The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-12-28
= Eaan,no : 8 saco Sol.

rs rsnnAo q saco Sol.
VIC aqui's Stsa..-r ylanre roved
oVer the corral. tie swinging gate
w'fh its broken fastepings. the tracks
In the road, and tiieh rested upon Beld-
Ing.
''AIalo." he said. and his Spanish
was clear.
Shore, Yaqui. about eight bad men,
an traitor Indian" said Ladd.
Il think he means my herder." add
ed Belding. "If he does, that settles
any doubt 1t light be decent to have
-Yaqui-malo Papago-SiY'
The Yaqui spread wide his hands.
Then he bent over the tracks in the
road. They led everywht er. hut
gradually he worked ouf of tie thick
net to take the trail that tna cowboys
had followed down to the river. Beld-
ing and the rangers kept close at his
heels. He found trampled spot where
the raiders had left their horses. From
this point a deeply defined narrow
trail led across the dry river bed. =
The trail Of the raiders took a
southeasterly course over untrodden
desert. The Yaqui spoke In his own
tongue. then in Spanish.
Think he means slow march," said
Beldihg. ''Laddy, from the looks Of
that trail the Greasers are having
trouble with the horses"
'Tom, shore a boy could see that"
replied Laddy. ASK Yaqui to tell us
where the raiders are headin', an II
there's water"
1t was wonderful to see the Yaqui
point. With stick he traced line in
the sand. and then at the end Of that
another line at right angles. He made
crosses and marks and holes, and as
he drew the rude map he talked in
Yaqui, In Spanish with a word here
and there In English. Bedding trans
lated as best he could. The raiders
were heading southeast toward the
railroad that ran from Nogales down
into Sonora. 1t was four days travel,
bad trail, good sure waterhole one
day out; then water not sure for two
days. Raiders, not looking for pur-
suit, could be headed and ambushed
that night at the first waterhole,
natural trap in q valley.
The men returned to the ranch.
The rangers ate and drank while maxi
ing hurried preparations for travel.
Blance Sol and the cowboys horses
were fed, watered, and saddled. Ladd
refused to ride one of Belongs
whites. He was quick and cold.
"Get me long-range rife an lots
nf chaI y
want gun that'll outshootE the dinky,
little carbines an muskets used by
the rebels. Trot one out an be quick. y
I've got a .405, long-barreled
heavy, rifle that'll shoot a mile. 1 use
It for. mountain sheep. But Laddy,
|.itll break that bronch's back"
Ills back won't break SO easy. :.
Dick, take plenty Of shells for your
Remington. An don't forget your
field glass" t'>
IN less than IN hour after the time
efsthe raid the three rangers, heavily
armed and superbly mountedson fresh
horees, rode out on the trail. AS Gale
turned to look back from the far bank
Of Forlorn river. he saw Nell waving
a white scarf. He stood high in his
stirrups and waved his sombrero.
Then the mesquite hid the girls slight
figure. and Gale wheeled grim-faced
to follow the rangers.
They rode in single file with Ladd
In the lead. He took q bee-line course
for the white escarpment pointed out
by the Yaqui; and nothing save deep
washes and impossible patches of
cactus or rocks made him swerve
from It.
At noon the rangers got out of the
thick cactus. The desert floor inclined
perceptibly upward. When Gale. got
an unobstructed view of the slope of
, the escarpment he located the raiders
sand horses. In another hours travel
the rangers could see with naked eyes
a long, faint moving streak of black
and-white dots.
They're headin' for. that yellow
pass" said Ladd., pointing to break
'sFhen they get out of sight we1l
rustic. I'm thinkin' that waterhole
the. Yaqui spoke of lays In the pass"
The rangers Travelled swiftly over
the remaining miles Of level. desert
leading to the ascent Of the escarp-
ment When they achieved the gate
way Of the pass the sun was low in
the west, Ladd gave the word to
tie up horses and go forward on foot.
The narrow neck OF the pass opened
and descended into a valley half a mile
tfde, perhaps twice that in length.
It had apparently unscalable slopes Of
weathered rock leading up to beetling
walls. ..s q
Keep down. boys" said Ladd.
THERE'S the waterhOle, an hosses
have sharp eyes. Shore the Yaqui
nggered this place. never seen its
like for trap"
Both white and black horses showed
against the green, and a thin curling
column, of blue smoke rose lazily from
amid the mesqutfes. ~ 5