Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1923-01-19
CHAPTER vi
The Yaaul.

The Yaqui.
Toward evening OF a lowering De
cember day. some fifty miles west of
| Forlorn River, a horseman rode along
| an old, dimly defined tran.
This lonely herseman bestrode a
steed Of magnificent build. perfectly
white except for q dark bar of color
running down the noble head from
ears to nose Sweat-caked dust
! stained the long tanks. The horse
| had been running. He wns lean.
gaunt. worn. hinge machine of muscle
| and bone, beautiful only In head and
name, q weight-carrier. a horse strong
and fierce like the desert that had
bred him.
The rider fitted the horse az he fit-
ted the saddle. He was young man
! Of exceedingly powerful physique.
wide-shouldered. long-nrmed. big
| legged. His lean face. where It was
not red, bllstered and peel'nc. was the
hue of bronze. He had dark eye.
falcon gaze rowing and keen. His
law was prominent and set. mastiff-
| like; his Iips were stern. It was youth
with it's softness not yet quite burned
and hardened away that kept the
whole cast of his face from being
ruthless.
This young man wassDick Gale, but
not the iistless traveller. nor the lcuns-
ing wanderer who, two months before.
had by chance dropped into Casita.
The desert had claimed Gale. and had
drawn him into IT'S crucible. The
/ desert had multiplied weeks into
years. Heat, thirst hunger loneli-
ness, toll, fear. ferocIty. paIn--he
'Snew them ALL He had felt them all
the white sun. with its glazed. coaIes-
cling, lurId fire; the caked split lips
and rasping. dry-puffed tongue: the
sickenlng ache in the pit of his stom-
ache; the lnsuprortable silence. the
empty space. the utter desolation. the
contempt Of life: the watch and wait,
the dread of ambush. the swift flight:
The fierce pursuit of men wild as
Bedouins and as fleet the willingness
TO deal sudden death. the pain of
poison thorn. the singing tear of lead
through flesh and that strange para
dox of the burning desert. the cold ar
night. the piercing icy wind the dew
that penetrated TO the marrow, the
numbing desert cold OF the dawn.
Ladds prophecy of trouble on the
border had been mild compared TO
what had become the actuality. With
rebel occupancy of the garrison ar
Caslta. outlaws. bandits. raiders In
rioting bands had spread westward.
Many q dark-skinned raider bestrode
one Of Belongs fast horses; and. in
deed. all except his selected white
thoroughbreds had been stolen. So
the Job of the rangers had become |
more than a patroIlng OF the bound |
AIRY line TO keep japanese and Chinese
from being smuggled into the United |
Stntes.
On this December afternoon the |
three rangers, as often. were separ-
ated. Lash was far 10 the westward /
of SonOyta, somewhere along Canine /
del Diablo. that terrible DEVILS road
where many desert wayfarers had per
ished. Ladd had long been overdue
n prearranged meeting with Gale
The fact that Ladd had not shown up
miles west Of the Papago well was
significant.
Gale dismounted 10 lead his horse.
10 20 forward more slowly Ise had
riddea sixty miles since morning. aud
he WAS tired. and not entirely healed
wound IN his hip made one leg drag Q
little. A mile NJ the arroyo. near It's
head lay the Papag0 we'll The need
n wafeF for his horse entailed risk
hat otherwise he could have syoided
The We'll was on Mexican soil Gale
distinguished O fEint lishf hlciserne
through the thin. sharp foliage Camp
srs were az fhe well and. whoever
hey were. no doubt fhey had prevent
~ I.add from meeting Gale f.add
lad gone back 10 me neSf Naierhole.
" maybe he was hiaiue in an arroyo
q the eastward, awaiting develop
nenis
Gale TUNED BIZ horse. roi Nlihow
fse M iron arm Hnd persuasive
peeoh fr 40 desert eieff secuted 4
'Aiff and nlalifi ln0h f0 me eiaf
r ilo auol0 Nnfrn iu feflNfol
llols m nifmA'iH lf lNIlfi ono
nla0 snnnNi hF Ylr ni lNr rfU'lH
4 M iNHlt hNNHnl nli|e 4ni nf
oNlWNNIs NNip n0lfl i1n 0W
nN M lle lNfH fNifN |nin ~
NJ Hni lN1 n Al lH NNlsss nqf.
Eftf 49,. IA tal4