, 1923-03-28

ANY II Hhu Deen TO some Otner part,
Tor the water was new to him. He
stood gazing aloft ut peaks, at lower
rampants of the mountain, and at
nearer landmarks of prominence.
faqui seemed at fault. He was not
sure of his location.
Then he strobe past the swirling
pool of dark water and began to as
cend a little slope that led up to a
shelving cliff. Another object halted
the Indian. 1t was a pile of stones,
w~eathered, crumbled, fallen into ruin,
but still retaining shape enough to
prove 1t had been built there by the
hands of men. Round and round this
the Yaqui stalked, and his curiosity
attested n further uncertainty. 1t
was as If he had come upon something
surprising. Gale wondered about the
pile of stones. Had 1t once beer a
prospector's claim?
Ugh" grunted the Indian; and,
though his exclamation expressed no
satisfaction, 1t surely put an end to
doubt. He pointed up to the roof of
the sloping yellow shelf of stone.
. "iiitiy ouliiiitu lltIt III Ttu were Inc
imprints of many human hands with
fingers spread wide. Gale haC often
een such paintings on the walls of
the desert caverns. Manifestly these
told Yaqui he had come to the spot for
which he had aimed. a
Then his actions became swift-and
Yaqui seldom moved SWIFTLY. The
fnpt IA prD..n1 Cat nj
searched the level floor under the
shelf He gathered up handfuls of
small black stones. and he thrust
them at Gale. Their weight made
Gale start, and then he trembled. The
Indians next move was to pick up a
piece of weathered rock and throw 1t
against the wall. 1t broke. He
snatched up parts, and showed the
broken edges to Gale. They contained
yellow streaks, dull glints, faint trac-
ings of green. 1t was gold.
Gale found his legs shaking under
him and he sat down, trying to take
all the bits of stone into his lap. His
blade he dug into the black pieces of
rock. He found gold. Then he stared
down the slope, down into the valley
with its river winding forlornly away
into the desert. But he did not see
any of that. Here was reality as
sweet, as wonderful, as saving as a
dream come true. Yaqui had led him
to a ledge of gold. Gale had learned
enough about mineral to know that
this was n rich strike. All in a second
he was speeches. with the joy Of 1t.
But his mind whirled in thought about
this strange and noble Indian, who
seemed never to be able to pay a debt.
Bedding and the poverty that had
come to him! Nell, who had wept
over the loss of a spring. Laddy,
who never could ride again! Jim
Lash, who swore he would always look
after his friendl Thorne and Mer-
cedes! All these people. who had
been good to him and whom he loved.
were poor. But now they would be
rich. They would one and all be his
partners. He had discovered the
source of Forlorn river, and was rich
in water. Yaqui had made him rich
in gold. Gale wanted to rush down
the slope, down into the valley, and
tell his wonderful news.
Suddenly his eyes cleared and he
saw the pile of stones. His blood
turned to ice, then to fire. That was
the mark Of a prospector's claim. But
it was old, very old. The ledge had
never been worked. The slope was
wild. There was not another single
indication that a prospector had ever
been there. Where. then. was he who
had first staked this claim? Gale
wondered with growing hope, with
the fire easing, with the cold passing.
The Yaqul uttered the low, strange,
involuntary cry so rare with him, n
cry somehow always associated with
death. Gale shuddered.
The Indian was digging in the sand
and dust under the shelving wall. He
threw out an object that rang against
the stone. II was u belt buckle. He
threw out old %shrunken, withered
boots. He came upon other things,
and then he ceased to dig.
The grave of desert prosJectors!
Gale had seen more than one. Ladd
had told him many n story of such
gruesome finds. It was grim, hard
fact.
Then the keen-eyed Yaqui reached
up TO n little projecting shelf of rock
and took from II II small object. He
showed M curiosity and gave the
thing TO Gale.
How strangely Gale felt when he re-
celved into his hands n fiat oblong
box Was It only the influence OF
the Yaqul, or was there n nameless
and unseen presence beside that
grave? Gale could not be sure. But
he knew he had gone back to the old
desert mood. He knew something
hung in the balance. No accident. no
luck, no debt.paylng Indian could nc
count wholly for that moment. Gale
knew he held in his hands more thnn
gold