The Nevada County picayune., 1923-02-08

= Yaqui slipped out of his saddle. He ran his hand over Diablo's nose and spoke low, and repeated this action for each of the other horses. Gale had long ceased to question the strange Indians behavior. There was no explaining or understanding many of his maneuvers. But the results of them were always thought-proyoking Gale had never seen horses stand so silently as in this instance; no stamp no champ of bit-no toss of head no shake of saddle or paek-no heaNe or snort! It seemed they had become imbued with the spirit of the Indian.
 Yaqui moved away into the shadows as noiseleSsly as if he were one of them The darkness swallowed him. He had taken a direction parallel with the trail. Gale wondered if Yaqui meant to try to lead his string of horses by the rebel sentinels.
 The Indian appeared as he had van- ished. He might have been part of the shadows. But he was there. He started off down the trail leading Diablo. Again the white line stretched slowly out. Gale fell in behind. Peer ing low with keen eyes, he made out three objects-a white sombrero, blanket and Mexican lying face down. The Yaqui had stolen upon this sentinel like a silent wind of death.
 Once under the dark lee of the river bank Yaqui caused another halt, and he disappeared as before. Moments passed. The horses held heads up, looked toward the glimmering camp fires and listened Gale thrilled with the meaning of 1t all-the night-the silenee-the f1ight-and the wonderful Indian stealing with the slow inev- itableness of doom upon another sen tincl.
 Suddenly the Indian stalked out of the gloom He mounted Diablo and headed across the river Once more the line of moving white shadows stretched out. Gale peered sharply along the trail. and, presumably, on the pale sand under cactus, there lay blanketed form, prone, out stretched, carbine clu.ehed in one hand. cigarette still burning, in the other.
 The cavalcade of white horses passed within five hundred yards of campfires, around which dark forms moved in plain sight The lights dis appeared from time [" time, grew dinner, more flickering, and at last they vanished altogether. Belding's fleet and tireleSs steedS wer~ out in front; the desert opened ahead wide, dark. vast Roias and his rebels were behind. eating, drinking, careless. The somber shadow lifted from Gales heart. He held now an unQuenchahle faith In the Yaoui. Bedding would be listening back there along the river He would know of the escape. He would tell Nell. and then hide her safely. AS Gale had accepted a strange and fatalistlc foreshadowlng of toil blood and agony in this desert tourney. so he believed in Mercedes ultimate freedom and happiness. and his own return to the girl who had grown dearer than life.
 
 A cold, gray dawn was fleeing be- fore rosy sun when YGqul halted the march at Papago well. The horses were taken to water, then led down the arroyo into the grass. Here packs were slipped saddles removed. Jim Lash remarked how cleverly they had fooled the rebels.
 "Shore they'll be eomin' along re piled Ladd
 They built a fire, cooked and ate. The Yaqui spoke only one word: Sleep" Blankets were spread, Mer- cedes dropped into deep slumber, her head on Thorne's shoulder, Elk citement kept Thorne awake. The two rangers dozed beside the fire Gale shared the Yaquis watch. At the end of three hours the rangers grew active, Mercedes was awak- ened and soon the party faced west ward, their long shadows moving be- fore them. Yaqui led with Blanco Diahlo in a long easy lope. The heated air lifted, and incoming cur rents from the west swept low and hard over the barren earth In the distance, all around the horizon. accu- mutations of dust seemed hke ranging, mushrooming yellow clouds.
 Yaqui was the only one of the fu- gitives who never looked back. Gale had conviction that when Yaqui gazed back toward the we'll and the shining nlain beyond. there would be