White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-09-22
CHAPTER XII-Continued

"Sure enough. But we're hot on the
trail of these gents. We're liable to
catch em with the goods. If so, we had
ought to make our gather right then.
Otherwise they'll probably hive off to
parts unknown. We're not enough to
handle this job, you an me. was
ffgurin' on runnin' down two-three
Mexicans maybe. Gitner's another
proposition, an hombre Of quite diff
ferent color. He packs his guns low
an comes a-foggin'."
Someone has already mentioned
that to me-" the boy said quietly.
"Tell Miss Julia that we think Git
ner is the man we're after"
Phil read his mind as though 1t had
been one-syllable primer. Mccain
believed that if he mentioned Gitner
as the probable chief Of the rustlers
to Julia she would contrive some ex-
cuse to prevent her brother from re-
turning with the posse.
"You can tell her that" Phil said.
''I'm stayin' right here"
Mccain rumpled his sunburnt hair
and grinned. You're some stubborn,
If anyone asks me- Boy, why don't
you act like you had horse sense?'
The upshot of it was that they both
stayed. They decided to find out If
they could where the outlaws were
camped. Circumstances would have to
decide whether they would attempt an
arrest or 60 for help to round up the
thieves.
They took a diagonal trail up the
mountain side after they came to the
end Of Guadaloup canyon, for the hoof-
prints, sharp-edged and clean-cut, led
that way.
1t came on to rain, gentle mist that
blurred the hills. They put on their
slickers and followed the dim trail I'M
til it lost itself in the rubble Of
stony precipitous shoulder hunched up
above deep gulch.
AS the rain increased the pines and
the scrub oaks began to shower them
with baths Of moisture when they
pushed too close. The tracks Of the
cattle were blotted out.
"Our luck's not standing up" Will
son said. Il wonder which way they
drove those brush-spltters from here"
Phil cast back into his memory.
"When l was kid Dad brought US up
here hunting. We stayed week, the
four of us. Nick Rafferty, an julie
were the other two Our camp was in
a wooded park back Of a gulch you'd
never know was there unless you STUN
bled on it. Just for fun julie called
1t Horse Thief park, because it would
be such dandy place for rustlers to
hole up. If could find It, I recollect
it's over to the southwest from this
end Of Guadaloup-six or seven miles
maybe-or more, or less. They may
not be camped there of course. But
there was an old cabin some pros
pector had built, an the grass was
good. Plenty of water too"
Looks like good bet Whichever
way we go it's gamble. Might as
well try yore Horse Thief park. 1t we
way we could probably lie hid while
we look around. How about that"
The boy shook his head. "You can
search me. We always went in by the
gulch an came out the same way.
Point is, can I find the entrance to it?"
"Findin' our way in is ole thing;
getting out is another" Wilson eau
toned. "rd hate to find Gitner had
showed cork in the neck Of the bot
tie while we were inside. I'm not look
in for a showdown with the odds
against u.s."
I'm not crazy about bumpin' into
him myself" Phil admitted.
Through the drizzle they plodded,
moving toward the southwest. 1t was
a land of innumerable hills, gulches,
draws, wooded slopes and mountain
passes. To find in this maze the con-
cealed entrance to one small canyon
was no easy task For Phil could re-
call no details Of the countrys con-
tour, nor any landmarks that reminded
him Of the way they had approached
They wandered rather aimlessly for
hours, trying first one detile and then
another. riding up draws that proved
to be blind alleys, and circling hills pa
tiently. The night fell still wet. With
difficulty they lit fire. The sodden
wood sputtered and smoked. From the
pines above the gusts Of wind shook
showers Of gathered moisture upon
them.
Beneath the tarp that bound to-
gether the pack they slept uncomfort-
ably. The ground was wet and cold,
their blankets damp.
Daybreak found rain still falling
from sky banked with clouds. Break
fast was a cherries business, To
make matters worse, the pack horse
had pulled its picket pin and wan
dered away.
1--WE sure got the feel of the rocks
in my bones," Phil grumbed with a
rueful grin. Looked to me like they
would work right through to my spine.
Say, what do we do about that fool
hawss--start after 1t before break
fast?