The Washington times., 1935-01-17
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/, Two cars had drawn to a
halt, and booted men were
pounding up the steps. Flash
lights glittered about the barn
and in a momentary lull Of
the storm a sudden cry warned
Dick they had found his tracks
at last. A dozen lights were
dotting the corral, and like
dogs on a hot scent. they fol-
lowed the mares footprints in
the wet sands. Still silent and
1nscrutable he sat on his horse,
his tall form hidden by the
blackneSs Of night, his eyes
fastened in bitter amusement
on the frantic search Of his
pursuers. At last, as If wearied
with it all, he raised his open
hand aloft in a mocking ges-
ture of farewell and rode
slowly out toward the rain
lashed mesa.
One Chance
Keeping carefully off the
road, he headed straight for
The Barrier, knowing that al
ready his purSuers would be
guarding the nearer approaches
to the trail. Doubtless. too.
Sari had telephoned his men
at the dam to watch the
farther side. He nodded in
confirmation to his unSpoken
thought. It would be better to
60 around, to skirt the Bar
1ier and then make for the
foothills. Up there alone lay
safety, for by tomorrow there
would be neither shelter nor
security within the desert
country. Sari would see to
that.
On he rode over the sodden
sands. BY slow degrees the
rain ceased, and through torn
drifted clouds a young moon
rose, cold and cherries, out
lining in faint silver the rim
of the Barrier. A car, far out
on the desert, passed him, max
ing for the lake. Soldiers or
Sari'S men. Dick shrugged.
What difference? Shielding the
match, he lighted a cigarette,
and in its glow saw it was near
ing midnight. Six hours Of
darkness yet, and by then he
would be well up in the shelter
of the pine.clad foothills. Once
there, the advantage lay with
him, for he had roamed these
hills since childhood. He knew
every trail, every stream, even
to the wild, boulder-strewn
submits Of the mountains be-
yond.
Hours passed. They skirted
the base of the Barrier at a
tireless trot, rider and horse
with heads bowed against the
bitter north wind, and soon
they were climbing the stony
bottom of q dry arroyo that
led up to the foothills. Once
Lowell stopped to rest the
mare, and as she lowered her
head to nibble at the sparse,
hard clumpS Of grass, he patted
her sleek neck.
Exaltation
mo more oats or barn, old
girl. From now on it's going
to be slim pickings for us
both" Then, with a warm
flood of sheer animal well
being, came the exultation that
adversely and the nearness of
danger always brought to him,
and soon Dick found himself
humming a cowboy song as
again the mare clambered up
ward through the night.
BY dawn he stood at the
summit of the first range of
foothills, and In the shelter Of
q pinon grove diSmounted, and
loosening the saddle cinch, let
his mare Craze upon the winter
grasses while he rested and
smoked. Yet in spite of the
long night behind him he felt
no great desire for sleep. That
could come later, farther back
among the hills.
Resting, wrapped in contem-
plation. he sat there while
another desert sunrise dawned
and grew glamorous against
the eastern sky. Slowly the
first faint pinkS deepened to
flame while, threadlike and
feathery, the clouds drifted
out Of the north until little