The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-09-15

| to fire if the animals rushed the
camp.
Baxter threw a piece of burning
wood towards the place where the
two eyes had blazed like burning
Goals.
An instant later the wild ami
mails went into the depth Of Traps
Woods.
They've gone!" cried Cross.
Good riddance" said Service.
Cant they come back?" asked
Cross.
TITS not likely replied Gordon
"but we better watch till morn
ing"
They put more wood on the fire
and kept it roaring until dawn
Then the boys went to see if Doni
phan had killed one Of the AMI
mails.
Twenty steps from the camp
there was a large blood stain. The
animal had been able to run away
it would have been easy tc
find him again by letting Phann
follow the scent, but Gordon
thought it useless to venture more
deeply across the forest.
They didn't know what kind OF
animals they were, but the most
important thing was that the boys
were safe and sound.
About six o'clock they started
on the journey of nine miles to
French Den. Service and Webb
took charge of the two kids, and
Baxter easily led the mother llama
by rope.
At eleven o'clock they halted for
lunch. Afterwards they walked
quickly toward home until about
three o'clock when another gun
shot was heard.
Doniphan, Webb and Cross, fol
lowed by Phann, were about a
hundred feet ahead, and their
comrades could not see them in
the underbrush, when the leaders
cried:
Look out! look out!"
Gordon, Wilcox, Baxter and
Service were on their guard.
CHAPTER XIV
Suddenly, across the under
brush, a big animal appeared. Bax-
ter unwound his laSso, spun it
over his head, and threw it so
neatly that the Slip-knot of the
long loop fell around the neck of
the wild beast, which vainly tried
to get free. 1t was a vigorous ami
NAL that would have dragged Bax-
ter if Gordon, Wilcox and Service
had not grabbed the lasso and
looped it around tree trunk. Just
then Webb, Cross and Doniphan
came out of the woods. Doniphan.
in a bad temper, shouted:
"Confound it all! How could I
have missed it?"
Baxter hasn't missed it," said
Service, land we have it alive, and
well alive, I'll Say!"
What matters if it's dead or
alive, since it will have to be
killed." demanded Doniphan.
Kill it?" cried Gordon, Kill
it? When it's Just the thing to
pull our loads!"
"It?" cried Service.
cts mustang" said Gordon,
but it was not, it was guanaco.
Useful as it would be to them,
Doniphan secretly regretted not
having killed it, but he said moth
ing.
Although in natural history the
guanaco is classed in the camel
family, it does not look like a
camel. This one, with its thin
neck, fine head, long, thin legs
which denoted great agility, and
it's coat of fawn speckled with
white, did not look inferior to
the most beautiful horse of Ameri-
can breed. It could certainly be
used for racing if tanned and
trained, which is done quite easily
in the Argentine Pampas. Be
sdes, the animal is a little timid
and this one did not struggle
after it's first plunges. Baxter
loosened the knot and it allowed
itself to be led by the lasso as if
it were a halter.
The Colony Grows
This trip was proving profitable
to the colony. The guanaco, the
goat and her two kids, the dis
covery of the tea tree and other
plants all were important enough
to warrant a great welcome at
French Den.
Gordon was happy that the
bolas and lasso had rendered
real service. Doniphan was a
fine shot in case of need, but his
skill always cost powder and lead.
Gordon intended to encourage
these simple and inexpensive
hunting tools which the Indians
used so profitably.
Ito Be Continued
Translation from the original ''Deux
Ans de Vacancies" copyright, 1895, by
Ne Tar -