Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-12-23

ing passages between the round MIS-
was difficult 70 achieve, yet he finally
discovered an exit and ventured to-
ward the north. confident that the
Cottonwood would surely lie some
where I'm that direction.
He came upon IL so suddenly and
Unexpectedly as 10 almost daze his
faculties. Almost without warning he
stood at the very edge OF a yawning
hole and stared in amazement down
into those depths below. Again and
again he had heard this scene describ-
ed. yet had never before cOmprehended
its reality. A huge cut straight down,
fully a mile wide. cleft the plain IN
two with no visible signs of its pres
ence until one stood at the very era
ter's edge. At night he would have rid
den off without the slightest warning
of danger. And below! Feeling sick,
dizzy, Shelby swung himself from the
saddle. crept cautiously to the edge
and looked down. He had no concep-
ton of the depth, for 1t already was
hazy down there, as though he gazed
through a blue fog but how small
those trees appeared, mere toy trees,
and the silvery stream running through
the center seemed scarcely yard
wide. A yard, why, If 1t was actually
the Cottonwood. it must be hundred
feet from bank to bankl God! What
hole! What freak Of nature!
What a wilderness hiding place!
He lay motionless, with eyes search
ing up and down the valley. TO the
right he could not determine how far
II extended, but to the left he could
discern the silver shield OF water
where the Cottonwood came tumbling
over a precipice. One of the two pos
sible entrances was there; the other
must be along some one of those nu-
merous side ravines, whose black en-
frances he could dimly perceive. 1t
was all so serene, so peaceful, the
truth seemed impOssible-that he was
actually gazing down into veritable
hell on earth, a rendezvous or white
thieves and Indian murderers, Dor
der fortress for all the nameless devil
| try Of the frontier.
If he would be of service to this woman
captive. BY sheer recklessness he
must pierce the thing to the heart. Yet
how was it to be done? Not even
mountain goat could find passage
down those rocks even by daylight and
in another hour all would be darkness.
He could not remain there; before
night made the search impossible he
must at least find water and place
in which to camp. He stared down
into those deepening mists below, al
ready beginning to blot out the fea-
lures of the valley.
"God, what hole" he breathed;
at Is like looking straight into hell.
The only way down must be some
where to the left. Case told me they
passed in under that waterfall"
He got to his feet, with the pony
trailing behind, moved backward away
from the edge Of the chasm into the
open plain. Suddenly, as his glance
wandered searchingly toward the
chain Of rock hills, the man stopped,
his heart pounding. What was that
moving yonder, just emerging from out
the mouth of that ravine and becoming
clearly outlined against the gray al
kali? He knew almost tnstantly-the
advance of a drove of cattle, debouch-
ing through the narrow defile and
spreading out as they attained the
wider open space. There must be
hundred head and even as he COM
pretended, horsemen appeared in their
rear, squirting forward to turn them
to the left down shallow gulch.
There was no way he could escape
observation; no possibility of hiding
on that bare plain. Shelby's brain
worked like lightning. There were five
riders: he could count them now; In
dians mostly, although one was surely
white. There was nothing left him
but audacity and lies. He must take
the chance, the one chance, mad, des-
perate yet yielding possibility of sue
cess. He swung the field glasses to
his eyes-yes, one rider was white,
SQUAT figure with a red beard, and
another, the fellow at this end, APP
reared to be a Mexican. Then he
laughed grimly; the vortex of his glass
rested on the exposed flank of the
nearest steer and he saw the brand.
By all the gods, they were his own
cattle! The humor Of 1t flashed In
his eyes, but the jaw Of the man set
sternly. The ID thieves! He
strobe forward, the pony trailing at
his heels, and then the Mexican saw
him, throwing up one hand in swift
signal and squirting his horse reckless
ly across the gray plain. They met
half way, Shelby still afoot. the other
sweeping up at full speed, his horse
brought fairly to its launches by the
cruel pressure of Spanish bit.
The fellow was handsome devil
but for the evil In his eyes and dis
figuring scar down one cheek. The
eyes Of the two met and the riders
hand dropped instantly upon the ex-
posed butt of revolver.
"Buenas dias, senor," he said harsh
ly, staring. "What Is the meaning of