. fried
steaks Of venlson. and boiled a pot of
coffee. They ate. he filed his pipe,
and smoked while he repacked. Alto
gsshss, he did not consume more than
forty minutes at the noon halt. Hazel,
now woefully saddle sore, would fam
have rested longer. and, In default Of
resting tried TO walk and lead SILK.
Roaring Bin offered no objection to
that. But ne hit faster gait. She
could not keep up. and he did not
slacken pace when she began to fan
behind. So she mounted awkwardly.
and SILK jolted and shook her with his
trotting until he caught up with his
mates. Bin griRned over his shoulder.