OCR Text |
Show I "The Fighting Trail" 1 9 Episode 5 "Torrent Rush" 1 !. Gwyn rushed from tlio room and JWK out through the door. Nan stood, na FCT If sho were dazed. The dawn was iM beginning to cast a thin, gray light In the sky, and shone as a mist IS through the tops of the trees. Around IJH tho hut, and in the thick stretch of ill trees It still was dark. As Gwyn (9 threw himself upon a horse, ready IH eaddled, and prepared to rldo out to 9 "10 tra11, Nan rus"cd from the ha- Wk cienda and hountcd another. They did not speak a word, but clattered IS ott toward the trail at top speed. RH Meantime, Yaqul Joe, faithful to SV his trust, had ridden bravely after M the brigands nnd, as it transpired, k1 into tho very jaws of death. When ho IH mounted his pany and started after HJ the gang It was easy for lilm to pick Hi up and follow their trail. Htf rode HB rapidly for nearly five miles and Hi then, his practiced eyo noting that HE the others had stopped tholr horses, Hjj apparently to hold a conference, ho H suddenly dismounted, tethered his H horso and began cautiously to ad- HB vanco on foot. fcHE Tbc Indian had gono only a sparse IHb one hundred yards when suddenly Hf the huge form of Shoestring Drant LB came hurtling from tho brush on a itn rising at the right hand sldo of tho fflH road. Ho landed squarely on Joo's jUVj shoulders, bearing him to tho ground HVj and knocking his riflo from his hand. HV Von Dlcck, Cut-Deep and two other Hj tnen quickly joined Drant, Joo H struggled manfully, but In vain. Tho HI odds were too great for him and It Hb was a matter of only a fow seconds Hb for the outlaws to make him a cap- B m Then began the torture that H showed tho depths of flondlshncss H that lay in Cut-Deep Itawls nnd Shoe- B string Drant. Joo was bound fast WK to tho trunk of a treo, IiIb bonds cut- R ting into his flesh so that he wlncod tttk from tho pain. Hut he made no out- 2iM cry. Itawls demanded that Joo, as j tho prjco of his liberty, rorcal tho H location of tho mine. Tho Indian H mado no sign. Itawls struck the man R a blow In tho faco. Again he mado R his demand. Again Joo was silent H nnd nawls, his anger Welling up like Hi a torrent, showered blow after blow B on his victim until oron tho ruggod H Ynqnl failed under tho brutal attack HJ nnd ho passed Into unconsciousness, Hj tils body sagging limply. Hj Ilawls turned nway. To Drant Uo W said: B "Tou and the others stay hero and JW mo what yo can sot out ot this b'all- BJ UwtM tayote Von BIm and I wUl return to Ybarra's and hunt for the other half of this Infernal map." He and Von Uleck mounted and rode away and Shoestring gavo his attention to Joe, who, weakened though ho was, revived in a few moments. mo-ments. Shoestring took up tho torture where Cut-Deep had stopped, but beating still failed to mako tho Indian In-dian betray his master's secret. Enraged, En-raged, Shoestring drew his revolver and deliberately shot off tho lobo of tho Indian's right ear. Still Joo remained re-mained silent. Drant then drew forth a long-bladed hunting knife and, with cruelty unbelievable, began be-gan plunging it Into the flesh of Ybarra's faithful servant, and soon blood was streaming from a score of wounds in Joe's arms, legs and chest. When this failed to unseal his lips, Drant ordered his men to build a fire beneath tho feet of their victim. Joo by this time was almost beyond be-yond feeling and nothing that Shoestring Shoe-string could do now would add any more to his suffering. Ho was fast sinking into unconsciousness from loss ot blood. But tko malignant Drant was determined and ho personally person-ally applied the torch to tho pyro that waa to mako Joo divulge his secret. The latter had slipped Into unconsciousness uncon-sciousness again, but Drant depended depend-ed on tho firo to bring him back to life and confession. The outlaws had just lifted a burning brand nnd was letting tho flames play on tho soles of Joe's feet when a shot rang out. Startled, ho swopt tho valley In a quick, all-embracing look, then leaped to his feet. He started to tho trail, where ho had loft n man on guard and IiIb other followed with him, leaving tho dying Yaqul alone. Arriving on tho trail, Drant and his companion discovered their sentinel sen-tinel In a death grip with Gwyn. He and Nan had dlsconded Into the canyon can-yon on Its farthest side by means of a ropo which Gwyn took from a well on tho Bide of tho trail. Tying ono end to tho pommel of his saddle and taking Nan's rlflo ho had descended to the bottom of the canyon and she, refusing to be left alono, bed followed. follow-ed. They crossed tho bed of tho canyon can-yon unobserved by Drant's Bentry and climbed up the other side to the trail. Gwyn was almost upon tho guard boforo tho latter saw him and fired. Ho misses and Gwyn leaped on him, Nan then tnklng a short cut to tho point where Joe had boon loft I to dlo. I Drant and his ompanlon lost not a kioBMmt la (ol t Mm wao of a chnnco of killing their friend. Tho pair leaped on Gwyn, but ho fought like a tiger. Ho engaged tho threo singly and together. A dozon times they swayed to the edge of tho trail and it seemed na though all must plungo to death. Hut they did not. Finally, catching the guard around the waist, Gwyn hurled him over the brink to death. The other man leaped leaped down soon nfterward, breaking break-ing his neck as he struck the rocks below. Fearful of a similar fate, Drant fled down the trail, intending to return re-turn and finish Joe beforo Gwyn could rescue him. As he approached, Joe, who had been released by Nan, rose from the ground and fired. Nan did likewise. Drant, his fury turned on the girl, fired at her. But Joo had anticipated him nnd ho leaped In front of Nan, taking In his own heart tho bullet that was intended for her. Drant disappeared In tho brush as Joo fell, dying, to earth. Nan was quickly bending over the mortally wounded servant and raised his head to her lap as Gwyn came running up. They realized that Joo's valiant life was near its end. Suddenly the old, wrinkled face of the faithful Yaqul brightened. His oyes lighted for an Instant, is lips parted, a whisper came forth. They bent low to hear. He spoko: "Joo no tell." Thoy were his last words. His head fell back, his fact relaxed. Ho was dead. Tenderly, Gwyn raised the poor, blood-run body to his arms. Followed Fol-lowed by Nan he carried his burden to a point doep in tho canyon and lnld It in a rocky grave, piling rocks high over It so that coyotes or vultures vul-tures should not get to it. Then they began to nsceud tho cliff, Nan softly weeping ns they went, nnlf way up tho trail, Gwyn halted, his eyes riveted on something deep down tho valley. It was Drant, riding Ilka mad. Taking careful aim, Gwyn fired on) shot from the riflo and nn Instant later Drant's white pony went to earth, shot through the head, and his rider wont flying through the nlr. Nan restrained Gwyn as ho raised his riflo to firo at Drant. Now Owyn and Nan moved hurriedly hur-riedly toward the point whoro thoy had descended Into tho canyon. Drant ' Gwyn's antagonist. Each tried to bring their weapons Into play, but could not. Tho struggling pair moving mov-ing so rapidly thoy dared not tako who had by now reached the upper trail whoro their horses stood, mounted mount-ed Nan's horso and rodo swiftly off, seeking Von Week and Itawls. When Owyn nnd Nan reached tho dangling rope that had borno thorn to tho canyon bod, thoy wero confronted con-fronted by tho problom of gotting to the top again. Cwy Uonght first of climbing up himself and then hulling Nan up, but tho danger of battering her against the rocky walls j of the canyon caused htm to dismiss I the plan. He had a sudden Inspiration. Inspira-tion. Tying the rope securely about the middle of Nnn's rifle, he ordered her to sit on one side of it and ho! sat upon the other. Then ho tugged at the ropo until tho strain put fear into his horse nnd the frightened j beast started on a mad gallop along the trail. As he ran, ho pulled Gwyn nnd Nan to the top of the canyon. When they reached the top, Gwyn replaced the rope in the well and ho nnd .Nnn went in search of their mounts. Only Gwyn's was to bo found nnd then they realized how Drant had got away. Lifting Nan into the snddle, Gwyn" then got on back of her and they started for the hacienda. Dusk was beginning to unfold Its thin, blue veil over tho solemn peak's of tho Sierras. Tho shadowy outlines of the tree-tops stretching hazily away over tho mountains looked llko a thousand tombstones In the growing grow-ing darkness. The thick silenco nbout tho little house that had been Don Carlos' home seemed to emphasize empha-size the vastness nnd Bolitude of the hlllB. It was Just fourteen hours. From the window of tho hacienda the low, flickering, nervous rays of candle-light cast Ihelr yellow brightness Into the darkness. Inside, lounging comfortably in tho living room, were three' men, conversing seriously In low, scarcely inaudible voices. They were Karl Von Dleck, Shoestring Drnnt nnd Cut-Deep Itawls. Von Uleck was leaning forward In his chair, a worried, unnatural expression express-ion on his countenance. Drant was talking, and, as he spoke ho mopped the prcsplratlon from his forehend with a filthy handkerchief. It was evident that ho had entered but a moment' before, and his excited tones ns words fairly tumbled from his lips, denoted that ho was reporting news of weighty Importance. Drant's eyes wero fixed upon Von Dleck. "Whero's the Indian?" Von DIock fairly shouted. " don't care n hang how long you fought, I want to know where the Indian is. Wo didn't find the chart horo nnd he knows where It Is. Thnt's all I care about. Whero Is he?" (To Do Continued.) |