The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-04-03
CHAPTER VI
The Yaqui.

The Yaqul.
Toward evening of lowering De-
cember day. some fifty miles west of
Forlorn River, horseman rode along
an old, dimly defined trail.
This lonely horseman bestrode a
steed OF magnificent build, perfectly
white except for dark bar of color
running down the noble head from
ears to nose. Sweat-caked dust
stained the long flanks. The horse
had been running. He was lean,
gaunt, worn, huge machine Of muscle
and bone, beautiful only in head and
name, a weight-carrier, horse strong
and fierce like the desert that had
bred him.
The rider fitted the horse as he At
ted the saddle. He was a young man
Of exceedingly powerful physique,
wide-shouldered, long-armed, big
legged. His lean face, where II was
not red, blistered and peeling was the
hue OF bronze. He had dark eye
falcon gaze, rowing and keen. His
law was prominent and set, mastiff-
like; his lips were stern. It was youth
with its softness not yet quite burned
and hardened away that kept the
whole cast of his face from being
ruthless.
This young man was Dick Gale, but
not the listless traveller, nor the loung-
ing wanderer who, two months before,
had by chance dropped into Casita.
The desert had claimed Gale, and had
drawn him into its crucible. The
desert had multiplied weeks into
years. Heat, thirst. hunger, loneli.
ness, toll, fear, ferocity, pain-he
knew them all. He had felt them all
the white sun, with its glazed, coales-
cling. luridnare; the caked split lips
and rasping, dry-puffed tongue; the
sickening ache in the pit of his stom-
ache; the insupportable silence, the
empty space, the utter desolatlon, the
contempt Of life; the watch and wait,
the dread Of ambush, the swift flight |;
the fierce pursuit Of men wild ms
Bedouins and as fleet. the willingness
to deal sudden death. the pain Of
poison thorn, the singing tear Of lead
through flesh; and that strange para
dox of the burning desert the cold at
night, the piercing Icy wind, the dew
that penetrated to the marrow, the
numbing desert cold Of the dawn.
Ladd's prophecy Of trouble on the
border had been mild compared to
what had become the actuality. With
rebel occupancy of the garrison at
Casita, outlaws, bandits, raiders In
rioting bands had spread westward.
Many dark skinned raider bestrode
one Of Belongs fast horses; and, In
deed, all except his selected white
thoroughbreds had been stolen. SO
the Job Of the rangers had become
more than a patrolling of the bound
airy line to keep japanese and Chinese
from being smuggled into the United
States.
On this December afternoon the
three rangers, as often. were separ-
ated. Lash was far to the westward
Of Sonoyta, somewhere along Canine
del Dlablo, that terrible DEVILS road,
where many desert wayfarers had per-
ished. Ladd had long been overdue
in a prearranged meeting with Gale.
The fact that Ladd had not shown up
miles west Of the Papago well was
significant.
Gale dismounted to lead his horse,
to go forward more slowly. He had
ridden sixty miles since morning. and
he was tired, and not entirely healed
wound In his hip-made one leg drag a
little. A mile up the arroyo, near its
head, lay the Papago we'll The need
of water for his horse entailed risk
that otherwise he could have avoided.
The well was on Mexican soil. Gale
distinguished q faint light fiickering
through the thin, sharp foliage. Camp
ers were at the well, and, whoever
they were, no doubt they had prevent
ed I.add from meeting Gale. Ladd
had gone hack to the next waterhole,
or maybe he was hiding in an arroyo
to the eastward. awaiting develop
ments.
Gale turned his horse, not without
urge Of iron arm and persuasive
speech, for the desert steed scented
water, and plodded back to the edge
Of the arroyo, where in secluded
circle OF mesquite he halted. The
horse snorted his relief NJ the removal
OF the heavy, burdered saddle and ac-
ccutrements Gsle poured the con-
tents of his larger canteen into his
hat and held II to the horses nose.
-Drink Bel" ~ said