The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

MESQUITE RANCH, The bloody hand closed securely on the weapon. Natalie’s quick eyes saw him lit it before Stephens and Sorg had taken in the situation. ‘“Lie die!’ she cried. As the bullet sang past they all three fell to the trail. “Ti be—” The man with the bloody hand had no chance to complete lis exclamation. “Ye oughter be, confound ye!” Gill exclaimed, striking the weapon down before another shot could buzz from it. “Move on! down to them. “ Hike!” Gill said, grimly setting off along the trail. The deputy stood amazed while Gill and his companion moved ahead obe- diently. But an admonitory bullet sang close to him, and he accepted the astounding inevitable and marched along with them. Sorg and Stephens were listening to Natalie. beating of a cruelly wounded heart. Both men heard its strange sound even more clearly than they noted her words. ‘“ They’ve caught heem! Eet just now else thees man would have been so excited. He ees not lying hungry and hurt among the rocks. But he ees in the hands of hees enemies. These men we drive are not sure the other speaks true. But we know, and we must help heem.” “How?” Stephens asked. ‘““T do not know.” In the acknowledgment there was despair and anger at her own lack of cleverness to solve the problem. Sorg and Stephens plodded on in silence, as if they wanted to give her freedom to think out a way they were too dull to find. ~The man Natalie knew but could not place had been talking, too. The wall along the trail was broken and curved now. ‘The sunset had died to a pale, reminiscent sheen which did not con- quer the shadows. 8 A Step lively!’’ rang ees not Her voice throbbed like the 833 “Tf 1 could have made those chaps jump away from the rocks by shoot- ing them instead of flinging them down in a heap I’d have known whether Radford is ahead or behind us on this trail,” he grumbled. Five minutes later Stephens paused and bent, peering forward intently. ‘“ Gallopin’ gophers—they’re gone! ” he exclaimed, CHAPTER XXIII. THE LAST, THE shadows of night and the great- er opportunities which the trail began to offer for escape had favored the men who had marched to the urging of Stephens’s gun. They had listened to the deputy’s repeated assertions that the man his chief had in custody was exactly like the one described in the telegram that had ordered his arrest. Finally, it had come to them that even if ‘Ted Radford were one of the | group of three who pursued them, they were in no position to get the upper hand of him. Gill suggested that they roll over a break in the trail where they could slide down to the bank of a stream and. make a get-away to the Bonita Mine. There, if they discovered that the man captured was not Radford, they could organize a party and search for the three on the trail before they could make an escape. It seemed the best of a number of bad plans to the man who said little but appeared to be consulted with deference by Gill. The three of them were in a region they knew intimately now. They were gone and rushing along toward the Bonita before Ste- phens and Sorg discovered that they were watching shadows instead of men on the darkening trail. They reached the stone building in which Sheriff Munn was locked with his prisoner. The man on guard had the key and admitted them without question. SS Gomichboo (E@)