, 1923-01-03

ing III WhlStICu u WelCOLle, aHO Wnen
Gale ran up the horse was snorting
war. Mounting, Gale rode rapidly back
to the scene of the action, and his
first thought, when he arrived at the
well, vas to give Sol q drink and to
I'LL his canteens.
Then Gale led his horse up out Of
the waterhole, and decided before re-
mounting to have a look at the In
dians. The Papago had been shot
through the heart, but the YaquI was
still alive. Moreover, he was conscious
and staring up at Gale with great,
strange, somber eyes, black as volcan.
ic Stag.
"Gringo good-no KILL" he said, In
husky whisper.
His speech was not affirmative so
much MS questioning.
"Yaqui, you're done for" said Gale,
and his words were positive. He was
simply speaking aloud his mind.
"Yaqul-no hurt much" replied
the Indian, and then he spoke a
strange word-repeated 1t again and
again.
An instinct Of Gales. or perhaps
SONS suggestion In the husky, thick
whisper or dark face. told Gale to
reach for his canteen. He lifted the
Indian int gave him a drink, and II
eve In all his life he saw gratitude
in human eyes he saw Ii then. Then
he examined the injured Yaqui. The
Indian had three wounds-a bullet
hole In his shoulder, a crushed arm,
and a badly lacerated leg,
The ranger thought rapidly. This
Yaqui would live unless left there to
die or be murdered by the Mexicans
when they found courage to sneak
back to the well. 1t never occurred to
Gale to abandon the poor fellow. All
the same, he knew he multiplied his
perils a hundredfold by burdening
himself with a crippled Indian. Swift
ly he set to work. and with rifle ever
under his hand, and shifting glance
spared from his task. he bound up the
Yaqui's wounds. At the same time he
kept keen watch.
The Indians burros and the horses
Of the raiders were all out Of sight.
Time was too valuable for Gale to use
any In what might be vain search.
Therefore. he lifted the Yaqui upon
Soils broad shoulders and climbed
into the saddle. At a word Sol
dropped his head md started east
ward up the trail. walking swiftly
without resentment for his double bur
den.
Gale, bearing in mind the ever-pres-
ent possibility Of e~ncountering more
raiders and of being pursued, saved
the strength of the horse. Once out
Of sight Of Papago well. Gale dis
mounted and walked beside the horse.
s~teadying with n firm hand the help
less. dangling Yaqui.
Gale kept pace with his horse. He
bore the twinge Of pain that darted
through his Injured hip at every stride.
In the heat Of midday he halted In the
shade Of a rock. and. lifting the YaquI
down. gave him a drink. Then, after
a long. sweeping survey Of the sur
rounding desert, he removed Soils sad
die and let him roll. and took for him
self a welcome rest and n bite to eat.
The Yaqui was tenacious of life.
He was still holding his own. For the
first time Gale really looked at the
Indian to study him. He had a large
head nobly cast, and q face that re-
sembled a shrunken mask. It seemed
chiseled In the dark-eyed, volcanic
lava Of his Sonora wilderness. The
Indians eyes were always black and
mystic, but this Yaqui's encompassed
all the tragic desolntion of the desert. |
They were fixed on Gale. moved only |
when he moved.
Gale resumed his homeward Jour- |
ney. He held grImly by the side OF
the tireless. implacabf6 horse, hold
ing the Yaqui on the saddle. taking |
the brunt Of the merciless thorns. In |
the end It became heartrending toll.
His heavy chaps dragged him down;
but he dared not go on without them,
for. thick and stiff as they were, the
terrible. steel-bayoneted spikes Of the
choyas pierced through to sting his
legs.
10 the last mile Gale held to Blanco
Soils gait and kept ever-watchful gaze
low, fiat houses OF Foriorn River shin |
ing red In the sunset. Gale tagged and
rapidly weakened. The YaQui slipped |
out OF the saddle and dropped Mmp in
the sand. Gale could not mount his
horse. He clutched Soils long tail and
twisted his hand In II and stag
gered on.
Blanco Sol whistled 4 piercing blast.
He scented cool water and sweet al
fnlfa hay. Twinklins lights ahead
mennt rest. The melancholy desert
twilight rapidly succeeded the sunset.
1t accumulated the forlorn loneliness
Of the gray. winding river Of SIND and
Its grayer shores. Night shadows
trooped down from the black and
looming mountains.
CHAPTER VII