Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-09-10

see what's goin' ON out yeFe."
''We1l fight our way thrOugh7r
"Not a fight, my son; Wen make
II so softly that not son-of-a-gun will
ever know how Il happened. When
they wake up wen be twenty miles out
In the desert, an still goin'. Thar's a
big log clinging ter the upper end o.
tn rock. saw ii when / fust come
over an bout an hour ago crept
back through that gully an took a
good look. A shove win send 1t hoatin'.
An with good pair o. legs to steer
with, thar amt nuthin' 70 stop 1t this
side the curve, an don't calculate
any o. the rifle brigade will be down as
fur as that. It sounds blame good ter
me. Jim; what dye sayY'
Weste0tt's hand went cut, and the
fingers Of the two men clasped silent
ly. There was no need for more
speech they understood each other.
The night closed down swiftly, as it
does in the West, the purple of the
hills becoming black as though by
some magic. There was a heavy
cloud hanging In the Western sky, con-
stantly sweeping higher In pledge of
a dark night. The banks OF the stream
became obscured, and finally vanished
altogether; while the water ceased to
gllmmer and turned to an inky black
ness. Lights twinkIed in the distant
shacks, and the front of the Red Dog
burst into Illumination Brennan
chuckled. and pointed his finger at
the glare.
Lacy amt fergettin' the profit in
all this" he whispered hoarsely. 'The
boys are goin' ter be dry. an he'll sell
'em all they want--wouidn't mind IL I
had some myself Is 1t dark enough,
mate?'
THE sooner the betterl"
"That's my ticket. Come on then,
but don't make sound; them lads are
more liable to hear than they are to
see us. Let me 60 first"
The log was at the other end of the
little island, but there was consider
able rift in the rock surface, not deep,
but Of sufficient width to permit the
passage Of body The jagged stone
made the way rough in the dark, and
Westcott found himself at the upper
extremity, gashed and bruised by the
contact.
| Brennan lowered himself into the
water, assisted IN the downward climb
by some low, tough bushes whose ten
drills chung tenaciously to the smooth
rock. Westcott followed silently, and
found footing in about three feet of
water, where 1t swirled around the
base of the island. Brennan put his
lips close to his companions ear.
''Got yer cartridges tied up? That's
all right hand 'em over. You hang
on to the outside, an I'll push off. If
yer have ter paddle ter keep in the
! current, don't let yer hands er feet
come to the surface-u understands"
"Certainly"
"All right then; are you all set7
Holy smoke, this Is going TO be some
yacht ride"
The log did not even crate as 1t loos-
ened its slight hold on the rock, and
began the voyage downstream. The
current was swift enough to bear
II and its burden free from the island,
| although 1t moved slowly and noise
lessly on its way. The two men deep
ly submerged on either side. with heads
held rigid against the wet bark, were
indistinguishable. Out from the deep
er shadow, Brennan gently controlled
the unwieldy affair. and keeping 1t as
nearly as possible to the center, by the
noiseless movement Of a hand under
water. No alarm greeted Its progress,
and at last, confident that they were al.
ready safely below the extent Of the
guard Inc, the two men, clinging to its
wet sides. ventured to kick out quietly,
j and thus hasten its progress. It came
ashore at the extreme end of the curve,
and. after a moment Of intent listen
ing, the voyagers crept up the sand,
and in whispers discussed the next eff
fort OF their escape. The belts were
unstrapped from about the log reload
ed with cartridges, and buckled around
dripping waists, before they clambered
cautiously up the low bank. The road
was just beyond, but between them
and 1t arose the almost shapeless form
OF a small house, mere darker
shadow In the gloom of the night.
ssWhere are WEI" questioned West.
colt.
"Just back of old Beecher's shack
He's trucking down Benson way, but Ii
liable to have some grub stored inside
was countin on this for our com.
missary department Come on. Jim
time is money Just now"
The door was unlocked, and In less
than ten minutes they emerged once
more into the open bearing their spoils
-Wescott, a slab of bacon and small
frying pan; Brennan a paper sack Of
cornmeal, with couple Of specimens
of canned goods. He had also resur
rected gunny sack somewhere, in
which the things were carefully
wrapped, and made secure for trans
) portation.
Didn't feel no terbaeco. did yer
| Tim 9n fhn marshal ulIaStionad Salse