Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-10-16

instructions long with We then them.
An ther word tibet liver come ter me
wus ter saddle oop, ride down here
an mate this mua Enright. don't
aven know fer shure whar Of Mendez
is-likely 'nough he be in Mexico"
an Mexic0." Indignantly. "Of
course not. Lacy said you knew the
trail. It's a place they call 'Sunken
valIey'--out there somewhere" and
Brennan could barely distinguish The
movement of her arm desertward.
ats across that sand fiat"
"Shoshone2"
Yes; / couldn't remember the
name. That's all l know about it.
only Lacy said you'd been there be-
fore"
"Shure, miss" assured the marshal
softly. clearly realizing that he had
already gone the limit, and that any
further questioning must lead newt
ably to trouble. IF It is Sunken val
lev I'm ter ride ter, thets aisy."
Then it's good night"
She vanished up the side trail as
though the wind had blown away a
shadow. Brennan gathered up his
rens. Strengthening his body in the
saddle. He glanced back toward the
dim shade Of his companion, chuck
ling.
Some bit OF luck that, Jim"
Doesn't seem to me we know much
more than We did before" Westcott
answered glo0miy. "Only that this
chap Mendez is at a place called
Sunken valley. / never heard of it;
did your"
NO: reckon it's no spot the law
has ever had any use for. I've sup
posed all along them Mexican cattle
thieves had a hidden corral somewhat
in this country; but nobody has ever
found it yet. Right now. thanks to
this Miss La Rue. I've got a bunch
that we're goln' 10 make the discov-
ely. and put Bill Lacy and OF Mendez
out OF business But there's no sense
Of our gassin' here. We got a right
smart bit o rdin' to do afore day
light"
How about the note she gave you?"
"WeHl wait q while to read that. |
don't want 10 strike no light just yet
Maybe 1t had best be kept till day
break"
The men rode steadily, and mostly
in silence, a large part of the way side
by side. The animals they bestrode
were fairly mated. quite capable of
maintaining their gait for several
hours. and needing little urging The
night gloom developed them complete
y: their strained eyes were scarcely
able to trace the dim outlines of the
ridge road but the horses were desert
broke, and held closely TO the beaten
track Then WestcOttS pony. which
carried by far the heavier load. be-
gan to show signs of fatigue. They
drew up, ana the marshal dismount-
ed Searching about blindly in the
darkness
Too d-n dark" he said, coming
back. and catching up his rein. "A
ear could. find anything there; hut
there's firm sand Wait minute;
I've got a pocket compass"
He struck match, sheterng the
suffering blaze with one hand The
light illUnined his face for an in
Stant, ami then went out leaving the
night blarker than before.
That's south" he announced, snap
ping the compass case shut, "and this
blame wind is southeast that ought to
keep us fairly straight"
The ponies will do that they'll
keep where the travelling is good. Shift
fhi> bag back of your saddle. Dan. You
ride lighter and my horse is begin
ming to pant already; that will ease
him few pounds
The trauSf = was made. and the two
men rode yut into the rear 'ieSert.
urging their animals forward, trust
ing largely to their natural instinct
for guidance. They would follow the
hard sand and before long the scent
Of wafer would as certainly lead them
directly toward the spring
Yet il was not long until dawn he
gan To turn the desert gray, gradually
revealing lis forlorn desolatiOn. West
colt lifted his head, and gazed about
with wearjed eyes, smarting still from
the whipping of the sands grit. On
every side stretched away a scene of
utter desolation. uurelieved by either
shrub or tree--an apparently endless
ocean Of sand. in places leveled by the
wind, and elsewhere piled into fan
ta>tjc heaps. The breeze slackened
somewhat as the sun redeemed the
east, and the ponies threw up their
heads and whinnied slightly, increas-
ing their speed. Westc0tt saw the
marshal arouse himself. straighten in
the saddle, and stare about, his eyes
stIll Gull and heavy.
"One HI Of view. jim" he said
dl~guStedly. "but reckon We can't be
a great ways from that spring We've
been -idia' right smart"
Its not far ahead; the ponies sniff
A