The Nevada County picayune., 1923-02-08

He had SeleCleu d 4lN' ,,.-o,,+lx t,,s for the place of rest. Presently eS his reason became obvious. Nlll' lo"e, hnoxy m knife he cut off the tops oi no tbose barrel-shaped plants. lie scooned out soft pulp, and with stone one and hand then began to poapa ,,v,sa,, sne danner pulp into a juicy mass. ,.L',i "ngi bo threw this out there was lt'le water left sweet cold water when ,,,an and horse shared eagerly. mus he made even the deserts ner'eS' growths minister to their needs.
 But he did not halt long. Mics oi grav.green spiked walls lay oesWeen HIn and that line of ragged, red lava which manifestly he must reaeh De foro dark The travel became faster straiqhter. And the glistening thorhs clutched and clung to leather ana cIotb and flesh. The horses reared snorted, baked. leaped-but they wore sent on. Only Blanco Sol the natipnt the plodding, the indomitabie' needed no goad or spur, MereeaeS reeled in her saddle Thorne hade hnr drink. bathed her face, supported hor and then gave way to Ladd, who took tbe girl with him on Torres broad back. The middle of the afteF- noon saw Thorne reeling in his saddle and then. wherever possible, Gales I,o,verful arm lent him strength to hold his seat.
 The fugitiyes were entering deSo- hate burned-0ut world. The waste of sand began to yield to einders. The horses sank to their fetleeks as They toiIed on. A ine, choking dust blew back from the leaders, and men eoughed and horses snorted. But the sun was now behind the hills. In De- tween ran the stream of lava. II was broken. sharp, dull rust eoior. fuli of cracks and caves and ereylees, and everywhere upon it's jagged surface grew the white-thorned choya.
 Again twilight encompassed the travellers. But there was still light enough for Gale to see the constructed passage open into vice deep space where the dull color was relieved by the gray of gnarleA and dwarfed mes quite. Blanco Sol, keenest of scent whistled his welcome herald of water The other horses answered, quickened their gait. Gale smelled it, too, sweet cool, damp on the dry air.
 Yaqui turned the corner of pocket in the lava wall. The file of white horses rounded the corner after him. And Gale, coming last, saw the pale glancing gleam of a pool of water beautiful in the twilight.
 Next day the Yaqui's relentless driving demand on the horses was no longer in evidence He lost no time but he did not hasten. His course wound between low cinder dunes which limited their view of the sur rounding country These dunes finally sank down to a black floor as hard as flint, with tongues of lava to the left, and to the right the slow descent into the cactus plain. Yaqui was now travelling due west. II was Gales idea that the Indian was skirting the first sharp-toothed slope of vast vol canic plateau which formed the west ern half of the Sonora desert and ex- tended to the Gulf of California. Travel was slow, but not exhausting for rider or beast
 Thirty miles of easy stages brought the fugitives to another waterhole, a little round pocket under the heaved- up edge of lava. There was spare, short. bleacAed grass for the horses. but no wood for a fire. This night there were question and reply, con- lecture, d0Uat. opinion and conviction expressed hy the men of the party. But the Indian, who alone could have told where they were, where they were going, what chance they had to escape maintained his stoical silence. Gale took the early watch. Ladd the midnight one, and Lash that of the morning. The day broke rosy, glori- ous, cold aS ice. Action was neces- sary to make useful bcnumbed hands and feet. Mercedes was fed while vel wrapped In blankets.
 It was 8 significant index to the days travel that Aadui should keen a blanket from the pack and tear Ii into strips to bind the legs of the horses. It meant the dreaded choya
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