Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-03
ROBBERS RoosT
~ ZANE GREY

! to wait for the gray. Il DON'T l1ko this
place. Don't look, Helen"
AS she made no reply, Jim leaned
back to get . glimpse Of her face.
Asleep!
Come on, Gray" he called to the
horse behind, and to Bay: Steady, old
fellow. If that narrowS round there you
want to step sure"
It did narrow. Eight feet, six feet
less! Bits Of the steep band were crum-
bling away. But the pack horses had
gone round. 1t would not be safe to
| try to turn now.
Suddenly Jim encountered a still mar
rover point, scarcely feet wide. The
edge had freshly crumbled. 1t was
crumbling now.
Bay stepped carefully, confidently. He
knew horses with wide packs had safely
passed there. He went on. Jim felt him
sink. One hind foot had crushed out a
section of earth, letting him down. But
with snort he plunged ahead to wider
trail
Jims heart had leaped to his throat.
| He heard thud Of hoofs behind, q heavy,
sliddery rumble. Looking back he saw
the gray horse leap from section of
wall. beginning to gap outward, to solid
ground ahead. Next instant feet Of
the trail. close up to the bluff, slid down
in an avalanche
Close shave for us ALL" cried Jim,
huskily
Right at his feet red torrent rushed
with a wrestling. clashing sound from
cut a deep walled gorge of splintered,
rocking walls
This was a tributary q vicious child
OF the hideous Dirty Devil. 1t barred
Jim's progress. Thirty PAGES to the fore,
on the widest part OF the bank, stood
the pack horses. Jim forced his startled
gaze to the rear. No rider would ever
come or go that way again.
The rain had slackened. The girl.
stirring in his arms, reused him out of
his bewilderment.
He rode on to a huge section Of cliff
wall which had fallen from above and
| now leaned at an angle over the trail.
It appeared to be a safe retreat.
Jim dismounted carefully with Helen.
and, stopping as he moved under the
leaning rock, he set her down on dry
dust.
rs it the end for us?"
He did not answer. Folding the Slicker
into a pillow he laid her head back
upon it. Scrambling up, he removed the
saddle from Bay and dropped it under
the shelter. Then, leading the horse, he
stepped forward to where the gray and
The instinct of the horses had guided
them to halt behind the only safe spot
on the unsafe bank. Jim removed their
packs, leaving the saddles on. Without
hesitation he poured out all of the grain,
about 2 quarts for each horse. Lastly
he damned the packs under the edge Of
the boulders and left the horses free to
take care Of themselves.
IF that storm breaks over the head
OF this gorge we're lost" soliloquized
Jim, In dark solemnity Gloomy,
weighed down by inscrutable events, he
hurried back to the shelving rock.
He dreaded the coming hours-the
night-the-he knew not what
Jim removed his slicker and folded it
into long pad. AS he crept closer the
girl stirred again and spoke He thought
she asked if he was there He placed
the slicker in the best available place
and covered that with the drier Of the
two saddle blankets. He pulled the sad
die closer. Then he lifted the girl over
his lap and covered her with the dry
blanket. He leaned back against the
stone with her head On his shoulder
and his arm supporting her 1t was not
only that he wanted to keep her dry
end warm. he had to have her in his
arms while he waited for the nameless
terror he anticipated
(To be continued.)