Show SS gift op of THE DESER by RANDALL PARRISH copelli Cop ylli by A C madura 6 co CHAPTER 16 the finding of gomez the little squad of cavelry moved move up ip tho the creek bottoni with anich caution the rangy young lieutenant exercising tr his first independent coin fiand was determined to neglect ua I 1 f Deb deborath orith begged fr for haste nil the remained und and qt at lust ln in desla lr utterly wearied her mind vin in a chaos she rude on listlessly bo bl alfrlo beiji delleen alist by bo dead she aare ilare not even een hrcan ani thing elm silo had heard tite shot albeen meen the burst burat of luire flaire caught cadji alit ight of tits his toppling body plunging ng r the edge of the clatt alff the who khot L him had no doubt they had tired bred to kill believed they allind V had killed and gone away sati saied bob ob meager and the mexican she he ahli ered at the memory of them her ibus bandl that murderer her husband bus bandl ve he could claim lier her would claim tier her i it f ho he lived legally legalia she belonged to him the ceremony was sacrilege a mockery yet it was ica legal allf I 1 egal it left her forever in the power I 1 ot of that brute she shuddered d a it t Xe recollection collection 0 of that scene in the bouse the leering drunken aces tile the sharp voice of judge gar ar pitr ay iy tho the brutal grip with which bob meager eager held tier her those hateful words bach bound her to such unspeakable tha hame and then the struggle to save herself hera elf tile tho hours of torture waiting ifor i for or his coming coining tho the broken broen door the milt clutch of his hands the hot drunken r th on her face tho the blow which fact sei her arm good G d dl I 1 could this 11 be truel the fresh night air the Ea cope cape through the black night tile the meeting with daniel kelleen Kc lleen I 1 I 1 i I 1 he bad been a man a real man ahe a had died for her unchecked on an noticed the tears willed welled In into her eyes ind and fell on the saddle pommel she t see nothing but ills his face realize but that they were w ere riding rid I 1 ng how IT 0 bring back his body she had bad alost alost known before that she loved but bat now in bereavement and despa alm lr 1 she comprehended th at all the brightness and hope had gone from life she yet lived live must continuo continue to live hive the wife of bob meager I 1 it must most have been nearly noon when the little cavalcade deboucher debouched debou ched from tho he bed of the stream fo forced rad their jaded horses up tho the bank and canao came iao to where tho t he riders aders cou could id look down anto nto the half haf valley bolo below jv advance scouts awaited them here mong tile rocks to point out oai the fralc trill frying downward ali through rough a ravine f 0 they bad discovered no signs of re tent ent pas passage no marks of hoofs nor brero there more any signs of human pres ance in the lower valley k IH 4 the lien lieutenant tenant studied the scene v brough his glasses glasse 3 yet vaguely suspicious cefous of some trick consulted with the sergeant and finally epo leoto a Pe deborah borah 11 this must be the place he said bald but at it seems deserted do you yon rew rec ae anything asile she sat eat straight in the saddle a ew light in her eyes as she pointed the direct lono W RI 1 can never forget straight ahead awl thero there la is where the abey y were stor tag fink the things a fire burned y that big rock you can abe see a whisp 0 even now this trail must fiend direct over there she file b tier her cje diw for or an instant tn in her hands bands as aa bagh to shut out the sight ills la the over which captain kelleen fell auf juf mass just beyond at the upper end of 14 tl valley la Is the cave I 1 bold told you about lr aram am going goffig down wh belh oi or Y you and biffi d rw jr holdim come or not 11 II must lown the truth igie e forced tier her borse forward and ab others followed waiting for no eo c amand the sergeant Bergen nt riding almost bade her in the narrow trail they fad the storehouse back baci the of the great rock so ao concealed beai r ees as to be invisible d a ye few w yards a airty it was deserted unguarded as to this thin fact convinced b hundred signs that the entire t had cad indeed ro returned turned the 11 ay y S camel the lieutenant Neatter scattered ed Ml id force orce to explore re the upper r valley is atwood find bad changed from suspicion I 1 girl to faith in her strange toi things were exactly as she hadel their holca being led MUM in ln any any enier gancy the he squad ad danced tile lie men carbines lu in their hands tho mhd vilt kept also iu in against the southern cliff until ho he enerie to where deborah pointed out the spot of Kell Kel leens cens fall they found no bod body y no no signs to indicate any ally such tragedy gedy carney gazed about in perplexity plex ity you ayou tire suro sure this Is tho alio tanco miss lie ho asked doubtfully y yes e S sergeant we were on the ro rock c j c u up p filere the one jutting out over the edgo edge there Is no other spot like it 1119 ayes narroN narrowed ved surveyed the distance marking every detail then iaru itc ll liely jely lie ho struck them trees miss end may inny bo be it lodge ledge kireto airn t ho OIL im going up llo lie fought ills his wily from rock to rock with alty finding foot find and winding Inan dout of crevices brov and using every shrub to aid tits his progress upward once or twice lie he paused as n s though blocked clinging to the filee face of the tha cliff like a fly yet found a why way and went an on those bolow below notched nt ched until the mn man ifil kenily tilly crept over nn ledge imperceptible from where they stood anti disappeared ils ppe tred it seemed ns Is though lie avna rone gone it a long willie while deborah Deborn li linstid pressed on tier her heart liLn rt never removed her eyes from the spot or stirred alint hild lie ho found up lip there surely lie he must have discovered soi nothing the lead dead mangled body no doubt then lie ho appeared again alone standing up and gazing down nt at them nis voice as ho be hulled them hem below sounded pounded alear exultant a new ring in its tone lie IM nent here but by G gd d sir I 1 believe hes alive deborah could not speak could not utter a sound alive I 1 alive I 1 why that was impossible her very heart to stop benting silo she could only stare up at the man dazed and helpless it was the lieutenant who answered you say he Is alive carney well linvell he sure sadre left here bore alive sir air had on tits his own legs lega I 1 found the place where ho he come down an where he got on his feet again there want nobody else hero fiere helpin heleln him nn an he be started oft off along this ledge limpin a bit I 1 should say but coln alone whatever happened elace sir he certainly left here able to navigate maybe I 1 better follow the trull trail yes yep go on Ser sergeant gean deborahh Debo limbs trembled so she could scarcely walk for the first few steps she clung gratefully to the lieutenants arm her gaze never deserting 10 the man moving cautiously along the narrow ledge of rock high above them alive I 1 dniel kelleen was alive 11 nothing ise mattered her hands fiands el clasped lisped tightly at tho the officers sleeve inave the serge sergeant burry please have him bun hurry he need to trace captain Iel Ikel leena leens trail I 1 II 11 I 1 am sure I 1 knew where lie be was going INY where borik yas was that to the cave I 1 had found and told him about it Is there here just juat beyond that mound good G fl lieutenant there are re horses grazing yonder they have found him a already fread 11 there were two animals in a little cove core hobbled bobbled and nibbling at the short grass but both saddled and bridled they had the dienger ranch much brand on their flanks and the sergeant joining the party below easily cnally followed the trail of two men on foot until abe they circled the m mound of earth and ascended the side deborah pressed her bar way forward too eager now to bo be longer held back yet fully realizing the dinger danger confronting them be careful here the she warned the they y aro are certainly in there two or three di at 1 least and they will shoot here sergeant Sergen nt let we me show you yon I 1 knew the abe way they were already before the cling ing vines her hands trembled as sho she forced these ide revealing tho the black blach vacancy behind the startled sergeant pressed thorn them far cartr tr back staring bewildered red into tho the vold void hla service revolver thrust forward an oath break breaking ipg from his lips by G dl di but this beats h 1 air D n 14 it but bat im coln int in I 1 he went over the barrier of rock unmolested unstopped and recklessly deborah followed the lieutenant llen tenant lansed nn an in stani jones you yon and calhoun calhoon follow us na the others remain out ont here keep your eyes open lads the next moment ho he had bad also sern scrambled in through the opening and crouched down beside the trembling girl just ahead t the two could dimly distinguish carney leaning lean ing forward forwar il peering into afe total trtat darkness bead beyond tid its wa its perfectly level the floor Is she whispered you tou can follow along the wall I 1 did they advanced together slowly feeling their way scarcely a sound breaking the silence ence suddenly tho the sergeant ergeant slightly in advance stopped a at fitsam something I 1 athing on the floor with his bis teet feet then he stooped over oter dy 0 d herem here a dead man I 1 A dead mant man are you yon surer anre I 1 hes Ae dead adAll all right sir Ny thees yh beres ees the flashlight yeva got boand to find out what this athla roeana means I 1 I 1 jones hasil has it jones come up here give me thona sh Bh L thea roand glare of light struck tiro the side aide walls swept over the still lyneol ing ser sergene genn nV glinting oil u ills his ilynn ve apon nud and then touched tho motion less body outstretched on tile floor at last it rested on the upturned face the sergeant seigen nt stared down don ns as though lie ho saw h ghost ny illy 0 dl ho he ejaculated tit nt lust last by 0 0 dl its the old dovil devil himself Wl ints that cn raineyl ney I 1 you know III him ril know him lilma I 1 why vir fir lieutenant its joycz Atti munuel nuel gonalez theres lifty thousand dollars on oil hini dond dead or olve alive well ties hos tend dead all right 11 gomez Go the outlaw lilt but tire you ou asuro sure the serge sergeant tini rose to ills his feet feel and haung about suro sure 11 11 II begging your pardoe sir why I 1 bo be suro sure ivo ive chased thin i old fox fos ever 91 since tice ive been aebli in the iii my twenty years sir twice we were after aitio down ln in 0 old d mexico its amanuel gomez lying there liere and nd it n i knife that lint killed him the boy lieutenants fuco face was white in the reflected light but ills hla lips wera firmly set well hes bend now lid he sternly and it Is up tip to us to fin find out what nil all this iti means enns ilo ila lifted ali lash flash from oly the upturned an fn face e und anti sent it dancing along the gray walls into the black chasm allaead hut lieutenant this JIM aint no cn cave sir its it a bloomin bloom ln mine le it a voice apo spoke ako frum from behind in tone of surprise what leakes you think that calhoun cause its been ll asted out mast ly sir or else picked ive been n miner myself and ought to know maybe there wag mas a cavo cave yore yere once but I 1 tell yer sir these yero yere walls have been liand hand worked or im n u piker all right we weve ve got to explore the passage just tale the s ame come pit on 11 nien men lie he lashed flashed the warning light ahead na as they advanced taking hla his anyn place be beside sidd the ger sergeant geant aad compelling deborah to remain behind with the two soldiers As aa the curved to the right tile the lenders crept forward with extreme ch caution ution to gait gain view ot of what lay hidden beyond clarr carr reaching out his hand band to send the flicker of light danal dancing n g down the narrow narrowed ed tunnel the flashing rays brought no response awoke no sound of movement and carnoy carney ventured to protrude hla his head far enough around d the iho pro protecting teci rock to gain view of what was beyond the flashlight was no longer needed to reveal the scene at the end of tho the passage down through that tha t slight blight opening leading to the desert above streamed the glare of day white and dazzling to fo his fill eyes after the pt pitch iab darl darkness c biess th la will which ch he had been blindly his way for forward warL it rested a pool apol of light on the floor and tn in its very center every detail outlined as in fin an etching war were t two w 0 bodies one face downward curled in grotesque shape the other lying at full length features upturned to the low roof byon beyond 1 I these the flare blaje of the flashlight leaping across this narrow space of day exhibited a jumbled mass of rock blocking the pass passage from top to bottom they seemed to have attained the ilie very end of things the startled sergeant st stared ared speech less first at those motto motionless bod bodies les death pictured tn in each bath atil attitude tude then beyond at a strange ghastly white face on which tho the bearc searchlight fa fantastically nf played suddenly Suu denly something else also reflected reflect eI trite into hI his eyes the sparkle of an uplifted revolvers polished tube who are your you ached a hoarse e yoke sternly stop there until ou oti an answer awer iafe my G d sir was wa tho the instant cry I 1 via im carney sergeant cachey coptain Copt aln weve come here tor for you sirol sir tho the threatening revolver Tolver re sank weakly arid add carney and we lieutenant oblivious to alt all else r rushed forward circling the two I 1 dead bodies in tiela ag airriess to rea reach ch the on one a uvo livo man beyond held be helpless loless in that taht fall orrock of rock deborah efa left in the darkness behind groped her way ipri ard dazed speechless only hiie one tact echoing in her mind lindhe ao wac nis alive daniel kelleen iano wag alive I 1 she bhe dropped to her knees end drew draw his head into th the comfort of he her r lap her hand band smoothing back his hair there were glistening unshed tears in her eyes and he be saw them no I 1 got away sho she explained bas hastily tily they did bot see me at au all and then god guided me to your men 1 1 11 I know part oi of ii it meager told me bob meager her heart choked her he was really ogre ath you then what what happened app ened can you tell me they will tavo h a ve those rocks rock dur dug away in a moment ke yen yei ho he was here be and oar gar raty the juige judge you you k new know they they i both in there now burled under tons of rock I 1 hardly know what did happen it all came on us in a flash bash there w was a tunnel in n here a 0 room where old alvara had been mining years ang an years ago bo I 1 must have died there all alone for or I 1 saw his bis skeleton tov oi 01 a phe ija of c tone then those two went vent in meager and garrity with a broken lantern lan terM I 1 I 1 think one of them fell and alid r there must have been mome powder left there powder old alvara had bad caa W yb a lot of it 1 1 the alash and jumped back tibey uro itro thoro there yot yet burled 11 bob monger Is dett daud IIII Crus liot to a alip 1 nis ilia head sank back helplessly and ilia eyes closed clo and jones rolled the lie last stone itono from froin olf tile till lin prisoner liti limbs lbs but bill lie c jay iny insensible the three soldiers horo bore him aitu out olit through gli jio ila bluch to tho entrance tind with the assistance of those others outside lifted ills body over tho the rock barrier between the alio clinging vines into tile sunlight deb orall never left tits ills side hide anti |