Evening star., 1928-11-04
By Wainwright EUuns


candid interest. "Well, I come OF a
family of 10 myself"
The next morning, when he had fin
ished the breakfast chores, jenkins
said, "I'll show you that cache" He
led them to a spot some 200 feet from
the camp, and pointed to what had
looked like a pile of logs, but which
they now saw was a stout structure,
like chest. THE wolverines and cata-
mounts can't touch it there" he said.
And there's enough for six good men
as long as you'll want em. moved
it out here, thinkin' you'd went some
work done this Fall. But 1t would be
too late now. reckon" he added, as
they turned back, Il might slir out and
get some fresh meat this mornin'."
Its good to be alone for bit"
she said as they watched him go.
Want to fsh?" he asked.
mot just yet; want to sit and think
and do nothing"
They fell into a silence from which
he presently reused with startled look
about him and at the sun. Whats
holding JenkinS?"
They looked at each other as if
with common thought.
IT thought / heard jenkins gun.
not long after he left u.s." Fred said
presently Maybe I'd better go and
take look. He'd surely be back if some
thing hadn't gone wrong"
Eleanor's face whitened. Her lips
trembled. Fred picked up his rifle,
found mis- compass, matches, knife,
needed. Finally he thrust f1rst-aid
package into his pocket. IF anything's
happened" he said grimly, ''I'll have it
on jenkins in one respect. know more
about firSt-aid than he does"
She tried to blink the tears out of
her eyes when he kissed her and then
she watched till, with a final backward
wave of his hand, he was out Of her
sight.
On leaving the camp, Jenkins picked
his way over the uneven country with
the ease of wild animal. Suddenly
he came to a dead stop and crouched
behind clump of sage brush. In the
far distance his eyes had caught an
all but imperceptible change in the
way the light struck an open space.
them Since the wind was right, no
detour was necessary. He made di-
rectly forward toward a point where
one side of the ravine fell away reveal
ing the steep slope below. At last he
paused and looked down. He had reach
ed the one spot from which he could
safely try shot without danger of be-
ing winded or seen too soon. Then he
composed himself to wait till the buck
that was feeding with two does should
turn so that the shoulder was in full
view. The sights came accurately to
rest behind it and the bullet shrieked
its song. The buck sprang wildly into
the air. Before he had fallen gaSping
kicking carcass on the wiry mountain
grass the others were off like the wind
AS for the high-pressure charge be-
hind the bullet, 1t produced another
perfectly natural result. It struck the
slope behind Jenkins with a wave of
sound that echoed into far distances.
The jar Of 1t was slight but 1t was
sufficient. A delicately poised boulder,
from beneath which the soil had
crumbled to the point where puff
Of air might send 1t over, stirred slowly
on its perch 10 feet above the guide.
Down the slope it tore, passing within
10 feet of the fallen buck. And in the
path 1t made Jenkins senseless form
lay Sickenly limp, where the boulder
had left it.
For an hour the sun beat down i'm
partially on the two still forms. The
wind played with jenkins hair and blew
his hat further up the trail. Then
there struck upon the mountain air
the noise Of hoofs and the voices and
laughter of men,
And cleaned up three thousand
that Summer on placer mining but"
The voice stopped. The sound of hoofs
stopped. The man who was talking
gave leap from his saddle and ran
forward. Its Harry Jenkins" he
called. Hastily he unbuttoned the
guides shirt and put his ear to the
barrel-like chest. "Alivel" he pro-
nounced laconically. He felt with
skilled hands over every inch of the
inert body. ribs smashed arm broke,
head smashed. Whew. Grizzly must
have-r1o, no claw marks" He paus-
ed for a hasty look around him; then
jerked his thumb toward the path of
the boulder.
y X \ X
TN is minutes the four men Of the
party had fashioned a rough litter.
Onto this they lifted the guides still