Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-18

cSsss 80.
i Now Gag Him, Tim," Said Quietly.
side. The trail\wuS clay With lew
small stones. embedded in II, and the
horses made little noise in their. de-
scent, except once when Elsie's animal
slipped and sent looSened bit of rock
rolling down to splash in some pool be-
low. We came to the bank of the creek
at last, q narrow stream, easily ford.
able, but with a rather steep shore line
beyond, and waited there moment un-
til Tim emerged from out the black
woods at our right and joined us. He
was mounted, and, believing the time
had arrived for more rdpid movement,
| I also swung up into saddle and ranged
the girls horse beside mine.
They were not stock to be proud of,
yet they did fairly well, Tins mount
evidently the best of the four. The
going was decidedly better once we
had topped the bank. We may have
ridden for two, miles without word,
for, although I had no intention of pro-
ceeding far in this direction, I could
| discover no opportunity for changing
our course so as TO battle pursuit. That
Kirby and Rale would endeavor to
follow US at the earliest opportunity
was most probable. They were neither
Of them the sort to accept defeat with
, out a struggle, and, after the treat
ment they had received. the desire for
revenge would be uppermost. Nor
thus far would there be any difficulty
in their picking up our trail, at least as
far rs the creek crossing, and this
would assure them the direction we
had chosen.
Then suddenly, out Of the mysterious
darkness which closed us in, another
grove loomed up Immediately In our
front, and the trail plunged sharply
downward into the depths Of rugged
ravine. was obliged to dismount and
feel my way cautiously to the bottom,
delighted to discover there was
smoothly flowing, narrow stream, run
ming from the eastward between high
banks, overhung by trees. 1t was a dis
NAL gloomy spot, veritable cave Of
darkness, yet apparently the very
place I had been seeking for our pur-
pose.
Kennedy" Z
"Right yere, sir. Lord, but it's dark
found enything?"
"There is q creek here. don't know
where it flows from, but 1t seems to
come out Of the east. One thing Is
certain, we have got t" get off this
trail. If we can lead the horses up
stream a way and then circle back it
would keep those fellows guessing for
a while. Come here and see what you
think of the chance"
''Ye let me go ahead with the niger
gurl, an then follow after us, leadin'
Miss Beaucaire's hoss. By JENNY crlck-
cts, faint deep nough fer ter drown US
enyway, an amt much afeered O the
dark. Thar's likely ter be sum place
whar we kin get out up thar. Whar
the h are them BOSSES?
We succeeded in locating the animals
by feeling and waited on the edge Of
the bank, the two reins wrapped about
my arm, until heard the others go
Splashng down into the water. Then I
also CROPPED my own way cautiously
forward, the two horses trailing be-
hind me, down the sharply shelving
t,tn HNi,,, nh htC.
course near to the opposite shore, and
I followed his lead closely, guided
/ largely by the splashing of Elsie's AMI
nal through the shallow water. Our
movement was a very slow and cau-
tiouS one, Kennedy halting frequently
to assure himself that the passage
ahead was safe. Fortunately the bot
tom was firm and the current not par
ticularly strong, our greatest obstacle
/ being the lOw-hanging branches which
swept against us.
think we must have waded thus to
exceed a mile when we came to fork
in the stream and pumped into tan
gle of uprOoted trees, which ended our
further progress. Between the two
branches, after little search, we dis
covered Il gravelly beacl:, on which
the horses hoofs would leave few per-
manent marks. Beyond this gravel we
plunged into an open wood. through
! whose intricacies we were compelled
to Grope blindly, Tim aid both afoot,
and constantly calling to each other, so
as not to become separated. had lost
all sense of direction, when this forest
finally ended, and we again emerged
upon open prairie, with myriad Of
stars shining overhead.
(TO Be Continued)