The Argosy, January 1907 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

196 THE the body lay on its back and the face showed ghastly with staring eyes, cold and dead. And the face was the known and_ loved, that Uncle Charles. For a time we spoke no word. ‘The silence was broken only by the pitiful snorting of the horses, which trembled in the presence of the dead. Then Billy turned to me: “I swear to avenge him, John!” ‘“[ make that oath with you,” I an- swered and we clasped hands, register- ing our vow against the assassin. ‘And now let us learn what we can,” 1 suggested. “ Doubtless he has been robbed as well as murdered, but we must make sure. If by any chance the money has been left untouched, we must secure it and take it home, but there is no hope of that.” “No,” agreed Billy savagely. “ Uncle Charles had no enemies. ‘There was none to wage a vendetta against him, none who would kill and not rob.” When we had tethered our horses, we slowly approached the body. It was the work of only a moment to assure ourselves that nothing of value had been left on the victim. Undoubtedly, our first theory -was right, and we had witnessed the latest, the most fatal, in the long list of José’s crimes. An uncanny spell seemed to bind us to the place, but at last, as the sun was dipping to the mountains, I set my face toward home, riding with heavy heart. Billy remained with the body, to await the coming of those I should send t6 him. had dear one we of our CHAPTER I. HOT ON THE TRAIL. Earty on the day following the funeral, we set forth on the trail of José, heading straight for the smaller peak toward which the outlaw had fléd, and beyond which the great canon lay. Late in the afternoon of the third day we came to the canon, and with much difficulty and some danger descended into it. We went guardedly, too, for we be- *- lieved that we now approached the haunt ARGOSY. of the bandit, and we knew not in what spot he might be lurking. It behooved us to be careful that he should not see us before we sighted him. We never doubted that he would shoot us from ambush without the slightest compunc- tion. The shadows of night came down swiftly as we stood debating our course, and we decided to go a little way in search of a safe nook in which to sleep. So we followed the base of the precipice toward the north until we reached a huge boulder, oné side of which was so broken that we could mount to the top. We crawled up this, and found, as we had suspected, that the top surface of the. stone formed a floor about a square rod in size. We decided to pass the night here, thinking that our station was secure from attack or discovery. So, indeed, the event proved. When we awoke in the morning we had been refreshed by a sleep quite undisturbed. As we breakfasted off the dried meat and biscuits in our knapsacks, we dis- cussed our next movements, and deter- mined first to traverse the barranca to the south, in search of José’s retreat ; then, if we found nothing in that direc- tion, after going a reasonable distance, we would try going north. “See there,” said Billy, as we stood up preparatory to setting forth; “ doesn’t that look like a wigwam?’”’ As he spoke, he pointed toward the farther side of the dbarranca. My gaze followed his gesture, and I saw an object, distant perhaps half a mile, which did in fact resemble a hut or tent, but we could make out nothing more definite. ‘Let’s go there first,’’ Billy suggested, and I assented. Forthwith we started down the boulder and hastened forward. Our progress, however, was very slow. The bed of the barranca was of ragged stone seamed with fissures that gaped threateningly. Some of the smaller ones we leaped, but often we were forced out of our course in order to avoid the larger ones. In two or three places small streams flowed in channels of stone. Occasion- ally we came on boiling springs, and we found one geyser where the column of steam mounted half a hundred feet in the air. (E(0) VOO|KS AMG Yet these objects hardly at- . (C@