Show jon R T uld CHAPTER XI continued 12 the indian led oft off into one of the gray notches between the tumbled streams of luva lava at the apex of uie the notch where two streams met a narrow gutay wound and ascended yaqui led ahlo into it and then began the most laborious and vexatious and painful of all slow biow travel the disintegrating surface of a lava bed was at once the roughest the bar hardest dest the meanest the cruelest the most deceitful kind of ground to traye trayce 1 the fugitives made mada slow glow progress they picked a cautious winding way to and fro tn in little steps here and there along tha many twists of the trail up and down the vold able depressions round and round the loles holes at noon so go winding baat upon itself had bad been their course they appeared to have come only a short distance up tile the lava slope it was rough work for them it was terrible work for the horses blanco diablo refused to answer to the power of tile the yaqui ile he balked he plunged he bit and kicked ile he had bad to be pulled and beaten over many places mercedee horse almost threw her and I 1 he was put upon calanco sol the white charger snorted a protest then obedient to gales stern call patiently lowered his noble head and pawed tho the lava for a tooting footing that would hold hod the lava caused gale toll a end ad worry and pain but he hated the chocas choyas clio yai lie ile came almost to believe what lie he had heard claimed by desert tra travelers velcia that the choya was wai alive and leaped nt at man or beast certain it was when oale late passed one it 1 he did not put till all attention ni to avoiding ito it he was hooked through his chaps a nd and held by barbed thorns the pain was ans almost unendurable endurable nn it was like no other it burned stung bestin almost seemed to freeze it made is useless arm or leg it made him bits bite his tongue lokeel to keel from crying out it made the sweat roll olt art him it made him film moreover bad as tile alio choya was for nian man it wits infinitely worse for beast k jagged stub stab front from tills poisoned oneus Us was na the only thing blanco sol rould not stand many times that day before ho he carried mercedes Merce dc he had find snorted and then stood trem mint bling while gale picked broken thorns bioni tom the muscular leg s nut but after mercedes had been put upon sol gale made sure po no choya touched him the afternoon passed like the he morning in n con seless winding and twisting and climbing along this abandoned troll rail gale saw many wate mostly dry some containing water a nil ii of at them critch basins full only after rainy season little ugly bunched Zius boushea hes that gale ife scarcely arcely recognized as mesquites mes quites grew grev near these theao holes too also stunted greasewood gren sewood and prickly rear pear there was no grass graas and the choya alone flourished in that hard toll soil darkness overtook oer took the party as they unpacked beside a pool of water deep auder an overhanging shelf of lava it had been a hard day the horses drunk drank their and then a stood food patiently with drooping heads hunger and thirst were nero appeased rind and a w warm arm a alre re cheered the weary and footsore 00 csore fugitives yaqui said sleep and so 0 o another night passed 0 upon the following morning ten miles illes or more up the slow ascending lava slope onto gale was in the rear of fill all the other horses so BO as to take tor for mercedes sake the advantage of ilia broken trail yaqui was leada leading n 9 diablo winding around a brenk ills head wasi vas bent as he stopped stepped slowly end nd une unevenly renly upon the lava gale turned to took look back the first time tn in several everal days dai ile he thought of course of rojas in certain pursuit but it teemed seemed absurd to look tor for him yaqui led on and gale gain often glanced up from his task to watch the indian presently ile he saw him stop tan turn and I 1 took ook back ladd did likewise and then jim and thorne gale found the desire irresistible thereafter he often rested blanco sol oril and looked hack tho tha while lie he had hla his field atlass but did not choo choose e to use I 1 it rojas will follow said mercedes late dale regarded ber in arnnie amaze the tone of 1 arr r voice had been it there were tear fear then he failed to detect it she was gazing gating back down the colored slope and something about her ber perhaps the steady falcon gaze gaie of her magnificent eyes reminded him of if yaqui many times during the ensuing hour the indian faced about and always his followers did likewise it was high noon with the ilia sun heating hot and the lava radiating hent bent when raqul halted or for a rest the horses bunched and drooped their heads the rangers were about to slip the packs and remove saddles when yaqui restrained them lie ile gred fred a changeless gleaming anze aze on 0 n the slow itow descent but bat did not seem to look far suddenly he uttered his strange clythe cry the one onto gale considered involuntary or else significant of of some what tribal tr trait altor or feeling raqul pointed down the lava slope pointing with finger and arm ami and nek and head his whole hole being seemed to hie baie been animated and then frozen shore lie stes blea ln sala ai ladd nut but ray my eyes are no cd bood 1 I reckon I 1 aint sure of implied jim tro rin bothered by ft a dim movin conmy down there thorne theme kited eagerly gerly domi as he stood besida who ho tat too tao the he alope gale looked by ZANE GREY author of the riders of the purple sage wildfire etc copyright by harper brothers Crol hertt and looked till he hurt hla his eyes then he took ills his glass out oot of 0 its case casa on sols saddle there appeared to be nothing upon tho the lava but the innumerable dots of choya shining in the sun oale gale swept hla his glass slowly forward and back then into a nearer field tf if vision crept a long white and black line of horses and men without a word he handed the glass to ladd the ranger used it muttering to himself on the lava clifteen miles down in tin an air line he said presently jim shore twice that an more ac accord cordin ln to the trail jim had his look and replied 1 I reckon were it a day au an a night in the lead la Is it rojas Jl burst out thorne w with ith set get jaw yes thorne its rojas and a doen or more replied gale and he be looked up tip at mercedes she wits was transformed she might have hare been a medieval princess embodying al aff the spanish power and passion of that time breathing revenge hate unquenchable spirit of ore it if her beauty had been wonderful la in her bel helpless pless lind appealing moments in ants now when she looked back white faced and flame eyed it was transcendent gale drew a long deep breath the mood which had presaged pursuit itt rife bloc blood 1 on this somber desert returned to him film tenfold ile he saw sav face corded by black veins and his teeth exposed like those of a snarling wolf these rangers who had coolly risked death many times and had find dealt it often were white as no fear or pain could have made them then on the moment raised his hand not clenched or doubled tight but curled rigid like an eagles clawd claw and he shook it in a strange slow gesture which was menacing and terrible it was the woman tent mat culled called to the depths of these men and their pus slon to kill and to saye save was surpassed qed only by the wild hate which was yet lovo love tile emotion of a peon slave gale marveled at it while he felt his whole being cold and tense as he turned once more to follow in the tracks of his lenders leaders the light fight predicted by belding was at hand what a light that hat must bet bat rojal was traveling raveling light and fast ile he was gaining ile he had bought his men with gold with extravagant promises per with offers of the body and b blood I 1 of on an aristocrat hateful to their kind lastly there was the fhe wild desolate dea environment a tortured wilderness of jagged lava and poisoned ebolya a lonely fierce and repellent world a red stage most somberly soni berly and fittingly colored for a supreme struggle between men yaqui looked back no more ifer mercedes looked back no more but the other looked and the time camo came when gale saw the creeping line of pursuers with naked eyes A level line above mark marked ad the rim of the plateau sand began to show in the little lava pits on and upward tolled the cavalcade cn alcade still very slowly advancing at last yaqui reached the rim ile he stood with his bis hand baud on blanco diablo and both were silhouetted against the sky that was the outlook for a yaqui and his great ck that thai was wa th outlook for a yaqui horse dorse dazzlingly white tn in the sunlight with bead wildly and proudly erect mans and toll tall flying filing in the wind made a picture the others tolled on and upward and at last oale gale led sol over the rim then all looked doh dao the red alope dut but shadows were gathering there and no movin una line could be seen yaqui mounted md aid wheeled diablo away the others followed the yaqui ltd led them into a oooo of craters the top of the earth seemed to hive I 1 beta blown out to in boles bole str from a few I 1 rods rod to in width to lt rg atara some shallow others deep and all red ns as lire fire yaqui circled close to abysses abasse which yav davied ned sheer irom a level on bar r face and he appeared always to be turning upon his course to avoid them the plateau had now a considerable dip to the west gale marked the slow heave and ripple of the ocean of lava to the south where high rounded peaks marked the center of this volcanic region the uneven nature of the slope westward prevented any extended view until suddenly t the he fugitives emerged from a rugged break to come upon a sublime end and awe inspiring spectacle they were upon a high point of the western slope of the th plateau it was strange to oale gale and perhaps to the others to see their guide lead diablo into it a smooth and well worn trail along the rim of the awful crater gale looked down into that red chasm it resembled an inferno the dark cliffs upon the opposite side were e yelled veiled tn in blue blua haze that seemed like smoke here raqul was at home Us lie moved and nd looked about him as a man coming at last into ills his own oale gale saw him stop dad and jaze enze out avei over th that at red ribbed void to the G gait alf gale divined that somewhere along this crater of hell the yaqui would make his final stand and one bone look into his strange inscrutable eyes made imagination picture a fitting doom for too the pursuing rojas kojas CHAPTER XII the tha crater af 0 hell I 1 presently gale cale upon turning a sharp corner comer wits was utterly amazed to see that the split in the lava sloped out find and widened into an arroyo it was so BO green and soft anil and beautiful in all tile the angry contorted red surrounding 9 that gale could scarcely credit his blanco sol whistled his welcome to the scent of water then gale saw paw a great hole a pit in the shiny lava a dark cool coal shady well there was evidence of tile the fact that at flood seasons water hod had an outlet into the arroyo the soil soft appeared to be it a one fine sand in which a reddish tinge predominated and it was abundantly covered with a long grass still partly green and polo palo ter vardes des dotted the arroyo find and gradually closed la in thickets that obstructed the view shore it all beats me exclaimed ladd what a place to 16 hole up la in I 1 we could lialo hid bid here tor for a long time belden was shore right about the indian an I 1 can see rojas finish somewhere up along that awful hellhole hell bell hole camp was made on a level spot took the horses to water and then turned them loose in the arroyo it was a tired and somber group that sat at down to eat mercedes was calm but her great dark eyes burned in her white face yaqui watched her the others looked at her with unspoken pride presently thorne wrapped her in his it Is blankets ana ani she seemed to fall asleep at once little of purpose or 01 plan could be elicited from him the rangers rind and thorne however talked in low tones it wits was absolutely impossible for rojas hojas ind and his men t to 0 reach the waterhole before noon ot 0 the next neit day and long before that time the fugitives would have decided on a plan of defense what stuns roo me Is that rojas hojas stuck to our trail said thorne thome his lined and haggard face expressive of dark passion ile he has haa followed vs us into this fearful desert hell blell lose men horses perhaps bis life iles hes only a bandit and he stands to win no gold cold all for a poor little helpless woman just a woman j I 1 I 1 cant understand it shore just a woman replied ladd solemnly nodding his head then ther ewas a long silence during which the men gazed gassed into the fire those were cold hard grim faces upon which the light flickered sleep said yaqui thorne thorn rolled 1 in his bla blanket close beside mercedes then one by one the rangers stretched out feet to the fire gale gala found that he be could not steep sleep nis ilia eyes were weary but they would not stay shut Ms fits body ached for rests rest yet he be could not lie still the yaqui sot ant like tin nn image carved out of lava the others lay prone and quiet would another night see any of them lie he that way quiet forever gale sat up alter after it a while and again watched the fire nells sweet face floated like a wraith lu 14 thi the pale smoke and flushed and smiled in the embers other faces shone there lit ats a st stert that of hn his mother molli cr gale shook olt off the tender memories this desolate wild wilderness ernes with its forbidding silence and its dark promise of hell on the morrow this was not cot the place to unnerve oneself with thoughts of loye love and home toward dawn gale managed to get some seep then the morning broke with the out BUD hidden back of the uplift of tho the plateau the horses trooped up the arroyo and snorted for water after a harried berried breakfast tho the packs were hidden in holes hold in the tava lava the addles were wen left where they and nd tl ti a toraei allowed to ta and wander at will s canteens were fillol a small bag of food was packed and ami blankets made in a into a bundle bandl a then yaqui faced the steep ascent of tile lava slope the trail he be followed led up on the right side fide of the fissure opposite to tho the one he be had come down it was vias a steep climb and encumbered as the men were I 1 they hey made but slow progress at A length the rims widened out ind and the he red smoky crater yawned dawned beneath yaqui left the trail and began clambering down over the rough and twisted convolutions of lava which formed the rim it was with extreme difficulty that the tha party followed him the choya was there pore to hinder passage finally the indian halted upon n 4 narrow bench of flat smooth lava and ft ad his followers worked with exceeding care and effort down to ills his post position at the he back bach of this bench between bunches of choya was a niche a shallow cave with floor lined apparently w with ith mold yaqui spread blankets inside left the canteen end and the sack of food and with a gesture at once humble blo yet that of a chief he in voted mercedes Merce deg to enter A few more gestures and fewer words disclosed his plan in this inaccessible nook mercedes was to be hidden the men were nere it to go around upon the opposite rim and block the trail leading down donn to the waterhole I 1 ladd chose the smallest glan on in the party and gave it to mercedes shore its best to go the limit on bein ready he be said simply the chances are never need it but if you ou do 0 lie ile left off there and his break wits was significant mercedes answered him with a fearless and |