Yellowstone Jack: Trappers of the Enchanted Ground — page 37: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

be - He’ s under kiver. So much fer bein’ a : _ durned fool! Hi ’'d hed my way, he’d ’a . _— eroaked ‘fore this. Wal, they’ll have one Fe hs _ more to fight, that’s all, ” discustedly vag) cg lena as he saw the form of He _ the traitor guide vanish among the sf ‘Chris Cain had indeed slipped away while the men were busy with their dead. ‘Pursuit was idle, considering the route he had chosen, and the party at once entered iA the pass. At the division they mot a any rs be less. Nothing had been seen or heard fs of the women, and dreading the worst, 4 the party rode on through the upper . Ny pass. | i i They Saw hicedentetn eee of what might have been 2 death-struggle, but see nothing more. Warren groaned with agony, and nearly fell from his animal. | be “ Don’t take on so, boss,” said Yellow- } stone, soothingly. a Mebbe they're all me ‘, right yit, an’ hyar’s me an’ my mates is ready to take the trail, or ruther to hunt for the one we've lost : an’ ef they’re - above airth, we'll find ’°em. Meantime | i you'd better go look to the waggons, for oy" you'll smell burnt powder afore mornin’, _ sure, Corral them by the spring, under the rocks, an’ keep good watch, ef you __ want to see daylight ag’in.” we 3 “Till pay you. “I have money—” _ & Wait ontel we do the pbc stay ; m fs, ef you hev a silver dollar—thanks ! Now gi 3B the sun’s most down.” Warren finally yielded, and rode ih back to the waggons. beet ae —s = - eae)’ CHAPTER XT. | Eg am SCOUTING AND FIGHTING, Me RECKON Im up a stump, fer ey | i once, ’ grunted Brindle Joe, dis- y, ~“ gustedly rubbing his head. ‘A a awl couldn’t follera trail now, even a’ter “hae ‘twas found, which this one ain’t, by a Ai - pesky sight " “°F these gal critters ’d on’y wore a shoes like hosses, but thar ain’t enough 4 _ on’em to make a trail on fresh snow. I _ reckon we're played, boys,’ commented ;, at Yellowstone Jack, ie “ve got an idee, mebbe ’taint wuth ~ much ; I don’t let on to be much a'count, ie ¥ ; 7 , , yy, i? ‘ Ff ” : a Siw al . Soy a ‘SoouTINa AND FIOETING | es Bi “ Nender he goes--givo me—too late! | onless it is on a trail. Warren, who spurred up, pale and breath- Brindle Joe,” cried Yellowstone. Peace But I don't reckon thar’s anythin’ else we kin do, sence the varmints ain’t a-goin’ to trouble the train fer some hours yit, anyhow oe What say, boys ?” “Reckon you’d better let us see this idee, fust ; then mebbe we kin tell better,” drily observed Hoosier. “Was thinkin’—but thar. You heerd | what that feller said, him as ealled his- self the Blood-Drinker. You kin tell es well es me whether he was lyin’ or no. You kin see, too, that somethin’ bas gone over the ridge o’ the ken- — Mebbe it’s only the hoss- | yon hyar. erltters; mebbe the gal-critters: was in the waggon. Thar’s on’y one way to settle that—by takin’ a look where the | outfit stopped. It’s too dark now to look further fer a trail on these rocks. We kin go up the kenyon to a point wharwe — kin git down it, take a look at what thar is b'low hyar, an’ git back in plenty time © to take a hand in whatever fun thar’ll be — goin’ on at the train yender.” “Sound hoss sense, an’ well put, ‘CF Tec- kon I know the right trail; come on.’ Indeed, there seemed nothing else that ‘could possibly be accomplished that night. For over an hour past the three trap- pers had been closely searching tho ground in the vicinity of the upper pass, ~ without success. The fimt wet sod re-- tained no footprints. The perilous trail — followed by the fugitives had been over- looked for the trappers could not know that a Blackfoot cmef had been guiding them, and there seemed scarce footing fora cat below the escarpment. They began to doubt the truth of what Camp- — belli had told them; to believe that the — depths of the canyon contained the corpses of those they sought. Yellowstone Jack led the way, proceed- ing rapidly, for a considerable detour must be made before they could reach a point where a descent into the canyon was possible. And, despite the late losses they had sustained, not one of the trio but was anxious to take part in tho anticipated conflict at the corraled wag- ons. “Somebody burnin’ powder,” denly uttered Yellowstone. The report of a rifle rang out upon the evening air, its reverberation awakening a thousand echoes among the hills, until one could fancy the skirmishing line of GomiiGe ee S,e@Onn sud-