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


.Mexicans The horse ,snorted in terror.
Gale could bear no more. He took
uuick shot at the rider. He missed
the moving figure, but hit the horse.
There was a hound, horrid scream,
q mighty plunge, then the horse went
down, giving the Mexican stunning
fall. Both beast and man lay still.
Gale rushed from his cover to In
tercept the other raiders before they
could reach the house and their weap-
ons. Then the frightened horses burst
tf,e corral bars, and In laundering,
dust-mantled stream fled up the ar
royo.
The fallen raider sat up, mumbling
to his SAINTS in one breata, cursing In
his 1txt.
$50, Greasers! Rum" yelled Gale.
Then he yelled 1t in Spanish. ri the
point of his rifle ne drove the two
raiders out of the camp. His next
move was to run into the. house and
fetch out tile carbines. With heavy
stone he dismantled each weapon.
That done, he set out on q run for
his horse. Blanco Sol heard him COM
Ing and whistled welcome, and when
Gale ran up the horse was snorting
war Mounting, Gale rode rapidly back
to the scene Of the action, and his
first thought, when he arrived at the
well, was to give Sol a drink and to
fill his canteens
Then Gale led his horse up out of
the waterhole, and decided before re-
mounting to have a look at the In
dlans. The Papago had been shot
through the heart, but the Yaqui was
still alive. Moreover he was conscious
and staring up at Gale with great,
strange, somber eyes, black as volcan.
ic Stag or
"Grlngo good--no kill" he said, IN
husky whisper.
His speech was not affirmative so
much as questioning.
"Yaqui, you're done for" said Gale,
and his words were positive. He was
simply speaking aloud his mind
"Yaqul-no hurt much," replied
the Indian, and then he spoke a
strange word-repeated it again and
again. ''
An instinct Of Gales, or perhaps
some suggestion in the husky, thick
whisper or dark face. told Gale to
reach for his canteen. BE lifted the
Indian and gave him a drink, and II
ever In all his life he saw. gratitude
In human eyes he saw II then. Then
he examined the injured YaQui. The
indian had three wounds-a bullet
hole in his shoulder, a crushed arm,
and a badly iacerated leg.
The ranger thought rapidly. This
Yaqui would live unless left there to
die or be murdered by the Mexicans
when they l,ound coifage to sneak
back to the we'll, 1t never occurred to
Gale to abandon the poor fellow. All
the same, he knew he multiplied his
perils a hundredfolf by burdening
himself with crippled Indian. Swift
ly he set. to work, and with rife ever
under his hand, andd shifting glance
spared from his task, he bound up the
Yaquis wounds. At the same time he
kept keen watch. .a .-.
The Indians burros and the horses
Of the raiders were all out of sight.
Time was too valuable for Gale to use
any in what might be vain search.
Therefore, he lifted the Yaqui upon
Soils broad shoulders and climbed
into the saddle. At a word Sol
dropped his head and started east
ward up the trail, walking swiftly,
without resentment for his double bur.
den.
Gale, bearing in mind the ever-pres-
ent possibility Of encountering more
raiders and Of being pursued, saved
the strength Of the horse Once out
of sight of Papago well, Gale dis
mounted and walked beside the horse,
steadying with one firm hand the help
lcsS, udiISlils luuui'
Gale kept pace with his horse. He
bore the twinge OF pain that darted
through his injured hip at every stride.
In the heat Of midday he halted in the
shade of a rock, and, lifting the Yaqui
down, gave him a drink. Then, after
a long, sweeping survey of the sur
rounding desert, he renewed Sols sad
die and let him roll, and took for HIM
self welcome rest and a bite to eat.
The Yaqui was telbcious Of life.
He was still holding his own. For the
first time Gale really looked at the
Indian to study him. He had large
head nobly cast, and q face that re-
sembled q shrunken mask. 1t seemed
chiseled In the. dark-eyed, volcanic
lava Of his Sonora wilderness. The
Indians eyes were always black and
mystic, but this Yaqui's encompassed
all the tragic deSolation Of the desert.
They were fixed on Gale, moved only
when he moved.
Gale resumed his homeward jour
ney. He held grimly by the side Of
the tireleSs, inplacable horse, hold
ing the Yaqul on the saddle, taking
+bo b,,,,nt 90 ,ha v,arni1acc tbn,pS In