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Show VENGEANCE AND THE WOMAN i:i'isot)i: i Straight- an a plummet to what seemed certain death, Ulakn dropped Into tho gloomy depths of tho can-on. can-on. M:uiy feet below, a fir springing spring-ing from. a cleft lu the walls reached reach-ed Us stout limbs out Into tho gorge mid hilo this cradle crashed the body of tho luckless Illake. They snapped snap-ped beneath the (mpiict and the trunk, heut until it seemed, that it' would ho lorn from Its roots. Instinctively, In-stinctively, llluko clutched branch i and trunk as hu slid deeper Into their embrace and. He w.is saved- -for the moment and H seemed that even lllnck Jack': outlaws on the opposite hldo of tho Boige Mraightoned back In relief. Then their eyes swept up to tho top of tho chnrm on whoso very edgo IIohhIo wns lying in a faint. Momeiitfl passed before sho recovered to look about her dazedly. Then all camo back to her and sho peered over the brink iukI ruw lior liUHband cling-jug cling-jug to tho treo and garlng up to hert She c.ilfod onco aud ho answered. Then she called again that she wan going to try to clliih down and ho iVttwd her back In horror. Hut tho Doling wife, desperate, swung over tho edgo and foot by foot bIio started down the sheer face of the cliff. The outlaws watched her, breathless, breath-less, grim anxiety In tholr leader's face as he saw his prey escaping from him. Illake struggled to an upright position and twined his legs about tho trunk of the treo, p'ropared for her Inevitable fall. llcssio had descended a dozen foet when her fool touched a piece of ouljuf'tlng rock. Hor hands slipped, she Btrt'igglod to regain her hold, the lock crumbled beneath her feet and she fell Into Hpaee. Ulako smothered a cry of horror and hiiiced himself to catch and to draw Into tho protection or the branches, the body of his wlfo as it flashed past hlm. Heneath their combined weight, the tiee bent until un-til It pointed directly down Into tho chnsnn There Vas a snapping nt the roots, nn upheaval of oart.li as tho tree" with its human burden crashed to n ledge fifty feet below. Black Jack and his gang could not repress a shout of satisfaction as they realized their prey yet lived uud could be captured at leisure. Haines wormed his way to tho end of tho gorge and shouted to Blake, who had by this time, extricated Bessie, bruised and faint, from tho wreckage wreck-age of tho tree: ''Write nn order on your bank tor $100,000 If you want'to go free."' Blako shouted back "no" at which his captor with a sinister smile replied : "All right. If wo don't get tho money you stay there nnd die." "" Stunned by tho force of tho argument argu-ment nud realizing their utter helplessness.' help-lessness.' Ulako turned to Bessie. Alone he would hnvo defied his captors cap-tors to death, but ho could not make her suffer further and ho shouted back to Black Jack that ho' would pay tho money. Summoning. Comanche Pete, Hulnea gaw n few ordors, nnd tho Indian casting his lariat ucioss tho gorge over a projecting rock, crossed hand over hari'd and by a second ropo lowered low-ered himself o tho lodge. Blako toro a leaf from a note book and printed tho following order which ho' handed hand-ed to Bate: Hverott cashier of bank As soon as posslblo Glvo ? 100,000 to bearer of Letter, Comancha l'oto. Tnko from Hast box of safe tho Beady money placed thoro One day last month. Got boys to Coniu across "with cash or wo Kick In for good. Honry Ulako. Tho Indian recrosscd on tho rope, to 'UlaeloJack who read It to hist companions.' Thoy thought it Ip'ok-,;" Ip'ok-,;" ; . i ! .. . ... wf. ...- , , n i - - -' - - led nil right, whereupon Be to then mounted and galloped down the pass. Consternation reigned In .Bioko's bank when Comancho l'oto, dust covered cov-ered from his wild ride, presented the note to tho cnshlor. Tlio Indian summoned to tho presenco of the bank officials, stolidly refused any explanation. Death never was nearer Blake and his wlro as the bank officers wero on the point of refusing to comply nnd seizing Bete. At that moment however. Sheriff Huwklns entered. For full ten minutes, bo studied the nolo knew better than attempt to question the red skinned messenger Bfcy&kV IBBKvBIHlfi I then turning to tho officials assured as-sured them It was all right to pay the monej'. What the sheriff unld usually wont in that town and from the Kant box- in the big s.iro $100,000 In new bills wns counted out and handed to Beto. The Indian had .not disappeared when the bank men excitedly demanded de-manded or the sheriff why ho had given up such a sum in such a manner man-ner nnd tho latter replied with n laugh: "I cannot think of a better use for phoney money thnn Having the llvos of Blake and Bessie." Ho then went on to explain that the particular bills in tho East box wero counterfeits, being hold tor trial of somo of Johnson's confederates. As ho pointed to tho words "East Box" In tho note, his countcnanco changed, and seizing tho paper began studying cnrefully. Tho letters 'beginning 'be-ginning the first word lif each line spelled Engla Bock! Tho sheriff comprehended nt last tho appeal for help hiddon In tho note, nnd tolling them ho would get on tho trail ho loft tho bank, and calling to several of his men lounging about, he dashed away to rescue his friends nnd do 1-ntt.le with the outlaws. Hiding down into-a valley, tho posso of Jim Morgan, after an nll- nlglit rldo after Black Jack and tho otheis, paused as Into tholr view caino tho figure of alone horseman. Even nt that' distance, ho wns recognized recogn-ized as Comancho l'oto, and ordering his men to bpread out luto h. semicircle, semi-circle, pushed forward, his plau being to drive tho Indian ngalust tho Ipi-penqtrnblo Ipi-penqtrnblo face of a cliff. Poto, quick to realize ho was being pursued, turn-In turn-In vain to Weak tho cordon. Onco, Indeed, ho almost escaped by leaping his horso off a plateau Into a river, only to gain tho further bank to flue himself sui rounded by Sheriff Hawkins Haw-kins and his men. Beallzlng the chase was up, nnd with a craftiness that told htm tho shorlff realized thai any dofa'y Yri his return with tho'j'i'onoy meant tho death "orBluk'o and! BeHsIo, Poto sur-.- ;t ,St. i' ' -, . rendered Just as Morgan rode up. The latter domanded tho Indian and' was astounded when the sheriff wnwd him away nnd bade Pete de-pal de-pal t. I "We've got to play safe," he sa'd. "Can't tnko any chances. Two llvos ate at slake." Asked what ho Intended In-tended doing, ho continued: "They aro prisoners on Eaglo Hock. ' Wo will divide our forces nnd take separate trails." i This satisfied Morgan and after a few moments consultation the two posses rode away In opposlto directions. direc-tions. Black Jack and his gang were seated on tho edge of tho gorge shooting dice when Comancho l'oto leturned. Seizing tho money, Huint'H eagerly counted It, but looked wonted when the Indian related hit experiences and the proximity of the two posses. Calling to Peto to f ol-, low with his lariat, he hurtled down to within balling distance of Blako who, seclut; hlm and tho Indian, called up: I "Now you've got tho money, give us our freedom." I ninck Jack assured them that they would t.oon be off the rock and then l outlined to the Indian his plan of rescue. Spanning ,tho gorge, with one larlnt as he had dono before, a second lariat was used as a sort of i pulley over the first and by which , tho prisoners wero to be hauled to safety. 'I Blake seized tho end of the lopo let down by Peto, now on tho further furth-er side of the canyon, and securely ' bound It bonontb BcbsIo'b arms. Beto I then drew her to tho upper ledge, fiom where the outlaws pulled hor ncross. Again, tho ropo was lowered and Blake was hauled up and across only to bo solzcd and tied hnnd and ' toot. Nearby was a sharp edged , shelving rock and to this tho men cairlcd tho helpless Blako, ns Bessie equally helpless, looked on In terror. A lariat was fantoncd tight about Blako uud ho was lowered gradually over tho sharp edgo and down Into the gorge where ho hung suspended. The ropo was then mado tight to a treo, and thus the outlaws loft tholr victim, riding nway with Bessie clasped in Black Jack's anus. Blnke, swinging In mid ujr,. desperately des-perately tried to get his hands froe, not knowing that at ovory twist of tlio ropo tho knlfa like rock cut deeper Into tho ropo. Two, throe, four of tho strands wero severed and only ono remained, a slonder thread to hold his lifo. ( (To Bo Continued) |