Nogales international., 1936-08-22
AurocAsTEp sERY.

he ndQ lCIL OdllS ilAlSb StCPPSn Cos
| along the high limb, and joined him.
Above the ledge there was fault
in the cliff, a fssure with broken
steps that offered an ascent to the
summit 1t seemed to be one trail
of entry into Dalton's secret range; /;
there might be others. They hoisted
the dog and the packs with the
rope and then hauled Pete up.
From the cliff summit Rusty kept
climbing into high, wild country
near timber line, with certainty
that confirmed Speeds guess, and
over a trail that grew more and
more rugged. The snow was still
free of footmarks.
Rusty's climb ended at the head
of snow-troughed, rocky gulch.
Where the gulch broke away, Rusty
stepped to a ledge hardly wider
than sled track, and went around
the cliff face. They came out on
a widening step of the mountain.
A rough log cabin was perched on
this sloping rocky platform. From
the brink of the mountain step,
Maitland looked down into a yawn-
ing chasm. He shivered to think
of the odds that might favor a des-
perate man at bay in this strong
hold
Though the cabin seemed de-
serted, Speed motioned them to
keep back, while he carefully ap-
preached the door. His knock
echoed in the hollow chasm. The
door yielded stifly to his pressure.
From the threshold he nodded to
the others.
Not only was the interior unoccu-
pied, but it evidently had not been
in recent use. The walls were cum
bered with trophies and tools; some
of rather crude make; traps, dog
harnesses, snowshoes and canoe
paddles. Opening the stove, Speed
found wood laid in it, ready for
lighting. He touched it with a
match.
"Ain't got back from up the
river yet" he said His voice had
a deliberately casual tone, as if he
were trying to make light of dark
Il
Pete removed a gun stock and
a half-mended Snowshoe from the
table, and had lifted the cover to
shake it, when he paused to look
| more closely at the table top.
The table boards were made of
split logs with the hewn side up,
and leveled off with some care. But
this smooth wooden surface was
discolored, tattooed and smeared
l with maze of marks and drawings
that almost hid the grain. The
drawings had been made with lead,
ink, spilled coffee, whisky, lamp
| soot-almost anything, apparently.
The drawings were similar IN
subject but greatly varied in detail.
They seemed to represent a gulch
with a stream running through it,
and with the ruins of an Indian
settlement at one end, denoted by
the scrawled words, "Siwash
| igloos," or "Siwash ruin" A figure
like a pick was posed experiment
tally at different points in the
gulches.
"These all seem to be pictures
of the same gulch," Speed said.
"The gulch where he found the
gold 2"
He studied the table until burning
pans called him back to the stove
| When he served the rashers and
hot bread, they sat down to supper
with fifty confused pictures of Dali
toms gold prospect staring up at
them from the table top.
Must have been almighty puzzled
some time about where that gulch
was," said Speed.
"I think he found it once, and
then couldn't track it," Pete said
vaguely.
Maitland noticed the veiled ques-
ton in Speeds look at her. Did
Bill tell you that?" he asked.
"No," Pete's answer seemed re-
luctant
Maybe the ig1oos are a symbol
of something else," Maitland ven-
tured.
"Then why are they drawed so
clear" Speed said doubtfully. He
gave the thought a more mystical
turn. You'd think some jinx was
ridin' Dalton. His hidin' from
ever'one because of the gold, and
the gold hidin' from him."
| Knowing the gamblers vein of
superstition, Maitland was not al
together astonished to hear him ask
her, THAT strange hgger you seen,
Pete, didn't maybe give you a whis
per about Dalton's reasons for
keepin' his trail so dark"
Pete was visibly disturbed by the
question. She parted her lips as if
to answer; then changed her mind
and shook her head.
They did not speak for while,
but sat pondering in the gloom
over empty plates. Rolling and
lighting a cigarette, Speed said,
Anyway, it's a quiet place to wait
in. If we wait long enough, some
thin or other is pretty liable to
show"
The night passed uneventfully.
During the next day, they found
distraction in exploring the single
approach to the cabin, and examin-
ing the traps and tools that lay
in open view. Speed spent some
hours puzzling over the table draw
ings. They left the chest by the
wall untouched.
u Continued Next Week