The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-06-06

In height. kept continually cruFabling
and falling into the stream. These
cutbanks are terror TO inexperi
enced riders. The valleys are swat
lowed up In the tawny sameness OF
the ranges; the vision catches only
the higher levels, and one may gallop
to the verge of precipice before De
coming aware of its existence. 1t was
to this that Zen had referred In speak,
Ing of Transley's precipitateness.
Drazk followed the gully up Into
the hills, letting his horse drop back to
walk in the hard going along the
dry bed of a stream which flowed only
In the spring freshets. Pete had to
pick his way over powders and across
stretches of sand and Doggy patches
of black mud formed by little springs
leaking out under clumps OF willows
Here and there the white ribs of
steers skeleton peered through the
brush !; once or twice an overpowerins
stencil gave notice of carcass not
wholly decomposed.
1t was not a pleasant environment
but In an hour Drazk was out again
on the brow of the brown hills, where
the sunshine flooded about and fresh
breeze beat up against his face. After
all his winding In the gully he was
not more than a mile from the cut.
bank.
81 reckon I could get a great view
from that cutbank of what Landson Is
doin'," he suddenly remarked to him
self. He took off his hat and scratched
his tousled head in reflection. "Linder
said to beat it." he ruminated, but
can't get back tonight anyway. an II
might be worth while to do a little
scoutin'. Here goes!"
He struck a smart gallop to the
southwark, and brought his horse up
spectacularly, a yard from the edge
of the precipice. The view which his
position commanded was superb. UE
the valley lay the white tents Of Trans
ley's outfit, almost hidden in green
foliage; the ford across the river was
distinctly visible, and stretching south
lIOlu lIhC eACOL Ill fA-Ao S-~0-~~i
the trail which wound across the val
ley and lost itself in the foothills far
TO the south; across the western hori,
zon hung the purple curtain of the
mountains, soft and vague in their
MONDAY mists, but touched with set.
tings of ivory where the snow fields
beat back the blazing sunshine: far
down the valley was the CLEAN OF
Landson's whitewashed buildings, and
nearer at hand the greenish-brown OF
the upland meadows which his hay
makers had already cleared of their
crop of prairie wool. This was now
arising in enormous stacks; it must
have been three miles to where they
lay, but Drazk's keen eyes could dis
tinguish ten completed stacks and two
others in course OF building. He could
even see the sweeps hauling the new
hay, after only a few hours of sun
drying, and sliding 1t up the inclined
platforms which dumped 1t into the
form of stacks. The foothill rancher
makes hay by horse power, and almost
without the aid of a pitchfork. Even
as Drazk watched he saw load skid.
ded up; saw It's apparent momentary
poise in air; saw the well-trained
horses stop and turn and start back to
the meadow with their sweep. And
up the valley Transley's outfit was at
a standstill.
Drazk employed his limited but ex-
pressive vocabulary. 1t was against
all human nature to look on such a
scene unmoved. He recalled Y.D's
half-spoken wish about a random
cigar. Then suddenly George Drazk's
mouth dropped open and his eyes
rounded with a great idea.
OF course 1t was against all the
rules of the rang@it was outlaw
business-but what about driving iron
stakes in a hay meadow? Drazk's
philosophy was that the end tustifies
the means. And if the end would win
the approval Of Y.D.-and Of Y.D. s
daughter-then any means was JUST.
fed. Had not Under said. Burn the
grass on the road?" Drazk knew well
enough that Linder's remark was a
figure Of speech, but his eccentric
mind found no trouble in converting II
into literal instructions.
Drazk shifted the air and looked at
the sun. A soft breeze was moving
slowly up the valley; the sun was just
past noon. There was every reason
to expect that as the lowland prairies
grew hot with the afternoon sunshine
a breeze would come down out of the
mountains to occupy the area of great
atmospheric expansion. Drazk knew
nothing about the theory Of the thing
all that concerned him was the fact
that by mid-afternoon the wind would
probably change to the west.
Two miles down the valley he found
gully which gave access to the wa