The Nevada County picayune., 1923-03-22
up. nose pointed.

up nose pointed.
 By George, they're coming '! ex- claimed Gale "They see that flag They're hunting us. They're curious, If this doesn't beat meH
 Evidently the Indian understood, for he grunted.
 Gale found difficulty in curbing his impatience. The approach of the sheep was slow. The big ram led on with regular persistence, and in half an hours time he was in the bottom of the great gulf and soon he was facing up the slope. Gale knew then that the aluring scarf had fascinated him. The animals disappeared behind another ridge. Gale kept watching, sure they would come out farther on A tense period of waiting passed, then sudden eleelrifying pressure of Yaqui's hand made Gale tremble with excitement
 Very cautiously he shifted his po- sition There, not fifty feet distant upon high mound of lava, stood the leader of the sheep. As Gale watched, the second ram leapcd lightly upon the mound, and presently the three others did likewise.
 The splendid leader stepped closer, his round, protruding amber eyes, which Gale could now plainly see, in tent upon that fatal red flag. Like automatons the other four crowded into his tracks. \ few little slow steps, then the leader halted.
 At this instant Gales absorbed at tention was directed by Yaqui to the rifle, and so to the purpose of the climb. He reached for the .405, and as he threw the shell into the chamber the slight metallic click made the sheep jump. Then he rose quickly to his feet.
 The noble ram and his band simply stared at Gale. They had never seen a man. They showed not the slightest indication of inStinctive fear. Gale imagined that they were going to step still closer. He did not choose to wait to see if this were true Ger tainly it already took grim resolu- tion to raise the heavy .405.
 His shot killed the big leader. The others bounded away with remark able nimhleness Gale used up the remaining four shells to drop the sec ond ram, and by the time he had re- loaded the others were out of range.
 The Yaqui's method of hunting was sure and deadly and saving in energy. but Gale never would try it again. He chose to stalk the game After being hunted few times and shot at the sheep became exceedingly difficult to approach. He failed often. The stalk called forth all that was in him of endurance, cunning, speed. And like shadow the faithful Yaqui tried ever to keep at his heels
 One morning Yaqui sped a flock of sheep far under the curved. broken rim of the main crater. Then began the stalk. Hiding, slipping creeping, crawling. Gale closed in upon his quarry until the long rifle grew like stone in his grip, and the whipping "spang" ripped the silence. and the strange echo boomed deep in the era ter and rolled around. as if in hollow mockery at the hopeleSSneSS of escape.
 He waited beside his quarry, and breathed deep. and swept the long slopes with searching eyes of habit. When Yaqui came up they set about the hardest task of all to pack the best of that heavy sheep down miles of steep, ragged, choya-coyered lava.
 The torrid summer heat came im- perceptibly, or 1t could never have been borne by white men It changed the lives of the fugitlyes making them partly nocturnal in habit The nights had the balmy cOolness of spring. and would have been delight full for sleep, but that would have made the blazing days uncomfortable
 As L0dd had said, one of their greatest problems was the passing of time The nights were interminably long, but they had to be passed In work or play or dream-anything ex- cept sleep That was Ladd's most in- flexible command He gave no req son But not improbably the ranger thought that the terrific heat of the day spent in slumber lessened a wear and strain, If not a real danger of madness
 Accordingly, at first the occupations of this little group were many and various They worked if they had something to do. or could invent a pretext They told and retold stories until all were wearisome. They sang songs Mercedes taught Spanish. They played every game they knew.