The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1921-03-30
Shelby looked him squarely in the

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Shelby looked him squarely in the
eye.
"ChurchiN."
"What! Matt talked to me about
that. Fellow named Macklin stalkin'
girl down Ponca way"
Hes got her; SO iIanley says. an
th9t's what I'm here for-see?"
"But you mint Or Churchill. The
way heard It he was sixty anyhow.
an a down-easier."
virginia: he's my father"
..Oh. hi. an where you been?"
"Soldlerin' mostly"
II see." his eyes wandered. Sounds
kinder fishy. young Teller. but ! amt
In no shape to tell. reckon Matt
Hanley kin strnighten 1t out. an If he
is down thar. the best thing we Kin do
Is TO take yer long. II yer lynn yen
he d--n sorry fore yer get out ag'in.
III tell yer that to begin with, but If
yer game to ride along. we'll see yer
get thar all right. Let's hit her up.
Juan; them Tnjuns will need US fore
,Ong. Come on. stranger"
lie wheeled his horse and rode Off
on sharp trot and the Mexican fol-
lowed. Neither man SO much as
glanced hack toward Shelby. seeming
ly Indifferent as to what he chose TO
do. Yet he knew the customs of the
West ana that If he failed them now
no future fulsehood would ever regain
their confidence. He swung into the
saddle and rode silently forward be-
hind Junn. The cattle were still out of
sight ahead. hut they could hear the
calls Of the drivers. Shelby pressed
his bronco up closer to the Mexican.
who had lit cigarette.
us 1t far, Juan?" he asked.
"NOm de Dios. heard you not
To the Hole your mean? Not far. but
rough. senior; yet there is no other
way to get cattle in."
1.-THE man with you; who is hep"
Juan emitted a cloud of blue smoke
In the air. smiling pleasantly.
.~Senor Laud."
"Laud!" In un1isguised astonish.
ment. "What l.aud? Not Indian
Joe'?"
Isl, senior; they call heem that.
confidently. "He vera bad man. You
know heem, whaty'
Shelby grlpped himself tightly.
"Tve heard Of him. that's all. He's
a Sioux squawman. but l never knew
what he looked like before"
His pony, no longer urged, fell back
trailing ut the rear of the others
Juan rode on. unconscious and indif.
ferent, blowing spirals Of smoke into
the air. and hummlng the strain OF
some Spanish melody. but Shelby was
staring beyond him at the red-bearled
white man slouched down in his sad.
die. So that fellow was Indian joe
Land! AS never before he realized
to the full the danger into which he
advanced.
indian Joe" Iaud! When hadn't
he heard of him? For years certainly
ever since he had been in this north
country, yet In appearance the fellow
was not at all what he previously
had Imagined that desperate to be-
Laud was gross, bearded. dirty, coarse.
featured; to all appearances mere
barroom tough, yet no man on the
frontier had worse record or was
more dreaded and despised. Why was
ne here stealing cattle on the very
verge OF Indian war? True. he was
not Sioux in blood, yet 1t was well
known that he had been adopted into
the tribe and never failed to have q
hand In their deviltry. Army officers
claimed he possessed more influence
over them for evil than any chief. and
Shelby had heard him mentioned with
sitting Bull rs leaders In the ghost.
dance. II true, then he must know
now far to venture. and just when tc
draw aside so rs to save himself. That
must be Ito him war meant only an
opportunity to plumber. The final re-
suit was clearly Indian defeat; he
would keep out, but in the meanwhile
profit all he could.
The trail led downward at n rathe,
steep grade, in spite of continual curv
Ing. The sure-footed horses moved
faster than the cattle. and before the
outfit reached the level of the valley
the three riders had closed in on the
indian drivers. Shelby knew them al
once as young Sioux warriors, and was
again able to distinguish plainly the
brand on the flank of the steers bring
Ing up the rear of the herd. They
were unquestionably his own stock
and. In spite of his rage, he could no
be entirely Indifferent to the grim hu
NOR OF the situation-he was bein,
! guided into Wolves hole by the yer,
men who had robbed him.
Yet his thoughts did not dwell upor
this SO much just then. as on. the mat
chance he had assumed In this adven
ture. What could he accomplish? Wha
hope was there that he would eve
emerge again oliver He was goin,
forward blindly. led by fate, with no
even plan of guidance. He mus
work alone, in the midst Of enemies
desperate men to whom human If