The Lamar register., 1923-01-24
Continued from Page Two)
Copyright by Harper & Brothers.


the right. Bianco Sol seemed to turn
Ms on pivot and charged back
toward the lower end of the valley.
He circled over to Gales right and
stretched out Into his run. There
were now five raiders in pursuit. and
they came sweeping down. yelling and
shooting. evidently sure of their
quarry. Ladd reserved his fire. He
kept turning from back to front IN
his saddle
Manifestly he Intended 10 try to
lead the rnfiers round in front of
Gales position. and. presently. Gnle
saw he was going to succeed. Til"
raiders. riding like vaqueros. swept
on In a curve, cutting of what dis
tance they could. Blnnco Sol pound
ed by. his rapid. rhythmic hoofheats
plainly to be heard He was running
easily.
Gale tried to stiil the Jump of heart
and pulse. aud turned his eye again
on the nearest pursuer This raider
WAS crossing in. his carbine held
muzzle up In his right hand. and ne
was coming swiftly. II wns Tong
shot, upward OF five hundred yards,
Gale had not time to adjust NE sis'Iis
Of the Remington but he knew the
gun and. holding coarsely upon the
swiftly moving blot, he began To shoot.
The rifle was automatic; Gale needed
only to pull the trigger. Swlftly he
worked IL. Suddenly the lra1ine
horse leaped convulsively. not ZIP nor
aside. but straight ahead. and then
he crashed to the ground. throwing his
rider like a catapult. and then slid
and rolled HI. half got up. fell back.
and kicked; but his rider never moved.
The other rangers sawed the relns
Of piunglng sfeeds and whirled {"
escape the unseen battery. Gale
slipped fresh clip Into the magn-
zine OF his rifle. He restrained him
self from useless firing and gave eager
eve to the duel below. Ladd began Ia
shoot while Sol was running The
.4O5 rang out shnrply-then again.
The heavy bullets streaked the dust
all the way across the valley. The
rniders spurred madly In pursuit.
loading and firing They shot ten
times while I.add shot once. and all
In vain; md on Ladd's sixth shot
raider toppled backward. threw his
carbine and fell with his foot catching
In stIrrup The frightened horse
plunged away. dragging him In path
OF dust.
Ladd had emptied magazine, and
now Blanco Sol quickened and length
ened his running stride. He ran away
from his pursuers. Then II was that
gN,-ln h,r 81
raiders They hauled sharply up and
seemed to be comforting. But that
was a fatal mistake. Blanco Sol was
seen to break his gait and slow down
in several jumps, then square away
and stand stockstill. Ladd fired at the
closely grouped raiders. An instant
passed. Then Gale heard the spat Of
a bullet out In front. saw n pun Of
dust, then heard the lead strike the
rocks and go whining away. And # was
after this that one OF the raiders fell
prone from his saddle. The steel
Jacketed .4O5 had gone through him
on Its uninterrupted way to hum past
Gales position.
The remaining two raiders fran
tically spurred their horses and fed up
the valley. Ladd sent Sol after them.
The raiders split. one making for the
eastern outlet. the other circllng back
OF the mesquites. Ladd kept on after
the latter. Then pufrs OF white smoke
and rife shots family cracking told Of
Jim Lash's hand in the game. How
ever, he succeeded only In driving the
railer back into the valley. But Ladd
had turned the other horsemnn, and
now It appeared the two raiders were
between Lash above on the stony
slope and Ludd below ON the level.
There WAS desperate riding on part
OF the raiders to keep from Icing
Asmmsd In closer Only one Of them
got away, and he came riding for life
down under the eastern wall. Blanco
Sci settled into his graceful, beautiful
swing He gained steadily. though he
vas far from extending himself.
Some few hundred rods to the left
Of Gale the raider put his horse TO the
wsathersd slope. He began TO climb
NgHAs they went up and up. and wher
LAdd reached the edge Of tho slops
they were high along the cracked and
Guttsred rampant. Once-twice Ladc
raised the long ride. but each ums hs