Show sw ibis J it A w v I 1 I 1 zatic i Z lee Z 11 1 ab P bathos v CHAPTER continued 16 18 he gave her a packet of telegrams Madel madeline madelane lne tore them open with shaking fingers began to read with swift dim eyes sume were from washington as suring her of every possible service some opre pre from new york others written in spanish were from HI el paso inso and these she could not wholly translate in a brief glance would she never dever find Still wells message it was the last it was lengthy length y it rend read bought stewarts tB release also at ar ranged tor for ills his transfer as pris prisoner of 0 war both matters official lies iles safe it if we can get notice to ills his captors not sure ive reached them by wire afraid to trust it you go with link to agua prieto take the messages Y r ent bent you in spanish they will protect you and secure stewarts freedom taki take nels with you stop for noth f ing tell link all trust him let him drive that car link do you know tho the ronda the trails the tha desert between here and adum prieto Pr leta one asked con can an au ile ho driven from here into northern mexico 1 sure but take time kf we must do ao it in little bittle time she 44 cehi aln on in swift eagerness e otherwise w stewart may be probably will be be shot link stevena appeared suddenly to grow shriveled to lose nil all ills po pe cullar uliar pert brightness to weaken and 0 0 o age ge i ni only a a cowboy miss majesty lie ile faltered it was a sin pillar change in him The tsan an aw fal li P 1 ride down over oer the ll border order if by s some 0 me luck I 1 smash the car id turn our halt hair gray never be I 1 ad no good after th aliet I 1 1 I am stewarts ston aits wife she answered y mm him and slid she looked at him film not conscious of any motive to per persuade sunde or nl ni lure hire bu just to lot let lihn him know tile the 4 greatness of tier her dependence upon him Up started violently the old action Wf tita memorable M monty price tills this man was of the same wild breed I 1 tien then words flowed lowed in a 1 torrent 1 I am stewarts wife I 1 love t mm him I 1 haye hae been unjust to III mm I 1 inuit mum nav gave e hito him link I 1 have hava faith in you I 1 beseech you sou to do your best for stewarts sako jakc for my sake bake ril risk 1 bet the ride gladly bravely ill not care where br or houyou how ou drive rd id for far rather plunge into a canyon go to my death on online ahe rocks than biot not try to save stewart stew art how beautiful the th response of this ru rude adi cowboy to realize his a absolute ib solute unconsciousness of relf to see the haggard shade burn out of his face tile the old coo devil may caye care spirit return to his eyes and to feel something wonderful about him then it was idore more than will or daring or sacrifice A blood tle might have existed between f ahlman him and d madeline miss majesty thet ride figgers lm im 11 1 1 1 possible but ill do III ho replied ills my can W an automobile ne driven from her into northern mexico cool bright glance glinc thrilled her ill need half an hour to go over the car an to pack on what ill want she could not thank him and her re ply wits was merely a request that he tell nets nels and other oilier cowboys off duty to como come up to the house when link had bad gone madeline gave a moments thought to preparations for the ride A number of cowboys were aeto waiting she bhe explained th the situation and left eft them in chargo charge of her home with that the sh asked nets nela to ilc accompany company her down lato into the he desert wh mist majesty api im powerful proud to FO ro it if youre kola down among ong the be greasers you want toe me madell aheard heard the buzz of the car elal appeared driving up the slope dadeta ma detA port biding turn tum and C stopped before tile the porch link had ad tied two long heavy planks upon the car one on each side and in ev aery r avol available lable space lie he had stropped strapped extra tires A huge cask occupied one back seat and another sent was waa full of tools and ropes there was just room in this rear part of the car for nels to squeeze in link put madeline in front beside him then bent over the wheel ft heel madeline waved tier her hand at the silent cowboys on the porch not an audible goodby good by was has spoken the car glided out of the yard leaped from level to slope and started swiftly down the road out into the open valley each stronger rush of dry wind in Ma delnes face marked the increase of speed the buzz tile the roar loar of wheels of heavy body in flight increased to a continuous continuous droning hum the wind became an insupportable body moving toward her crushing tier her breast making tile the task of breathing most to madeline tile the time seemed to hy fly with the speed of miles cactus barred the way rocks barred tile the way vay gullies barred tile the way and these nets nels addressed in the grim humor with which he was wont to 0 view lew tragic things lings ti again and again link used the planks to cross washes in sand presently lio lie came to a ditch where water had worn deep into the he road without hesitation replaced he placed them measuring distance carefully and then started across the danger was Ns in ditching the machine one of the planks split sagged a little but link made the crossing without slip at length a ale of clean brown slope ridged and grooved like dikea a washboard led gently down to meet tile the floor of the valley where the scant grama grass struggled to give n tinge of gray tile road appeared to b become e more clearly defined and could ile be ioen been striking straight neross across the illon to Madell nes dismay uit thit rond road led down to a deep narrow the crossl crossling ng would have been bornn tor nn automobile towns impassable link drove back to the road crossed it and kept on down the line of the wash it was it a deep cut in red earth cirth worn straight down by swift water in the rainy season it narrowed when link reached the narrowest points he be got out of the car and walked from place pl ace to place once with a little jump jo ho cleared the wash then madeline noted that the farther rini rim was somewhat lower in a flash she divined links intention he was hunting a place to jump the car over the crack in the ground soon he be found one that teemed to all suit it wm him for he tied his ls red scarf upon a gr greasewood basli then returning to the car lie clambered in backed up the gentle slope and halted just short 0 0 steeper gro ground grotins tind hunching bunching Hun ching low over tile the wheel heel he started s slowly lowly at first then faster and then faster the great car gave a spring like a huge tiger the T ile impact of suddenly formed wind A almost I 1 most tore madeline out of hr her seat she felt nets nels powerful hands on her shoulders she closed tier her eyes the j jolting headway of thecae the car gave place to a gliding rush this was broken by gaslight a slight jar and then above the hum and roar rose a cowboy yell madeline waited with strained nerves for tho thi expected crash it did not come opening her eyes she saw tho the lew leve valley floor door without a break she had not even noticed the instent when the car had shot over the wash i strange breathlessness attacked tier her nod she attributed it to the celerity with which sho she was being carried c along pulling the hood down over tier her face she rhe sank low in the tha seat the whir of the car now seemed to be a world filling sound there wasa wag A long blank period from which she awakened to feel 0 an n arm supporting tier her then she rallied the tha velocity of the car had been cut to the sped to which she was accustomed throwing back the hood she breathed freely again recovered fully tho the car was bowling bottling along a wide road upon the outskirts of a city madeline asked what place it could lie be doulas douglas replied link an jest around Is agun agna primal that last panic name seemed to stun madeline she heard no more and saw little until the car stopped nets nels spoke to some one then sight of khaki oad clad soldiers quickened faculties she was on the tha boun boon daryline dary line lino between the butted hutted states and mexico and agua prieto with its white and aluc walled houses its brown tiled roofs lay before tier her A cavalry approached the car blared and removed his sombrero can you tell roe me anything about tho american cowboy who was captured by rebels a few days agol ago asked madeline Madel ln teti tea replied the officer stewart sta ts in reported ta leave we done reckless s fighting and was wag captured lie ite got a mexican sentence lie ile Is known hee along the border and div be news new of his capture stirred up excitement we WB did all we could to get nil his re leaie th guerrillas feared to tc execute him here and believed he might be aided to escape cape yo so a detachment departed with hini him for lie ile was sentenced to be shot thursday at sunset tonight yes yea I 1 regret that I 1 cant give you definite information if you are of stewarts relatives I 1 might find 1 I am hla his wife interrupted madeline will you please read these slie she handed him film the telegrams advise mo me help me if you can with a pondering glance at her the fulcer received the telegrams lie ile read several and whistled low in amaze ills manner become became quick alert serious 1 I cant read these written in spanish but I 1 know the names signed swiftly he be ran through the others why these mean stewarts release has been authorized they explain mysterious rumors wo we have heard litre here greaser treachery trea cheryl I 1 for some strange reason messages from the attic i rebel junto junta have tailed to deac reach h their destination destinn tion ill go with you to general salazar tile the rebel chief to in command I 1 know him perhaps we can find out something nets nels made room for the officer link sent the car whirring whining across the line join mexican t territory errit ory the road ended in flu an immense plaza in the cen ter of which wis ass a circular structure ciure that in some measure resembled a corral it was a bull ring where the national sport of bullfighting bull fighting was carried on madeline caught a glimpse of tents tent inside then tier her view was obstructed obstruct edl by a curious pressing throng tho the cavalry officer leaped from the car and pushed his way into the entrance how flow stifling was this crowded III smelling plaza I 1 the sun red and lowering had sloped far down in the west but still burned with furnace heat A swarm of flies whirled over the car tile shadows of low sailing buzzards crossed sight then she saw a row of tho the huge uncanny black birds sitting upon the tha tiled roof of a house they had nett nelker lier an air of sleeping nor resting they were we rewalt waiting g she fought off a horrible ghastly idea before its full realization suddenly the crowd parted to let the cavalry officer and a rebel of striking presence get to the car modam madam it Is as I 1 suspected said the officer quickly the messages directing stewarts release never reached salazar Sn lazar they were intercepted but even without them we might have secured stewart 4 exchange if it ft had not been for tile the fact that one of his captors wanted him shot this guerrilla intercepted the tha orders and then was instrumental in taking stewart to mezquital it Is exceedingly cee sad why he should ll 11 be it ft free man this instant I 1 regret who did this chis this thing cried 1 nd ar who iwho i T i the th L i guerrilla senor don carlos martinez ile he has been n bandit a man of influence ta la sonora ile he Is more of a secret cret agent in the affairs of the revolution than an active participator but lie he has seen guerrilla service don carlest stewart in his oh god 1 I madeline sank bank down almost overcome then two great hands powerful thrilling clasped her shoulders and nets bent over her miss majesty shore were bastin time here he said Hs his voice like his hands was uplifting she wheeled to him in trembling importunity how flow cold bright blue the flash of his eyes besl they told madeline she roust must not weaken but she could not speak her thought to nels could only look at link it figgers impossible but ill do it I 1 said link steveans Ste veas in answer to her voiceless query con can I 1 get a permit to go into the interior to mezquital asked madeline of tile the officer you are going on madam its A forlorn hope Is a hundred dundr ed miles away nut but theres a chance the barest chance if your man can drive this car the Mex mexicans leans are ara either murdee murderous ous or ceremonious em anlou 3 I 1 in n their heir executions the arran arrangements geme ants for stewarts will be elaborate dut but barring unusual circumstances it will take place precisely at the he hour designated you need no permit your ine messages 3 are ott iclal papers but to save time perhaps delay I 1 suggest you take talc this mexican senor montes monies with you he ou don carlos carloa and knows the captain of the detachment 11 1 I thank you sir air I 1 shall not forget forger your kindness I concluded madeline the white narrow road aut of the tho foreground slipped with illi incon rel reliable vable rapidity under the car when WI en she marked a clump of cactus far ahead it 4 seemed to shoot nt at tier her to speed behind her even the instant she noticed it it nevertheless Madel madeline lne duew link was not putting tile the car to its limit swiftly as he was flying lie he held something in tee reserve ervo and every leaf and blado bindo and branch of cactus bore wicked thorns any one of which would be fatal to a tire it came at length the bursting report the car lurched latched went on like a crippled thing and halted obedient to the master hand at the wheel swift as link nas in replacing the me tire he lost time the red sun niora more sullen duskier as aa near cd the tha black bold horizon appeared to mock madeline to eye tier her in derision der slon link leaped in and the car sprang ahead the road read begun to wind up it turned and twisted in tantalizing lazy curves it was in no hurry to surmount n f a hill that began to assume proportions of a mountain it was bras leisurely its as were all things in mexico except strife that wit was quick fierce bloody it was wa spanish the descent iron that elevation WM was difficult ex extremely kazar hazardous dous yet lint link drove fast then in taking taken oil abrupt curve a grasping spear ruined another tire this time thecae the car rasped hosped across the road into the cactus bursting the second front wheel tire like demons indeed link and nels worked shuddering madeline felt the declining heat of the sun saw w with ith gloomy eyes the shading of 0 the red light over the desert she did riot not look back to see bow near the sun was to the horizon she wanted to ask nels strange as anything anthis ou this terrible ride was the absence of speech As yet no word had bad been spoken madeline wonted wanted to shriek to link to hurry dut beans ho was more than humanly swift in all ills his actions so with mute mille lips alth with the fire in tier her beginning to chill with a lifelessness menacing her spirit the she watched hoped against hope prayed for a long straight smooth road I 1 quite suddenly she saw it seemingly miles of clear narrow lane disappearing like a thin white streak in distant green perhaps link stevens heart leaped like the huge car with ft a roar and a jerk seemed to answer Madell nes call a cry no less poignant because it was silent foster faster faster faster 1 the roar become became a whining hum then tor for madeline sound ceased to be anything she could not hear the wind was now heavy imponderable colonger no longer a swift plastic thing but solid like an onrush ing wall it bore down upon madeline |