Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-11-24

viting danger Water was the thing
that drove him. He must see who
these campers were, and then decide
how 10 give Blanco Sol drink.
Stooplng low, with bushy mesquites
between him and the fire, Gale adj
vanced. The coyotes were In full
cry. Gale heard the tramping, stamp
ing thumps Of many hOofs. The sound
worried him. Foot by foot he adj.
vanced, and finally began to crawl.
The nearer he approached the head
Of the arroyo, where the well was To-
Gated, the thicker grew the desert veg.
citation. He secured q favorable posi-
tlon, and then rose to peep from be-
hind his covert.
He saw a bright fire, not cooking
fire, for that would have been low and
red, but cracking blaze Of mes.
quite. Three men were in sight, all
close to the burning sticks. They were
Mexicans and of the coarse type of
raiders, rebels, bandits that Gale had
expected to see. A CLINT Of steel
caught his eye. Three short, shiny
carbines leaned against q rock. A lit
lie 10 the left, within the circle of
light, stood q square house made of
adobe bricks. This house was a
Papagon Indian habitation, and a
month before had been occupied by a
family that had been murdered or
driven off by rowing band of out
laws. A rude corral showed dimly in
the edge of freight, and from black
mass within came the snort and stamp
and whinny of horses.
Gale took IN the scene In one quick
glance, then sank down at the foot
of the mesquite. He had naturally
expected to see more men. But the
situation wa9 by no means new. This
vas one. or part Of one, Of the raider
bands harrying the border. They
were stealing horses, or driving herd
already stolen. Gale revolved ques-
tions in mind. Had this trio. of out
laws run across Ladd? 1t was not
likely, for in that event they might
not have been SO comfortable and care
free in camp. Were they waiting for
more members of their gang? That
was very probable With Gale, how
ever, the most important considera-
ton was how to get his horse to wa
ter. Sol must have drink If 1t cost
fight. There was stern reason for
Gale to hurry eastward along the trail.
He thought 1t best to go back to
where lie had left his horse and Iot
make any decisive move until day
light.
With the same noiseless care he
had exercised in the advance, Gale re-
treated until it was safe for him to
rise and walk on down the arroyo.
He found Blanco Sol cOntentedly
grazing. Gale carried his saddle,
blankets and bags into the lee of
little ACKNOWLEDGEMENT mound, from
around which the wind had cut the
soil: and here, In a wash, he risked
building fire. BY this time the wind
was piercingly cold. Gales hands were
numb, and he moved them to and fro
in the little blaze. Then he made
coffee in Il cup, cooked some slices OF
bacon on the end Of a stick, and took
couple of hard biscuits from a sad
dlehag. or these his meal consisted.
After that he removed the halter from
Blanco Sol. intending to leave him
free to Craze for II while.
Then Gale returned to his little fire,
replcniShed it with short sticks OF
dead greasewood asd mesquite, and,
wrapping his blanket round his shoul-
dcrS. he sat down to warm himself
and TO wait till 1t was time to bring
in the horse and tie him up.
The fire was inadequate, and Gale
was cold and wet with dew. Hunger
and thirst were with him. His bones
ached, and there was a dull, deep
seated pain throbhlng In his unhealed
| wound.
Judged by the great average or
ideals and conventional standards OF
life. Dick Gale was starved, lonely,
suffering, miserable wretch. But in
his case the Judgment would have hit
only eyternalS. would have missed the
vital inner truth. For Gale was happy
with a kind Of strange wild glory in
the privatiOnS. the pains, the perilS,
and the silence and solitude to be en-
dured on this desert lang.
lie had duty 10 man who relied
on his services. He was comrade,
friend, valuable ally TO riding, fight
Ing rangers. Gales happiness, as far
as It concerned the toll and strife,
was perhaps 4 grim and stoical one.
But love ahided with him, and 1t had
engcndercl and fostered other unde-
vcloped traitS-romamce and feeling
for beauty, and a keen observation or
nature. He felt pain. but he was
never miserable. He felt the solitude,
but he was never lonely.
As lie rode across the desert, even
though keen eyes searched for the
moving black dots the rising puirS OF
white dust that were warnings, he
saw Nelrs face In every cloud. Tie