The Nevada County picayune., 1923-02-01


 eve can lick twice that many Greasers."
 "Shore.
 Him Lash removed his pipe long enough to speak. Let's Stave the Greaser off till dark. Then Laddy an me an Thorne will take Mercedes an hit the trail for Yuma"
 "Camino del Diablo! That aWtul trail with woman! Jim. do you TOT get how many hundreds of men nave perished on the Devils roadT
 q reckon I ai1't forgettin' nothlh, repSied Jim. "The waterhOles are tull now. There's grass, an We can do the job in six days"
 .Tt's three hundred miles to Yuma.
 "Beldin'. Jim's idea hits me as pretty reasonable" interposed Ladd' Lord knows that's about the only chance we've got except fightin,'
 But suppose we do staye Rojas ot, and you get safely away with Mer- cedes. Isn't Rojas going to find It out quick? Then whatll he try to do to us who're left hereg
 q reckon he'd find out by daylight" replied Jim. "But, Tom, he amt a-goin' to start q scrap then. You see, I'm fggerin' on the crazy Greaser wantin the girl. But he's too smart to fight you for nothin'. Rojas may be nutty about women, but he's afraid of the U. s. Take my word for it, he'd discover the trail in the mornln an light out on It. reckon with ten hours start we could travel comfort able"
 Bedding paced up and down the room. Jim and Iadd whispered to- gether. Gale walked to the window and looked out at the distant group of bandits, and then turned his gaze to rest Nupon Mercedes. She was con- scious now, and her eyes seemed all the larger and blacker for the white ness of her face. No one but Gale saw the Yaqui in the background look ing down upon the Spanish girl. All of Yaqui's looks were strange; but this was singularly so. Gale won- dered if the Indian were affected by her loveliness, her helplessness, or her terror.
 Presently Bedding called his rang CTS to him. and then Thorne.
 Listen to this" he said, earnestly. 'I'll go out and have a talk with RO- Jas. I'll try to reason. with him; tell him to think long time before he sheds blood on Uncle Sans soil. That I'll not commit myself, nor will re- fuse outright to consider his demands, nor will show the least fear of him. I'll play for time, If my bluff goes through well and good. :. After dark the four of you, Laddy Jim. Dick and Thorne, will take Mercedes and my best white horses. and, with Yaqui as guide, circle round through Altar valley to the trail. and head for Yuma. l want you to take the Indian, because in a case of this kind he'll be a godsend- If you get headed or lost or have to circle off the trail, think what it'd mean to have a YaQui with you. He knows Sonora as no Greaser knows 1t. He could hide you, find water and grass. when you would absolutely believe 1t impossible. The Indian Is loyal. He has his debt to pay, and he'll pay it. don't mistake me When you're gone I'll hide Nell 80 RoJas won't see her if he searches the place. Then I think could sit down and wait without any particular worry"
 The rangers approved of Belding's plan, and Thorne went to the side of his wife.
 Mercedes we've planned to outwit Rojas. Will you tell us what he wrote?'
 "ROjas swore-by his saints and his Virgin-that If I wasn't given-to him in twenty-four hours-he would set fire to the village-kill the men-car- ry off the women-hang the children on cactus thorns"
 A moments silence followed her last halting whisper.
 Then the Yaqui uttered q singular cry. Gale had heard this once before, and now he remembered 1t was at the Papago well.
 Look at the Indian," whispered Bedding, hoarsely. "D-n If I don't believe he understood every word Mer- cedes said. And, gentlemen, don't mis- take me, if he ever gets near Senor Rojas there'll be some gory Aztec knife work"
 1aQui had moved close to Mercedes, and stood beside her as she leaned against her husband She seemed im-