The Lamar register., 1923-02-07

at the southwest and toward this he
turned his horse The great tiuted
saguarns fifty. sixty feet high. raised
columnal forms. and their branching
limbs and curving lines added grace
70 rhe desert. II was the low-bushed
cactus that made the toll and pain OF
travel YET these rhorny forms were
beautiful.
In the basins between the ridges. 10
right and left along the floor of low
plains the mirage elistened wavered
faded, vanished lakes and trees and
clouds. Inverted mountains hung
suspended In the lilac air and faint
tracery of white-walled cities
Al noon Ya1ui halted the cayalcade.
lie had selected field Of hisnagi cac
tus for the place of rest Presently
his reason became obvious. With long
heavy knife he cnt of the tops of
these barrel-shaped plants. II"
scooped out soft pulp. and with stone
and hand then began to pound the
deeper pulp into Juicy mass. When
he threw this out there was little
water left. sweet. cold water which
man and horse shared eagerly. Thus
he made even the deserts fercesi
growths minister to their needs.
But he did not halt long Miles OF
gray-green spiked walls lay between
him and that line of ragged, red lava
which mauifesilN he must reach be
for,. dark The travel became faster
straighter And the glistenlng thorn>
rlufchad and clung to leather and
q
snorted bnlked. leaped-but they
we're sent on. Only Blanco Sol, the
patient. the plodding. the indomitable,
needed no goad or spur Mercedes
reeIed in her saddle Thorne bnds
her drink. hafhed Ter face. supported
her. and then gave way to Lndn, who
took fhe girl with him on Torres
broad hack The iddle Of the after
noon saw Thorne rrrllnc In his saddle
ant then wh"rrv' possible Gales
u"'' "rru arm lent him strength to
hold l's seat
The sugitves were entering desc
lii. burued-0ut world. The waste
rf sand began to Weld tn "lnderS
The. horses sank & their fetlOcks Is
fI.r, rolled on fine. choking dust
blew hnci from the leadcr- and men
rnusli-d aud horses snDrred But the
siIn was now behind the hills In be
tween ran the stream of lava II
Of cracks and caves and crevices, and
everywhere upon its jagged surface
grew the white-thorned choyn.
Again twilight encompassed the
travellers But there was still light
enough for Gale to see the CONSTRUCTED
passage open into a wide, deep space
where the duh color was relieved by
the gray Of gnarled and dwarfed mes
quite Blanco Sol, keenest OF scent
whi>tled his welcome herald OF water
The other horses answered. quickened
their gait. Gale smelled It, too. sweet
cool damp Oh the dry air.
Yaqui turned the corner Of Z 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 Yaqufs 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. IL was Gales
idea that the Indian was sklrting the
first sharp-toOthed slope Of a vast vol
csnic plateau which formed the west
ern half OF the Sonora desert and eI-
tended TO the Gulf Of California.
Travel was slow. hut 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, bleached grass for the horses,
but no wood for a fire. This might
there were question and reply, con
lecture. doubt, opinion and conviction
expressed by the men OF the party.
But the Indian. who alone could have
told where they were. where they
NOTICE OF SALE.