The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-01-25

and the knife-edged lava. That Yaqui
did not mount Diablo was still more
significant. Mercedes must ride; but
the others must walk.
The Indian led off into one of the
gray notches between the tumbled
streams of lava. At the apex of the
notch. where two streams met, "a mar
row gully wound and ascended. Yaqui
led Diablo into 1t. and then began the
most laborious and vexatious and
painful of all slow travel
The disintegrating surface of lava
bed was at once the toughest, the
hardest, the meanest, the cruelest, the
most deceitful kind of ground to
travel. The fugitives made slow
progress. They picked cautious
winding way to and fro in little steps
here and there along the many twists
Of the trail, up and down the unavoid-
able depressions, round and round the
holes. At noon, so winding back upon
itself had been their course. they ap-
peared to have come only short dis
tance up the lava slope
1t was rough work for them; 1t was
terrible work for the horses. Blanco
Diablo refused to answer to the power
of the Yaqui. He baked, he plunged.
he bit and kicked. He had to be pulled
and beaten over many places. Mer-
cedes' horse almost threw her, and
she was put upon Blanro Sol. The
white charger snorted protest, then
0bedient to Gales stern CALL patiently
lowered his noble head and paved the
lava for footing that would hold.
The lava caused Gale toll and
worry and pain, but he hated the
choyas. He came almost to believe
what he had heard claimed by desert
travelers-that the choya was alive
and leaped at man or beast. Certain
II was when Gale passed one, If h,
did not put all attention to avoiding
IT, he was hooked through his chaps
and held by harbed thorns. The pain
was almost uncomfortable. 1t was like
no other. 1t burned. stung, beat
almost seemed to freeze. 1t made
useless arm or leg. It made him bite
his tongue TO keep from crying out.
It made the sweat roll off him. II
made him sick.
Moreover, bad as the choya was for
man. 1t was infinitely worse for beast.
A jagged stab from this poisoned cac-
tus was the only thing Blanco Sol
could not stand. Many times that day,
before he carried Mercedes. he had
wildly snorted, and then stood trem-
bling while Gale picked broken thorns
from the muscular legs. But after
Mercedes had been put upon Sol Gale
made sure no choya touched him.
The afternoon passed like the morn
Ing, in ceaseless winding and twist
ing and climbing along this abandoned
trail. Gale saw many waterholes.
mostly dry. some containing water, all
of them catch-basins. full only after
rainy season. Little ugly punched
bushes, that Gale scarcely recognized
as mesquites, grew near these holes;
also stunted greasewood and prickly
pear. There was no grass and the
choya alone fourished in that hard
soil.
Darkness overlook the party as they,
unracked beside pool of water deep
under IN overhanglng shelf OF lava.
II had been n hard day. The horses
diaNk their fill, and then stood pm
iiouily with dropping heads. Hunger
and thirst were aDpeased and warm
Ire rhrerei the weary and footsore
tugitiyes- Yaqui said. "Sleep.' And
50 anutller night passed.
Cpen the following morning, ten
m'i's or more mp the slow-ascending
'ica- s'ope, Gale was in the rear Of