Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-03-08
CHAPTER vI.-contInued.

Then Gale returned to his little fire.
replenished it with short sticks Of
dead crossword and mesquite, and,
wrapping his blanket round his shout
ders. he sat down to warm himself
and TO wait till it was time to bring
in the horse and tie him up.
The fire was inadequate, and Gale
was cold and wet with dew. Hunger
and thirst were with him. His bones
ached, and there was dull, deep
seated pain throbbing in his unhealed
wound.
Judged by the great average of
ideals and conventional standards of
life. Dick Gale was starved, lonely,
suffering, miserable wretch. But in
his case the Judgment would have hit
only externals, would have missed the
vital inner truth. For Gale was happy
with kind of strange. wild glory in
the privations, the pains, the perils,
and the silence and solitude to be en-
dured on this desert land
He had a duty to man who relied
on his services. He was comrade, a
friend. valuable ally to riding, fight
ing rangers. Gales happiness, as far
as It concerned the toll and strife,
was perhaps a grim and stoical one.
But love abided with him, and it had
engendered and fostered other unde-
veloped traits-romance and feeling
for beauty, and keen observation Of
nature. He felt pain, but he was
never miserable. He felt the solitude.
but he was never lonely.
AS he rode across the desert, even
though keen eyes searched for the
moving black dots, the rising puffs of
white dust that were warnings, he
saw NelPs face in every cloud The
cIean-cuI mesas took on the shape of
her straight profile, with its strong
chin and lips, its fine nose and fore
head. There was always a CLINT of
gold or touch of red or graceful line
or CLEAN Of blue to remind him of
her. Then at night her face shone
warm and glowing, flushing and pal
ing, in the campfire.
BY and by Gale remembered what
he was waiting for; and, getting up,
he took the halter and went out to
find Blanco Sol 1t was pitch-dark
now. and Gale could not see a rod
ahead. He felt his way, and present
" as he rounded a mesquite he saw
SoPs white shape outlined against the
hlaclness. Gale battered him in the
Hkeliest patch of grass and returned
11n @od 10 n
die into a protected spot under low
wall of the mound, and laying one
blanket on the sand, he covered him
self with the other and stretched him
self for the night
Daylight came quickly. The morn
ing was clear and nipping cold. He
threw off the wet blanket and got up
cramped and half frozen. A little
brisk action was all that was neces-
garv to warm his blood and loosen his
muscles. and then he was fresh,
4ingling. eager. The sun rose in a
golden blaze, and the descending val
lev took on wondrous changing hues.
Then he fetched up Blanco Sol, sad
died him. and tied him to the thickest
cIump of mesquite.
"Sol, Wen have a drink pretty
soon" he said, patting the splendid
neck.
Gale meant it. He would not eat till
ne had watered his horse. No three
raiders could keep Gale away from
that well. Taking his rifle in hand, he
faced up the arroyo. From the lay of
the land and position of trees seen by
daylight, he found an easier and safer
course than the one he had taken in
the dark. And by careful work he
was enabled to get closer to the well,
and somewhat above it.
The Mexicans were leisureIy cook
ing their morning meal. A slow wrath
stirred in Gale as he watched the trio.
They showed not the slightest indica.
ton Of breaking camp. One fellow,
evidently the leader, packed a gun at
his hip, the only weapon in sight.
Gale noted this with speculative eyes.
Then he saw two Indians on burros
come riding up the other side of the
knoll upon which the adobe house
stood; and apparently they were not
aware of the presence of the Mexi-
cans, for they came on up the path.