Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-01-12

0AS "
glance, then tainted in Thorne's
arms. He carried her to a couch, and
with Nell and Mrs. Bedding began to
work over her.
Bedding looked at his rangers.
lady, IT'S Rojas all right. How
many men has he out there?'
"Mebbe twenty. Not more"
1--WE can lick twice that many
Greasers."
"Shore."
Jim Lash removed his pipe long
enough to speak. Lets stave the
Greaser off till dark Then Laddy an
me an Thorne viii take Mercedes an
hit the trail for Yuma"
"Camino del Diablo! That awful
trail with a womanl Jim, do YOU fol-
get how many hundreds of men nave
persisted on the Devils road?"
81 reckon l amt forgettin' nothin',"
replied Jim. 1.-THE waterhOles are full
now. There's grass, an we can do the
job in six days"
Its 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 fghtin'."
But suppose we do stave Rojas off,
and you get safely away with Mer-
cedes. Isn't Rojas going to find 1t
out quick? Then whatll he try to do
to us who're left here?"
81 reckon he'd find cut by daylight"
replied Jim. But, Tom, he amt
a-goin' to start a scrap then. You see,
Pm figgerin' 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 mornin'
an light out on it. l reckon with ten
hours start we could travel comfort
able"
Bedding paced up and down the
room. Jim and Ladd whispered to-
gether. Gale walked to the window
and looked out at the distant group
of bandits, and then turned his gaze
to rest upon 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 si%ngularly so. Gale won
dered if the Indian were affected by
her loveliness, her helplessness, or her
terror.
Presently Bedding called his rang
ers to him, and then Thorne.
Listen to this" he said, earnestly.
"Ill go out and have a talk with Ro-
jas. I'll try to reason with him tell
him to think a long time before he
sheds blood on Uncle Sans soil. That
he's now after an Americans wife!
I'll not commit myself, nor will l re-
fuse outright to consider his demands,
nor will l 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
oAo liz DCoI III pVC, III la
Yaqui as guide, circle round through
Altar valley to the trail, and head for
Yuma. | want you to take the Indian,
because in a ease 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 it. He could hide you,
find water and grass, when you would
absolutely believe it 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 so
Rojas won't see her if he searches the
place. Then I think I could sit down
and wait without any particular
worry"
The rangers approved Of Belongs
plan, and Thorne went to the side Of
his wife.
Mercedes, we've planned to outwtt
Rojas. VIII you tell us what be
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-kjll the men-car-
ry off the women-hang the children
on cactus thorns!"
A moments silence followed her
last hating whisper.
Then the Yaqui uttered a singular
cry. Gale had heard this once before,
and now he remembered it was at the
Papago well.
Look at the Indian" whispered
Bedding, hoarsely. "D-n If 1 don't
believe he understood every word Mer-
cedes said. And, gentlemen, don't mis-
take me, if he eve gets near Senior
Rojas therell be some CORY Aztec
knife work"
Yaqui had moved close to Mercedes,
and stood beside her as she leaned
against her husband. She seemed i'm
PEELED to meet the Indians gaze, and
evidently If was SO nOUprful Or bvn-