The Nevada County picayune., 1923-02-15
made imagination picture a nttlng doom for the pursuing Rojas.
CHAPTER XII
The Crater of Hell.


 Presently Gale, upon turning sharp corner. was utterly amazed to see that the split in the lava sloped out and Widened into an arroyo. It was so green and soft and beautiful In all the angry, cOntOrted red surrounding that Gale could scarcely credit his sight. Blanco Sol whistled his wei come to the scent of water. Then Gale saw great hole. a pit in the shiny lava. dark, cool shady we'll There was evidence of the fact that at flood seasons water had m outlet into the arroyo. The soil appeared to be Il fine sand, in which a reddish tingc predominated; and it was ahuhd- antly covered with long grass, still partly green Mesquites and palo verdes dotted the arroyo and gradu- ally closed in thiekets that obstrueted the view.
 Shore it all beats me exclaimed Ladd What place to hole-up i'll ! We could have hid here for long time. Beldin' was shore right about the Indian. An I can see Rotas' finish somewhere up along that awful hell-hole.
 Camp was made 6H a level spot. YaGui tool the horses to water and then turned them loose in the arroyo. It was tired and somber group that sat down to eat. Mercedes was calm, but her great dark eyes burned in her white face. Yaqui watched her. The others looked at her with unspoken pride. Presently Thorne wrapped her in his blankets, and she seemed to fall asleep at once.
 Little of Yaqui's purpose or plan could be elicted from him. The rangers and Thorne however. talked in low tones It was absolutely i'm possible for Roias and his men to reach the waterhole before noon of the next day. And long before that time the fugitiyes would have decided on a plan of defense.
 "What stuns me is that Rojas stuck to our trail," said Thorne, his lined and haggard face expressive of dark passion. "He has followed us into this fearful desert He'll lose men, horses, perhaps his life. He's only bandit and he stands to win no gold. All for a poor little helpless woman just a woman, I can't understand it.
 "Shore-just woman,' replied Ladd, solemnly holding his head.
 Then there was a long silence. dur ing which the men gazed into the fire. Those were cold, hard, grim faces upon which the light fickered
 Sleep" said Yaqui.
 Thorne rolled in his blanket close beside Mercedes Then one by one the rangers stretched out, feet to the fire. Gale found that he could not sleep His eyes were weary. but they would not stay shut; his body ached for rest, yet he could not lie still. The Yaqui sat like an image carved out of lava, The others lay prone and quiet. Would another night see any of them lie that way, quiet forever? Gale sat up after a while and again watched the fire NeIls sweet face floated like wraith in the pale smoke glowed and flushed and smiled in the emberS. Other faces shone there-his sisters-that of his mother. Gale shook off the tender memories. This desolate wilderness with it's forbidding silence and its dark promise of hell on the morrow this was not the place to unnerve one self with thoughts of love and home.
 Toward dawn Gale managed to get some sleep. Then the morning broke with the sun hidden back of the uplft of the plateau The horses trooped up the arroyo and snorted for water. After hurried breakfast the packs were hidden in holes In the lava. The saddles were left where they were, and the horses allowed to graZe and wander at will. Canteens were filled. small bag of food was packed and blankets made into bundle. Then Yaqui faced the steep ascent of the lava slope
 The trail he followed led up on the right side of the Assure, opposite to the one he had come down. It was a steep climb, and encumhered as the men were they made but slow prog ress. At length the rims widened out and the red smoky crater yawned be meath. YaQui left the trail and began clainhering down over the rough and twisted convolutions of lava which formed the rim. IL was with extreme difficulty that the party followed him. The choya was there to hinder pas sage Finally the Indian halted upon a narrow bench of flat. smooth lava. ing care and effort down to his posi- tion.
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