, 1923-03-07
CHAPTER XVI

Mountain Sheep.

h't ~ 49, ~
walls and great dry wastes, n matter
calmly accepted as inevitable. So he
imagined 1t was accepted by the 9th.
ers. Not ever Mercedes uttered n
regret. No word was spoken of home.
II there was thought of loved ones.
II was locked deep in their minds.
By taclt agreement Ladd again be-
came the leader of the party. The
first thing he asked was to have he
store Of food that remained spread
ont upon "A %tarpaulln. Assuredly, 1t
was n slender enough supply. 1t was
impossible to read the gravity of
Ladd's face. for he still looked like
n dead man, but the slow shake of his
head told Gale much. There was n
grain Of hope, however, In the slgnifi-
canoe with which he touched the bags
of salt and said, "Shore 1t was sense
packln' all that saltv"
Then he turned to face his com
rades.
That's little grub for six starvln'
people corralled in the desert. But
the grub end amt worryin' me. Yaqul
can get sheep up the slopes. Waterl
That's the b~eginnin' an middle an
end OF our case
daddy, I reckon the waterhole here
never goes dry" replied jim.
ASK the Indian"
Upon being questioned, YnquI spoke
of the dreaded ano seco of the Mexi-
cans. In a dry year this waterhole
failed.
"Dick, take n rope an see how much
waters In the hole
Gale could not find bottom with n
thirty-foot lasso. The water was as
cool. clear. sweet as If 1t had been
kept in n shaded Iron receptacle.
Ladd welcomed this Information
with surprise n gladness. Lets
see. Last year was shore pretty dry,
Mebbe this summer won't be. Mebbe
our wonderful good luckll hold. Ask
Ynqui If ne thinks itll rain"
Mercedes questioned the Indian.
He says no man can tell surely,
But he thinks the ain will come" she
replied.
ashore it'll rain. you can gamble
on tina now" continued Ladd. "If
there's only grass for the hossesl We
can't get out of here without bosses.
Dick. take the Indian an scout down
the arroyo. Today | seen the bosses
were gettin' fat. Gettin' fat in this
desert! But mebbe they've about
grazed mp all the grass. Go an see,
Dick. An nay you come back with
more good news!"
Gale found that the arroyo widened
as 1t opened. Near the head. where
II was narrow, patches of gray grass
grew everywhere. Gale began to won
der where the horses were. Finally
the trees and brush thinned out. and
n mile-wide gray plain stretched down
to reddish sand dunes. over to one
side were the white horses, and here
was grass enough for many the ar
royo was indeed an oasis.
Lndd and the Others were awaiting
Gales report. and they received 1t
with calmness, yet with n JOY no less
evident because it was restrained.
Gale, in his keen observation Mt the
moment, found that he und his com
rades turned with glad eyes to the
woman of the party.
"SenOr Laddy, you thlnk-you-be-
lieve-we shall" she fnltered. and
her voice failed.
Mercedes, no white man can tell
whatrl come to pass out here sa.s
Iadd. earnestly. ashore l have hopes
now | never dreamed of. WINS pretty
near n dead man. The Indian saved
me. Beldin' had II right. YaQul's
our godsend. Now, as to the future,
I'd like to know mebbe as well as
you If we're ever to get home. Only
beln' what | am, | say. Quien sabe2
But somethin' tells me Yaqul knows.
Ask him. Mercedes. Make him tell.
He's n silent Indian, but make him
tell"
Mercedes called to Yaqul. At her
bidding there was always n suggestion
of hurry, which otherwise was never
manifest in his actions. She put a
hand on his barred muscular arm and
began TO speak In Spanish. Her voice
thrilled Gale, though he understood
scarcely n word she said. lie did not
need translation to know that here
spoke the longing OF n woman for life.
love. home. the heritage OF n woman's
heart.
ISL" rolled out The Indians reply.
fun Of power and depth.
Mercedes drew n long breath, md
her hand sought Thornc's.
"He says yes" she whispered. "He
nsW hen save us; he'll take us
oil hack-he knowsl"
The Indian turned away TO his
tnsks. and the silence that held the
little group was finally broken by
lndd.
shore | said so. Now all we've
got to do Il Use sense. Friends. I'm
the commissary department of this
outfit, mn what | say goes. You all
won't eat except when | tell you.
Mehhc i'm not be SO hard to keep our
henlth. Starved beggnrs don't get
sick. But there's the heat comm. an
we can NIL go loco, you know. To pass
the time. Lord, that's our problem.
Nnw. II You all only hnd n hnnkerln'