The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-06-22
CHAPTER XIX
The Secret Of ForIorn River.

In the early morning Gale, seeking
solitude where he could brood over
his trouble, wandered alone. 1t was
not easy for him to elude the Yaaui,
and Just at the moment when he had
cast himself down In secluded shady
corner the Indian appeared, noiseless,
shadowy, mysterious as always.
The Indian had been told Of the
loses sustained by Belding and his
rangers.
"Go-me!" and Yaqui, with an I'm
pressive gesture toward the lofty lilac
colored steps Of No Name mountains.
He seemed the same as usual. but
glance on Gales part, a moments at
tention, made him conscious of the old
strange force in the Yaqui.
"Why does my brother want me to
climb the nameless mountains with
him?" asked Gale.
"Lluvia d'oro," replied Yaqui, and he
made motions that Gale found diff
cult of Interpretation.
Shower Of Gold" translated Gale.
That was the Yaqui's name for Nell.
What did he mean by using 1t In con-
nection with a climb into the noun
tains? Were his motions intended to
convey an idea of a shower Of golden
| blossoms from that rare and beautiful
| tree, or golden rain7 Gales listless-
ness vanished In a flash Of thought
The Yaqui meant gold Gold He
meant he could retrieve the fallen for
tunes Of the white brother who had
saved his life that evil day at the Pa
pago well. Gale thrilled as he gazed
piercingly into the wonderful eyes Of
this Indian. Would Yaqui never con-
slider his debt paid7
"Go-me?" repeated the Indian,
pointing with the singular directness
that always made this action remark
able in him.
"Yes, Yaqui."
! Gale ran to his rom, put oh hobnailed
boots, filled a canteen and hurried back
to the corral. Yaqui awaited him. The
Indian carried colled lasso and a
short stout stick. Without a word he
led the way down the lane, turned up
the river toward the mountains. None
Of Belongs household saw their de-
parture.
What had once been only a narrow
mesquite-bordered trail was now a
well-trodden road. A deep irrigation
ditch, full Of flowing muddy water, ran
parallel with the road. Gale had been
curious about the operations Of the
Chases, but bitterness he could not
help had kept him from going out to
see the work. He was not surprised
to find that the engineers who had con-
structed the bitches and dam had an
ticipated him In every particular. The
dammed-up gulch made a magnificent
reservoir, and Gale could not look up
on the long narrow lake without a
feeling Of gladness. The dreaded ano
seco Of the Mexicans might come again
and would come, but never to the In
habitants Of Forlorn River. That
stonewalled. stone-foored gulch would
never leak, and already 1t contained
water enough to irrigate the whole OF
Altar valley for two dry seasons.
Yaqui led swiftly along the lake to
|
roared down over unscalable walls
This point was the farthest Gale had
ever penetrated into the rough foot.
hills, and he had Belongs word for II
that no white man had ever climbed
No Name mountains from the west.
The Indian left the gulch and clam
bered up over a tumble of weathered
slides and traced a slow course along
the base Of the giant wall. He looked
up and seemed to select a point for
ascent. 1t was the last place In that
mountain side where Gale would have
thought climbing possible. Before him
the wall rose, leaning over him, shut
ting out the light, dark mighty noun
tain mass. Innumerable cracks and
crevices and caves roughened the
bulging sides Of dark rock.
Yaqui tied one end Of his lasso to the
short, stout stick and, carefully Olsen
tangling the coils, he whirled the stick
round and round and threw It almost
over the first rim Of the shelf, Der
haps thirty feet up. The stick did moi
lodge. Yaqui tried again. This time
II caught In q crack. He pulled hard
Then, holding to the lasso, he walked
up the steep slant, hand over hand on
the rope. When he reached the shel,
he rnotioned for Gale to follow. Gale
found that method Of scaling a wall
both quick and easy. Yaqui pulled up
the lasso. and threw the stick aloft In.
to another crack. He climbed to an.
other shelf, and Gale followed him. The
third effort brought them to a more
rugged bench hundred feet above the
slides The Yaqui worked round to
the left and turned into a dark Hssure
Gale. kept close at his heels. They
came out presently into lighter space,
yet one that restricted any extended
view. Broken sections Of cliff were on
all sides.
Here the ascent became toll. Gale
could distance Yaqui going downhill
on the climb. however. he was hard
put to II to keep the Indian in sight.
Il was NOT Question Of strength =