Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-11-11

ice " vos " ,"E>-ii asc.,. - - -
tasks have an ~end-either at the bot
tom or at the top. The ~Pearlhunter's
task finally ended at the top. It
had to.
The strata CAPPED apart half the
height of a man, leaving a wide-open
scar in the face of the cliff. 1t was per-
haps ten feet deep, and seemed to be
closed at the back by the dipping to-
gether of the two strata.
Rolling back as far within the OPEN
ing as the converging strata would
comfortably allow, he dropped his bat
tered head upon his arm to sleep the
rest of the ~nighusaway.
The Pearlhunter walked with the
woods. His limbs and breast and
shoulders We're so sore that he was
half glad for the snug place to lie in.
like a fox in his burrow, while the
hounds beat up the woods at fault.
Lack of water was the greatest
drawback. Thirst was already begin
ming to annoy him. He took out his
sandwiches and ate two more of them,
saving the other two until later in the
day. The salty bacon made the WA
Ter o tempting still. He drew back
a little space from the brink of the
ledge on of sight of it. The sound of
1t still tempted him.
Voices reached him suddenly, break
ing upon the silence from around a
sharp turn Of the gorge down stream.
He drew his face back from the brink
OF the ledge and lay listening. 1t was
FAR too risky to look. His ears made
out three of them-three tongues, all
going at top speed, a sure sign that
eyes and ears We're not as busy as
they might have been. Opposite the
Cliff where the fugitive lay, the steps
stopped.
whats that hole up there?"
1t was a gruff and heavy voice that
asked, thick still with the flare of tenn
per that had not yet cooled.
"Wolf den, more'n likely" answered
n of the others.
"If we wus up tn bluff cross there
furninst the hole, we could see in"
suggested a voice.
The other voices grunted; and the
P%earlhunter heard them hopping back
across the stream. heard them clawing
their way through the tangled under
brush up the opposite bluff. The scar
In which he lay dipped slightly to-
ward the rear. He rolled back as far
as possible, so as to have the protec-
ton afforded by the slightly higher
edge; stretched himself on his right
side; and waited for them to come
into view.
Fortunately the sun hit their side
of the gorge, and the P%earlhunter
could see them we'll, while, being on
the shady side, and back in the dark
ness Of the scar, they could not see
him at all. The three Of them drew
together in consultation. The Pearl
hunter could not make out their words,
but the manner in which they handled
their rifles, which they had managed
to drag up with them, indicated only
too plainly the general drift Of what
was being said.
With a final nod all around, they
faced the pocket, and one of them
raised his rifle. The bullet struck the
roof of the scar just in front of him,
showering him with dust and bits of
shale. The second fired. The bullet
passed close to his feet and lost it.
self far back in the crevice where the
two strata of shale converged.
1t was now the third ones turn.
There came the hot spit of smoke;
the vicious slap of the report. But
even before he saw the one, or heard
the other, he felt something like a
red coal sting his side just under the
armpit.
His side! A thousand flames had
got at it. Something warn and sticky
ran down under his tattered shirt and
made it mussy. The flames reached
his face and twisted it. The air seemed
to forsake the pocket. He crawled to
the front of the scar.
He couldn't take his eyes away from
the water glancing along at the foot
of the cliff. The flames had scorched
him dry. If he could only have one
sup Of the water to moisten his lips
so that the breath could get through.
He crawled a little nearer the open
ing; held his face out over the ledge.
The ledge seemed to be rocking up
and down: the trees were dipping and
going around in a queer whirl that
made him dizzy. He had never known
trees to act like that. The tops of
the gorge were bending together. The
gorge came Observation-Disclosures out
the air-shut out the sky.
CHAPTER xl.