New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-01-21
CHAPTER I-Continued.

Hes got n cabin over toward the
marshes. and II has come To me that
hes going TO start tomorrow, or maybe
has already started today. down into
the valley to give his evidence. OF
rolrSe, that il deeply confidential he
tWeeu you and me. If the gang knew
about it, he'd never get through the
thickctS alive"
hut Dan was hardly listening. His
attention was caught by the huShed,
Intermittent sounds that are always tn
be heard. if one listens kccnly enough,
in the wilderness M night. Il wish
tle pack would sound again" he sud.
Il suppose it was hunting
"of course. And there is no living
fllng in these woods that can stand
against a wolf pack in its full
strength
Except man, of course
a strong man. with an accurate
rifle. OF course, and except possibly
IA the starving times in winter he'd
never have To fight them. All the
beasts of prey are out tonight. You
see, Dan. when the moon shines, the
deer feed Mt night instead of in the
Jwilights and the dawn. And Of
course the wolves and the cougars
hun, the deer. II may be- that they
are, running cattle. or eve sheep"
But bans Imagination Mas aiire.
iic wasn't content yet, "They couldn't
~hr-hunting MANI" he asked.
"No. IL it was midwinter and the
pack was starving, we'd have to lis
zen better. II always looked to me ms
tf the Wild creatures had n law
against killing = just as humans
have. They've learned II doesn't pay
something the wolves and bears OF
Europe and Asia haven't found out.
The naturalist- say that the reason Is
rather simplc-that the European
peasant, his SOU scared out of him by
the government he lived under, has
always fled from wild beasts. They
were filters of the soil. aud they eur
ricd hoes instead of guns. They never
out the fear Of God into the animals
and ms a result there are quite a num-
her Of true stories about tigers and
wolves that aren't pleasant To listen
60. But our own frontlersmcn were
not men 10 stand amy nonsense from
wolves or uga They had guns
sud they knew how to use them. And
they were preceded 10y as brave aud
warlike II race ~ ever lived on the
cnrth-armetl with bows and arrows.
animal that hunted men was i'm
"cdiately Killed. and the rest found
lUt It al INT pay.
lust n human hcings have found
the same thing that it doesn't
gay TO hunt their fellow men. The
Of life 90, we'll aS the law, OF ma
finus are against H."
hut tho words sounded weak and
iim under the weight of ihe ihroLhinr
darkness: and Ian couldn't get away
from The idea ri1i the codes of life hv
most men lived were forgotten
ia the shadows OF the pines.
Even ~ lac spoke, man was hunting
'ian on the distant ridge where Wits
%u"rfoot ihe cougar had howled.
Eert Cranst"u. head of the arson
-iug that operated nu the Tmpqua d.
Idle. was not only hryond the 1ale In
To the laws ~ the valleys. hut
1r could have learned valuable lessons
rom the beasts in regard to keeping
IT, laws of the hills. The moor looked
to find him waiting on n certain
rail that wound down &C. the settle
his rifle loaded snd ready for
mother kind If game than deer or
solf. lie was waiting for Landy Hi
Ireth; and th- greeting he had for
was to destroy all chances Of the
Prosecuting attorney in the valley he
learning certain names that he
PARTICULARLY wanted Ia know. 1
There was no breath of wind. The
reat pines. tall and dark past belief.
.ood absolutely ~motionless, like
TRANCE pillars of ebony. Bert Gran .
fon knelt in a brush covert, his rife
,aded aud ready in his lean. dark I
aHds. I
No wolf that ran the ridges. no /.
pugar that waited on the deer trails I.
new a wilder passion. n more terrible I
ioodlust than he. II showed In his :
yes. narrow aud neve resting from I
heir watch Of the trail: il was in as
GESTURE. and IL revealed Itself unmis-
in the curl of his lips. Some
hing Ike hot steam was In his brain. '
his sight and heating his 4
hood. a
The pine needles hung wholly mo- G