The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-19

 '.Not on your lffe," I retorted; but his remark wasn't cheering, you must | admit.
 The half-breed pointed toward the east and uttered the word, Sun" He picked up a stick and ran line across the ground.
 l Five Ihi.e,'' he observed. Next | he marked a cross in the earth. | "Buttes," he explained. He drew a shorter line which also ended in a | cross. Three nile,' he said. Lake" The directions were short, but l ample. Hosey rolled himself in a blanket and began to snore. I fol- lowed suit.
 Before sunrise the half-breed led me to the foot of the plateau. He was to care for my pack-horse and traps, and meet me at the lake next morning. I was starting out with the lightest equipment-blankets, a-Irtle flour, a piece of bacon, and a hand full of coffee.
 Goodbye. Hosey," said. swinging myself into the saddle. You'll meet me tomorrow?''
 Tomorrow" was the ha1f-breed's response. as he stood like a sentinel at the foot of the plateau.
 loped my horse along the wash winding down from the mountain slope, and had galloped three miles
 
 the sight of my life.
 Way ahead were the steep sides of the Ganados. like purple wall. The sun dropped on the table-land, and then sent the outline of that mountain jumping up into the sky like hundred church steeples. It's the rarified air does these things, they tell me. It got me so dizzy I ree1ed on the pony's back.
 Next minute the whole thing cleared and before me were the buttes Hosey had mentioned-three lemon co1ored hills capped with rocks Leav- ing my pony at the foot, I climbed one of the buttes to get the lay of the land. South was rough country, cut up in ravities and gullies. Some miles away I saw the smoke-thread of a campfire. I didn't like the looks of that. being full of suspicious, and afraid I might still be trailed.
 But when I crawled around to the other side of the butte I gave a whoop. and forgot about everything else. There she was below me Lizard Lake; and snapped like a lizard, every bit. long and narrow, with feet, head, and tail. I got down from the butre and onto my pony's back before I knew it, and was rid ing like mad over to that strip of desert water.
 | got hold of me, and I went up in the air like crazy man. And there wasn't a friendly hand to hold me back or a friends voice to warn me My head was just filled with notions about Morehard's mysterious chart, and the fortune lying ahead of me. The brackish lake was half sunk into a gravel-bed and the water worn pebbles on it's shore giittered in the sunlight in b1oodred, green and bluish coiors. Under some cottonwoods found spring of fine, fresh water tethered my pony here, undid my pack. and got out the photograph. was in nervous hurry to pace out the engineers map.
 I'd figured out that I could pace the chart in two and a half or three hours at the most, SD I didn't need much baggage. I hung the pacing machine from my left shoulder, and slung my bag with gruE and water on my right.
 Leaving my ponies beside the cot tonwoods, I walked to the upper end of the lake, which came to a point , If you look at the diagram of the chart, you'll see 1t begins at the bot. tom with curve, and 1t was from the lower end of this loop I started t north from Lizard Lake.
 A little round hole in the upper
 
 the compass needle with which l guided my course. All this time my mead was buzzing with queer thoughts I and my heart beat high with hope. I thought of my little girl back there in Missouri, and how I had come out to this bare table-land without my y folks knowing where I was or what 3 I was about.
 si Reaching the end of the loop I . turned and went south, as wou may 3 see by looking at the diagrar.. I was 7 brought to sudden stop by a deep Assure in the earth. say I was 3 on the edge of a canon, the bottom l. of which was in shadow, The descent = was risky, but got down safe and t 1 started on again.
 Twelve hundred paces dead north g :. said the chart, and I followed them 6 along the bad of the canon for over y half mile. when-bang!-I ran 3 right up against rock wall where f the canon bent aside was ur }, said plainly: Walk $50 pacss to the y left" And here was walled ur I between the steep sides of gorge. r It was some job climbing up again and when at last I crawled over the v edge of the gorge I was plumb run 8 out. My photograph had got a Lad 3 shaking up, and I had to get the teeth A VI IiAO AoSS-AiSt WileS1 III tlS-T pTOpSI 8 place on the chart
 Then I looked about me. and for o a minute the breath nearly left my q body. might have been in another I world than the one left when first f climbed down into the canon. r All around, so far as my eye could 8 search, was a blazing sea of alkan = The air quivered, the heat rose in I streams, and way to the west Eioun- y tains were dancing about in fancy l. shapes to make your head swim. n And Morehard's chart was pointing e right into the heart of those shimmer. ing flats. The sight scared me, and tt yet it seemed to drag me on. I'd n never felt the like of it before. Ii s was the deserts lure
 d Little driblets of sand came dancing D on. You'd have thought a man was g waking toward me whose shane VOL