Show CHAPTER XXIV I Pursuit n Youi picked up a trail Sunday ciointng at Towr v before tho spe elui from Medlclj JJond reached there Time wrecked express car which had been set out had no story u to tell Tho only story said Whispering Whis-pering Smith as the men climbed Into their saddles is In the ono from tho hoofs and tho sooner wo get after it the bettor Tho country around Tower W which Is Itself nn operating point on the western end of tho division a more speck on tho desert lies high and rolling To the south CO miles away rlso the Grosso Terre mountains and to tho north and west lie tho solitudes pf tho Heart range while In the northeast north-east are seen tho three white Saddle peaks of the Missions The cool bright sunshine of a far and lonely horizon greets tho traveler hero and ten miles away from tho railroad in any direction a man on horseback and unacquainted with the country would wish himselfmountain men will tell youIn hell because it would be easier eas-ier to ride out of To tho railroad men the country offered no unusual difficulties The Youngs wore as much at homo on a horse as on a hand car Kennedy though a largo and powerful man was Inured to hard riding and Bob Scott and Whispering Smith in the saddle were merely a partthough an important im-portant partof their horses without killing their mounts they could get out of them every mile In their legs Tho five men covered 20 miles on a trail that read like print One after another of the railroad party commented com-mented on tho carelessness with which it had been left But 20 miles south of the railroad In an open and comparatively com-paratively easy country It was swallowed swal-lowed completely up In the tracks of 100 horses Tho railroad men circled far and wide only to find tho herd tracks everywhere ahead of them i This Is a beautiful job murmured Whispering Smith as the party rode together along tho edge of a creek bottom Now who is their friend down in this country What man would get out a bunch of horses like this and work them this hard so early In tho morning Lots hunt that man up I Hko to meet a man that Is a friend In need Bob Scott spoke I saw a man with Bomo horses In a canyon across the creek a few minutes ago and I saw a ranchhouse behind those buttes when I rode around them Stop I Heros a man riding right into our jaws muttered Kennedy Divide up among tho rocks A horseman horse-man from tho south came galloping up the creek and Kennedy rode out with an Ivory smile to meet him The two men parleyed for a moment disputed each other sharply and rode together back to tho railroad party i Havent seen any men looking for j horses this morning have you asked Whispering Smith eying the stranger a squat squnre jawed fellow with a r 7J cataract eye Im looking for horses myself I nln t soon anybody else What aro you looking for l Is this your bunch of horses that got loose hero asked Smith i No I thought said Kennedy smiling J you said a minute ago they were ft The stranger fixed his cataract on mind him like a flashlight I changed my e TO BB CONTINUED t |