Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-01-26


1t Looked as If the Day Mas FavorIng
His Side.
ance. 1t looked as if the day was
favoring his side. Then Thorne, COM
ing partly to consciousness, engaged
Gales care. The cavalryman stirred
and moaned, called for water, and
then for Mercedes. Gale held him
back with a strong hand, and present
ly he was once more quiet.
Suddenly harsh, prolonged yells
brought Gale to his feet. Far down
the trails where the crater rims closed
in the deep issure he saw moving
forms. They were three In number.
Two of them ran nimbly across the
laws bridge. The third staggered far
behind. 1t was Ladd. He appeared
hard hit. He dragged at the heavy
rifle, which he seemed unable to raise.
The yells came from him. He was
calling the Yaqui.
Gales heart stood still moment8r.
lily. Here, then, was the catastrophe !
He hardly dared sweep that assure
with his glass. The two fleeing 6g-
ures halted-turned to fire at Ladd.
Gale recognized the foremost one
small, compact, gaudy-Rojas! The
bandits arm was outstretched. Puffs
of white smoke rose, and shots raped
out. When Ladd went down Roias
threw his gun aside and with a wild
yell bounded over the lava. His COM
panion followed.
+ A tide of passion, first hot as fire,
then cold as ice, rushed over Gale
when he saw Rojas take the trail to-
ward Mercedes ~hiding-place. The
little bandit appeared to have the
sure-footedness of a mountain sheep.
The Mexican following was not so
sure or fast. He turned back. Gale
heard the trenchant bark of the .405.
Ladd was kneeling. He shot again
again. The %retreating bandit seemed
to run full into an invisible obstacle,
then fell lax, inert, lifeless. Rojas
sped on unmindful of the spurts of
dust about him. Yaqui, high above
Ladd, was also firing at the bandit.
Then both rifles were emptied. Rojas
turned at a high break in the trail.
He shook a defiant hand, and his ex-
ulting yell pealed family to Gales
ears. About hin there was something
desperate, magnificent. Then he clam
bered down the trail.
Ladd dropped the .405, and rising,
gun in hand, he staggered toward the
bridge of lava. Before he had crossed
it Yaqui came bounding down the
slope, and in one splendid leap he
cleared the fissure. He raj beyond
the trail and disappeared on the lava
above. Rojas had not seen this sud-
den, darting move of the Indian.
Gale wondered, fearfully, what had
become of Lash. Presently, when
Rojas came out of the cracks and
ruts of lava there might be a chance
of disabling him by a long shot. His
progress was now slow. But he was
making straight for Mercedes hiding
place. What was it leading him there
an eagle eye, or hate, or instinct?
Why did he go on when there could
be no turning back for him on that
trail? Laid was slow, heavy, stag
gering on the trail; but he was re-
~lentless. Only death could stop the
ranger now. Surely Rojas must have
known that when he chose the trail.
From time to time Gale caught
glimpses of Yaqui's dark figure steal
ing along the higher rim of the crater.
He was making for a point above the
bandit.
Laid staggered along the trail; at
times he crawled. The Yaqui gained;
he might have had wings; he leaped
from Jagged crust to Jagged crust; his
sure-footedness was a wonderful thing.
But for Gale the marvel of that
endless period of watching was the
purpose Of the bandit Rojas. He had
now no weapon. Gales glass made
this fact plain. There was death be-
hind him, death below him, death be-
fore him, and though he could not
have known it, death above him. He
never faltered-never made a misstep
upon the narrow, fiinty trail. When he
reached the lower end of the level
ledge Gales poignant doubt became