The Dolores star., 1920-04-16
Randall
parx-il,

ut takes thet boy bout an hour fer
ter tell enything. Cap" he explained
gruffly. Il reckon he's skeered half
ter death in the furst place, an then
ihar's sumthin' wrong with him eny-
how. Howsumever, it's whut he seed
an heerd, Cap. thet sounds mighty
queer ter me. He SeZ thar wuS more'n
fifty bucks in thet party, an that OIL
Black Hawk wus thar hisself, Ieadin
'en-he done saw him
| l turned, surprised at this statement.
10 stare into the boys face. He half
grinned back at me, vaCantly.
"Black Hawk He could scarcely be
down here; what did he look likeF
Bout six feet high. | reckon, with
a big hooked nose. an the blackeSt
pair O. mean eyes ever ye saw.
reckon he didn't hav' no eyebrows, an
he wore Il bunch o eagle feathers. an
red blanket. Gosh, mister, but the
devil Cudn't look no worse'n he did"
'Wus thet him. Cap?" burst in Tim.
auXiously.
ITS not n bad description" | admit
ted. yet not convinced. 81 cant be-
lieve he would be here with raidinE
party II he was. there must be some
important object in view. Is that aIlf'
mo, 'tain't; the boy swears thar was
a white man long with 'em. ii feller
with short muslache. an dressed i'll
store clothes He want no prisoner
nuther. but he'd gun, an talked ter
Black Hawk. most like he WIS chief
| hiSself. After the KILN wuS all over,
| he WIS the one whut got '"Iu ter 20 nI
| thar to The south. the whole kit an
| kaboodle"
Il don't doubt that. Ther" have nj
ways been white renegudeS among the
Sacs and plenty Of half-hrecds. If
Black Hawk. and this other fellow are
| leading this band, they are after big
game somewhere, and We had better
| keep out Of their way. favor sad
| ding up Immediately, and travelling all
nigh"
$50 do l." and Tim flung half-dllrd
bag from his shoulder to the ground.
But vote we eat furst. Tain't much.
only few scraps found out thar;
/ but it's way better then nuthtn'.
| Here you, Hail, give me IA hand, nm
then Wen 20 out, an round up them
/ h0SseS"
If The party OF raidin= Indians.
who's" foul deed We had discovered.
had departed in a snulherIy direction,
rs their trail would plainly seem to in
dictate. then our safest CourS" would
seemingly be directed eastward up the
valley. This would give us the pro-
lection of the bluffs. and take US more
and more out of the terri DRY they
would be likely 10 cover. Within
twenty minutes we We're in saddle. de
Scending the steep hillside through the
darkness. Tim walking ahead with the
lad, his horse trailing behind, and the
long rifle across his shoulder.
l do not recall feeling any special
fear In the first place ! was convinced
that we must already be at the ex-
treme limit of Black Hawks radius.
and that. travelling as we were east
ward, must before morning be well be
yond any possible danger of falling
into the hands of his warriors The
other pursucrs ! had practically dis
missed from thought Shortly after
midnight my horse strained a tendon,
and could no longer uphold my weight
On foot, with the poor beast lmping
painfully behind me, | pressed on be-
side ElOise, both of us silent. too ut
terly wearied with the strain for any
attempt at speech
The rising sun topped the summit
of the BLUM. its red rays seeming to
bridge with spans of gosSamcr the lit
tie valley up which we tOilpd had
lost my interest, and was walking dog
sedly on, with eyes bent upon the
ground, when the girl beside NE cried
out suddenly, new excitement in her
voice.
"Oh, there is u cabin, See Over
yonder; just beyond that big oak.
where the bluff turns"
Her eager face was aglow. her out
stretched hand pointing eagerly.
The logs of which the little building
had been constructed, still In their ma
tive bark, blended 50 perfectly with
the drab hillside beyond. that for the
moment noEe of us caught the distant
outlines. Tim possessed the keenest
sight, and his voice was first to speak.
Sure, miss. thet's cabin, all right"
lie said grimly. "One room, an new
buIIt; likely 'nOugh sum settler just
com in yere. l don't see no move
ment ner smoke"
Fled to the nearest fort probably"
| replied, able myself by this time to
dccipher the spot. BE too risky to
stay out here alone. Wen look II
over; there might be food left behind.
even if the people have gone"
We must have been half an hour in
covering the distance The cabin stood
well up above the stream, within the
shade Of the great oak. and we were
confirmed, long before we reached 1t,
in our former judgment that it was
uninhabited. No sign of life was visi-
BILE about the place; 1t had the an
pearance Of desertion. no smoke even
curling from out the chimney. A faint