The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1922-11-28

The hours passed. AS the sun
climbed the clear sky, steely lights van
ished, the blue hazes deepened, and
slowly the glistening surfaces of lava
turned reddeE. sLadd was concerned
to discover that Yaqui was missing
from his outlook upon the high point.
Jim Lash came out Of the shady crew
ice, and stood up to buckle on his car
fridge belt. His narrow, gray glance
slowly roved from the height Of lava
down along the slope, paused in doubt
and then swept on to resurvey the
whole vast eastern dip Of the plateau.
II reckon my eyes are pore," he said.
'Mebbe it's this d-n red glare. Any
way, what's them creepin' spots up
there?"
ashore I seen them. Mountain
Sheep" replied Ladd.
"Guess again, Laddy. Dick, I
reckon you'd better flash the glass up
the slope."' = ~, - -
Gale adjusted the field glass and be-
gan to search the lava, beginning close
at hand and working away from him.
Presently the glass became stationary.
II see half a dozen small animals,
brown in color. They look like sheep.
But I couldn't distinguish mountain
sheep from antelope"
ashore they're bighorn," said Laddy.
'I reckon if you'll pail around to the
east an search under that long wall
Of lava-there-you'l see what I see" y
| added Jim. -
The glass climbed and circled, wa
vered an instant, then fixed steady
| as a rock. There was a breathless
! silence.
Fourteen horses two packed -
some mounted-others without, riders,
and lame," said Gale, slowly. p.
| Yaqui appeared far up the trail,
coming swiftly. Presently he saw the
rangers and halted to wave his arms
and point. Then he vanished as If the
lava had opened beneath him.
"Lemme thas glass;" suddenly said
Jim Lash. I'm seein' red, tell you.
/. Well, pore as my eyes are they
had It right. Rojas an his outfit have
left the trail. Laddy, I'll be DANCED.
If the Greaser bunch hasn't vamoosed.
Gone out Of sight! Right there not
half mile away, the whole caboodle-
gone!"'
ashore they're behind crust or
have gone down into rut," suggested
Ladd. They'll show again in a min
ute. Look sharp, boys, for I'm fig
germ Rojas III spread his men,"
From time to time the rangers
looked inquiringly at Gale. The field
glass, however, like the naked sight,
could not catch the slightest moving
object out there upon the lava. A
long hour of slow, mounting suspense
wore on.
ashore it's all goin' to be as queer
as the Yaqhi," said Ladd.
Indeed, the strange mlen, the silent
action, the somber character Of the
Indian had not been without effect
upon the minds of the men. Then the
weird, desolate, tragic scene added to
the vague sense of mystery. And now
the disappearance of Rojas' band, the
long watt in the silence, the boding
certainty Of invisible foes crawling,
circling closer and closer, lent to the
situation a final touch that made it
unreal. .-.r
"I'm reckonin' there's mind be-
hind them Greasers," replied Jim. "Or
mebbe we amt done Rojas credit.
. If somethin' would only come
offw 4 =
That Lash, the coolest, the most
provokingly nonchalant of men in
: times Of peril, should begin to show
!: a nervous strain was all the more in
dicative of subtle pervading UNI
reality.
"Boys, look sharp" suddenly called
Lash. Low down to the left-mebbe
three hundred yards. See, along by
them seams Of lava-behind the cho-
yas. First off thought it was
sheep. But it's the Yaqui! >. (.
Crawlin' swift as lizard! Can't you
see him?"
It was full moment before Jim's
companions could locate the Indian.
Flat as snake, Yaquf wound him
self along with Incredible rapidity.
His advance was all the more remark
able for the. fact that he appeared to
pass directly; under the dreaded !cho-
vas. Sometimes he paused to lift his
head and look.
ashore he's headln' for that high
place." said Ladd. "He's going slow
now. There, he's stopped behind some
choyas. He's gettin' up-no, he's
}-kneelin'. Now what the h-l!"
s"Laddy, take a peek at the side of
that lava RIDGE sharply called Jim.
II guess mebbe somethin' amt comm
of. See! There's Rojas an his outfit
climbin'. Don't make out no hosses.
Dick, use your glass an tell
us what's doin'. I'll watch YaQui an
tell you what his move means"
Clearly and distinctly, almost as If
: he could have touched them, Gale had
: Rojas and his followers in sight. They
were toil:ng up the rough lava on
foot. *. e. +.
= They're almost m now Gale was