White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-01-25
CHAPTER v
g.

the last lap of the circle. There we're
but two men remaining with them.
"Moore!" Harris called, and the
man turned his horse down the head
Of a draw that would lead him out
into the bottoms a trif1e less than
mile above the wagon. Harris heard
a shrill whistle behind him and
turned sidewise in the saddle to look
back, saw that Moore had regained
the ridge and was signaling. They
turned and rode back to him.
There's another Moore said
pointing down the gulch. "It's get.
ting to be habit"
A dead COW lay on a little fiat a
hundred yards below. For three con.
Becutive days some rider had found
fresh-killed Three Bar COW. Every
animal had been shot.
III look this one over myself,
Harris decided. "Theres only two
more gulches to work. Each one of
you boys take one"
The girl followed film as he turned
down the first steep ditch. They
pulled up their horses and sat look.
Ing at the COW. trickle of blood
Dozed out of hole between her eyes
Harris rode in a circle round the
spot. r
"He downed her from some point
above" he said. "Not a sign any.
where close at hand" He surveyed
the ridges that fanked either side OF
the draw and the little saddle-like de,
preston at the head of 1t from which
they had just descended. From be
yond this gap came the shrill nicker
of horse, the sound chopped short
as If man had clamped his hand ON
the animals nostrils to silence 1t
Harris turned swiftly to the girl.
sits plant" he said. "Ride-
hard!"
He suited his action to the words
and jumped his horse off down the
bottoms. He waved her over to one
side.
''Keep we'll away from me p he or.
dered. "They don't want you"
They hung their spurs into their
mounts and the horses plunged down
the steeply-pitching bottoms. vaultinp
sage clumps and bounding along the
COW trails that threaded the brush
Two hundred yards below the COW
the draw made an elbow bend The
girl rounded 1t and as Harris fol
lowed jump behind he felt q
Earring tug at the camille of his
saddle and the thin, sharp crack of u
rifle reached him. The gulct made q
reverse bend and as they sweep,
around 1t Harris swung sidewise ir
the saddle and looked back The,
were entirely sheltered from an,
point on the divide six hundred yards
behind them. He pulled his horse T..
swinging trot and they rode duwr
the slipping meadow that led straigh,
to the main valley.
1--WE didn't get started any TOT
soon," Harris said His horse WASH,
more than hundred feet beyond the
notch when he blew off and warnet
us-not time for Inc to get cached
and drop him as he topped the ridge
The girls eyes suddenly riveted or
a small round hole in the camille of hi.
saddle where the ball had entered
On the inside and far to the left ex
tremity of the camille ragged CAST
showed where 1t had passed out The
ball had not missed his left hip to ey
coed an inch.
She started her horse SO suddenl,
that before he realized her purpose
she was we'll In the lead and gnin,
at q dead run toward the mouth q
the gulch where II opened out int
the main bottoms two hundred yard.
beyond
From the opposite slope riders wer,
hazing cows out of their respective
draws. The running horse caught ev
er, mans eyes as the girl 'slreene,
out into the center of the valley ros,
In her stirrups and waved an arm in
circle above her head In five second.
riders were whirlin2 In behind he
from all directions as she headed fo
the wagon.
She waved those already on the spo
toward the rope corral.
't'hange horses u she called and a
each man rode In he caught up
fresh horse.
Scatter out; some of you belov
where we came dtwn some above.
she said. "Five hundred to the mai
that brings Morrow in"
'It's no use. Billie Harris coun