St. Tammany farmer., 1922-12-30
The disintesrating surface ofa lav

bed was at once the toughest, the
hardest, the meanest, the cruelest, the
most deceitful kind Of ground to
travel. The fugftives made slow
progress. They picked cautious,
winding way to and fro In little steps
here and there along the many twists
Of the trail, up and down the unavoid-
able depressions, round and round the
holes. At noon, so winding back upon
itself had been their course, they ap-
peared to have come only a. short dis
tance up the lava slope.
It was rough work for them; 1t was
terrible work for the horses. Blanco
Diablo refused to answer to the power
Of the Yaqui. He baked, he plunged,
he bitsand kicked. He had to be pulled
and beaten over many places. Mer-
cedes horse almost threw her, and
she was put upon Blanco Sol. The
white charger snorted protest, then,
obedient to Gales stern call, patiently
lowered his noble head and paved the
lava for footing that would hold.
The lava caused Gale toll and
worry and pain, but he hated the
choyas. He came almost to believe
what he had heard claimed by desert
travelers-that the choya was alive
and leaped at man or beast. Certain
1t was when Gale passed one, it he
did not put all attention to avoiding
it, he was hooked through his chaps
and held by barbed thorns. The pain
was almost unendurable It was like
no other. 1t burned, stung, beat
almost seemed to freeze It made
useless arm or leg. It made him bite
his tongue to keep from crying out.
It made the sweat roll of him. It
made him sick.
Moreover, ;nad as the choya was for
man, it was Infinitely worse for beast.
A jagged stab from this poisoned cac-
tus was the only thing Blanco Sol
could not stand Many times that day,
before he carried Mercedes, he had
wildly snorted, and then stood trem-
bling while Gale picked broken thorns
from the muscular legs. But after
Mercedes had been put upon Sol Gale
made sure no choya touched him.
The afternoon passed like the morn
ing, in ceaseless winding and twist
ing and climbing along this abandoned
trail Gale saw many waterholes,
mostly dry, some containing water, all
Of them catch-basins, full only after
rainy season. Little ugly punched
bushes, that Gale scarcely recognized
as mesqultes, grew near these holes;
also stunted greasewood and prickly
pear. There was no grass, and the
choya alone fourished In that hard
soil.
Darkness overlook the party as they
unpacked beside pool Of water deep
under an overhanging shelf Of lava.
It had been a hard day. The horses 4
drank their fill, and then stood pa
tiently with dropping heads. Hunger
and thirst we're appeased, and warm :
fire cheered the weary and footsore
fugitives. Yaqui said, "Sleep." And
90 another night passed.
- .
Upon the following morning, ten
miles or more up the slow-ascendingg
lava slope, Gale was IN the rear Of
all the other horses, so as to take,
for Mercedes sake, the advantage Of
the broken trail. Yaqui was leading
Diablo, winding around break. His
head was bent as he stepped slowly
and unevenly upon the lava. Gale
turned to look back, the first time in
several days. He thought, of course,
of Rojas In certain pursuit; but 1t
seemed absurd to look for him.
Yaqui led on, and Gale often glanced
up from his task to watch the Indian.
look back. Ladd did likewise, and
then Jim and Thorne. Gale found the
desire irresistible. Thereafter he
Often rested Blanco Sol, and looked
back the while. He had his field
glass, but did not choose to use It.
"Rojas will follow" said Mercedes.
Gale regarded her in amaze. The
tone Of her voice had been indef1nable.
II there were fear then he failed to
detect 1t. She was gazing back. down
the colored slope, and something about
her, perhaps the steady, falcon gaze
Of her magnificent eyes, reminded him
Of Yaqui.
Many times during the ensuing hour
the Indian faced about, and always
his followers did likewise. 1t was high
noon;, with the sun beating hot and
the lava radtating heat, when Yaqui
halted for "a rest. The horses punched
and dropped their heads. The rangers
were about to slip the packs and re-
move saddles when Yaqui restrained
them.
He fixed changeless, cleaning gaze
on the slow descent; but did not seem
to look afar.
Suddenly he uttered his strange
cry-the one Gale considered involun-
tary, or else significant Of some tribal
trait or feeling. Yaqui pointed down
the lava slope, pointing with finger
and arm and neck and head his
whole being seemed to have been ami
mated and then frozen.
ashore he sees somethin," said
Ladd. "But my eyes are no good"
''I reckon I ain't sure Of mine," re-
piled Jim. I'm bothered by a dim
moyin' streak down there"
Thorne gazed eagerly down as he
stood beside Mercedes, who sat mo
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