Supplement to LAKE COUNTY EXAMINER, Laltcview, Oregon.
took with him his fair captive. The
main band proceed cd on Its way to &
designated meeting point, while the
chief made this detour to consummate
the Inst obioot of his trip.
The chief and his small band were
more guarded than erer.' Realizing
that Ma mission was a secret one, and
to avoid falling Into traps, he traveled
through a more obscure country than
ver, and was still more cautious
about not leaving any trail behind.
Thnt night he camped at the foot of
ft high wall In the shadow of the pro
jecting rlmroclis. No eye could see
him In the Immediate vicinity for the
boulders that lay about him. and the
Bmoke from hi camp was sllhouted
against the rock walls and mingled
with the clouds above.
At the camp the scarred-faoed old
warrior chief took more Interest In
Ms white captive. He had her quar
ters prepared some distance from the
main camp and while he. himself,
looked after her wants two of his
most trusted warriors were placed on
guard. At supper time Egan. by ges
tures, plead with the young woman to
eat. While the terrible experience
through which she had gone would
fcaTe taken the appetite of most wo
men of her ace. she was too common
sense and matter-of-fact to lose her's
permanent'y. She was really hungry,
but had not reached that state of
starvation at which she felt as If she
could partake of mule meat. But
lucky Incident occurred. Even while
old Egan was tendering her a slice of
mule prepared In the most dainty
manner from the Indians' standpoint
a warrior close at hand, in attending
to the animals, flushed a sage hen
Rertha althoueh unacquainted with
this bird knew that It must be palat
able. She pointed to the bird in Its
flight with a sign to old Egan that if
ahe had one of these she would pre
pare It herself and eat of It. No soon
er than she had made her wishes
known, the chief went to the quiver
of his hunting arrows, drew forth the
choicest ones, and In a few momenta
was speeding among the rocks in
search of the sage hen. In a short
time he returned and gallantly drop
ped the tender bird at her feet, and
with an expression of pride pointed to
a scar in its neck through which his
arrow had passed.
But of this gallantry Bertha took
no notice. Soon a fire was kindled
and with woman's culinary knowledge
she soon prepared and ate a meal of
which she was in much need.
Long after nightfall, when all the
clouds had passed away and the moon
had risen above the distant rlmrocks
on the east and its light had fallen
upon the camp beneath the rlmrocks.
old Egan appeared at Bertha's quar
ters. It was such a night as lovers
would walk in civilization. It was
-such a night as would thrill the
hearts of all people. It was such
a night as the Indian warrior
would venture upon a deed of daring.
It was such a night as aroused the
deepest passions in the bosom of the
marauding chief. .
He motioned his warriors, who were
on guard, to take their leave, and
then attempted a conversation by
- signs and nods with Bertha. Hoping
.that it might mean her escape she
tried to understand him. With this
encouragement he grew more bold
- and approached her more closely. Wo
man's Intuition told her at once of
this awful meaning and she rose up
In her woman's weakness to defend
herself against this giant chief, who
had lone been the terror of the desert
Desperate in his passion as he was
In his savage cruelty the bandit chief
selied her by the throat with his left
hand and placed his right about her
waist.
Fortunately for humanity a lithe ath
letic form had glided down the steep
walls of the rlmrocks in the darkness
long before the moon rose, and had
been waiting in hiding for an oppor
tune time. Rushing forward like a
wildcat he seized tne wicked old war
rior by the throat, and there was at
once a grapple between giants.
But in spite of the silent prayers of
Bertha for the success of her unknown
rescuer and his determined grip on
the old chiefs throat, the latter gave
a cry that called to their feet the en
tire detachment of warriors, and they
came like a storm to the aid of their
.chief.
CHAPTER VII.
A Woman's Scalp.
It is at another point in the lava
beds from that described in the last
chapter. While many walls Join to
gether here from different directions,
yet one point on the rimrocks com
manded a view In all directions. Up
on this point stands an Indian. His
arrow-like form silboutted against the
horizon gave him the appearance of
an inanimate rather than an animate
body. The afternoon sun was not far
above the distant rimrocks. It was a
picture for an artist to draw. The
ragged rocks along the earth's sur
face, the walls which converged from
many directions toward the pedestal
formed center, at the top of which
projected the flat rimrocks, and these
crowned by the statue-like form of the
Indian, whose gaudy war bonnet indi
cated that he was a chief, made the
view a romantic one indeed.
It was old Egan. He was looking
to the west Into the very face of the
setting sun. Were it not that he
raised his band occasionally to shut
out the blinding rays of the sun from
his eagle-like eyes, one would have
easily mistaken him for a statue on a
great pedestal.
"If they disappoint me," murmured
the Indian In his own tongue, "it will
take many more white scalps to pay
the penalty," and at the same time he
toyed with a scalp of long hair, that
of a woman, tossed by the wind at his
belt.
But his mind was soon relieved on
this point. From the shadow of the
rlmrocks In the distance, a little
north of west, he saw a lone horse
man coming In a swift trot. He be
gan to descend to the same side upon
which the horseman was approaching,
taking care to examine his bow and
quiver, tomahawk, and scalping knife
to see that all were intact. Seating
himself upon a boulder that jetted
from the wall many feet above
the level plain, he waited the
approach of his visitor. When the
latter came within hailing distance a
familiar salute from each showed the
mutual recognition.
A few minutes later the horseman
was at the foot of the precipice and
asked the old rhlef If he was entitled
to receive his reward. The chief drew
from his bolt a woman's scalp and
exhibited it to the horseman. The
latter dismounted and climbed to the
place whore the old chief sat.
After a few minutes' conversation
and the visitor seemed to understand
the Indian language perfectly, they
climbed the rlmrocks together. The
visitor rose when they reached the
summit of the rocks and drawing a
thin piece of cloth from his pocket
but which was broad and wide, he
waved It above his head until It was
caught In the breeze and unfurled like
a flag. Then other objects were seen
to emerge from the shadows of the
distant rimrocs and soon a band f
horses driven by white men were com
ing across the plain.
The two men on the top of the rim
rocks conversed familiarly. While
the reader already knows that one was
Chief Egan he has also surmised that
the other was Dan Follett. which is
true. To look upon the countenances of
these two men was an interesting
study. The old Indian chief, a ma
rauding bandit, bore scars showing the
terrible episodes of his life, while the
Canadian Frenchman bore marks
placed there by time which showed
the villlanoua character of the man.
The one. robbed of his country,
forced to the barren rocks and lava
beds for existence, had become an
outlaw from necessity. The other,
containing a mixture of blood of the
exiled criminals of a superior race
mixed with that of the most blood
thirsty and treacherous of an Inferior
race, was a villain from choice and by
nature.
"If I had not produced the horses
Egan. what would have been the re
sult?" inquired Follett, with a twinkle
in his eye.
"More pale face scalps would have
been swinging here very soon." re
plied the chief, pointing to his belt.
And if I had not proved to you
that I had killed the girl, what would
you nave (toner inquired tne enter,
with a look of bravado upon his face.
You know too well, chief, what we
would have done. The Ixrd of The
Desert would have swept it clean of
Etrnn and his tribe:"
There were bluffing looks and grim
smiles from each, but the arrival of
the band of horses caused them to rise
to their feet, and with a shout from
old Egan's lips his warriors appeared
from a recess in the rocks below.
heretofore unobserved, and took
charge of the band of animals repre
senting the prize money for the mur
der of Bertha Lyle.
Taking the woman's scalp, Dan Fol
lett climbed down the rocks and Join
ing his men they saluted the Indiana
and rode away. The Indians drove
the horses into a deep canyon pene
trating the rimrocks. and the stillness
of approaching night closed the scene.
CHAPTER VIII.
The Trapper of The Rimrocks.
He was known from one end of th-
desert to the other, as well by the red
men as the white. His life was spent
In solitude. When the snows of win
ter began to fly and others fled to
shelter he worked the more persist
ent. For eight months In the year his
solitude was complete, so far as the
rest of the world knew for it was In
the winter time that the wild
animals of the desert widened
their range in search of food,
owing to its scarcity at this season.
and many of all kinds were tempted to
partake of the fresh morsels of anti
lope, deer, rabbit and sage hen, so
attractively prepared and placed 'n
their trail and many of these same an
imals found these nice "baits" sur
rounded by a jagged iron circle that
closed with a merciless clasp about
their legs or noses and held them as
prisoners. The traps of the Trapper
of the Rimrocks always held their
prey.
It was only in the summer time that
this man saw civilization. At this sea
son he always appeared at the gov-
JIainmereley.
ernment trading post with a small
packtrain of pelts. And the skins of
the coyote and wild cat and martin
and bear and cougar of this section
brought a good price. The long
changeless winter kept a steady
growth of the furs and they were of
the finest texture and quality.
The Trapper of the Desert was a
young man of eight and twenty years.
For ten years he had been known upon
the desert. While he was a man of
peace, yet his keen grey eyes and
firm set chin told those who saw him
that he would face the worst of the
human race In any kind of an encoun
ter as readily as he would battle
alone with the fiercest animals of the
desert, if the necessity arose. His
hair was also light and he wore a
gleam of friendliness upon his face.
But the cloud that drove this gleam of
sunshine away when be become an
gered was an Immediate warning not
to trespass against the will of this
man of firmness, and his well propor
tioned form was able to carry out the
desire of the mind. He was five feet,
ten, weighed 180 pounds, and with all
this possessed well proportioned mus
cles, as lithe as rubber and strong as
gutta percha.
Ho was known simply by the name
of William Hammersley, but his an
cestry and place of birth were as
mysterious as the man himself. When
first known he was on the desert en
gaged In trapping, and as he had no
competitors, he had no enemies. His
abode, a crude affair, partly a cave
and partly a house In the rimrocks,
was always welcome to the weary
traveler or stockman, who happened
to pass his way, but this did not hap
pen often, .is few people traveled that
way. He was a friendly host ami
looked to the comfort of his guest, but
he hnd little to any and asked but few
questions. A guest after leaving hU
place know no more of him than when
he came, and there was always a feel
ing on the part of the visitor thnt nc.
extended conversation was desired.
And the wishes of William Hammers
ley were usually respected.
But the reader shnll know more
about this trapper of the desert and
his alnxle than tho visitors of those
days knew. He was not alone, and
the compartments which the visitors
saw were not all that were possessed
and occupied by this man. The small
corral made rock In front of the prem
ises and the few traps and skins that
hung about the rooms opened to vis
itors were only small and Insignificant
In Interest compared with what was
concenled In the background.
A subterranean passage lead to a
larger cave beyond that occupied as
the open home of the trapper. A crev
asse lot In the light from the side and
the finest pelts supplied a bed with
warm covering and a soft place to lie
while others lay upon the floor as
nigs and hung from the walls to keep
out the cold of winter. A perfectly
"js
The Home of IIummcrKlcv.
constructed fireplace, connected with
the crevasse in the rocks which was
utilized as a chimney, supplied the
room with warmth In cold weather.
Upon the bed lay an invalid. Once
a gigantic form with powerful phy
sique and muscle, he was now emac
iated to almost a skeleton. His ltmbs
had been frozen and his hands and
feet wore mere crisps, though ho still
retained his intelligence and was a
great comfort to the trapper who
brought him the tenderest and best
prepared morsels from the table and
fed him with his own hands, and at
tended him as carefully as a mother
tends her own child.
"I sometimes fear that I worry you.
and that my monotonous life may ef
fect yours, said the invalid one day
to the trapper, "in carrying out my de
sire to strike for vengeance and wait
until I can strike the most killing
blow, I fear that I Impose upon your
good nature, my preserver, and tax
your patience."
"Oh. no. no!" replied the trapper, as
he stroked the pale forehead of the
invalid tenderly, "without you life
would be truly monotonous to me, be
sides, your counsel and company are
worth all the trouble, if your condi
tion could be construed to cause me
trouble: and outside of all this, your
cause has become my cause from an
Interest In humanity and Justice. You
have been grossly outraged, and i
look as anxiously to the day of reck
oning as yourself."
Thus the trapper continued to live
and take care of h's Invalid friend,
pnd bait his traps, and cure the hides
of the animals captured as he had
for the past ten years. He had let the
cause of another man so entwine it
self about his soul that he now lived
more in that cause than any other
and planned and worked to carry It
out to a successful finish with that
coolness and persistence that knows
no failure.
On the second night after the at
tack of the Indians on the pack train
and the capture of Bertha Lyle. the
trapper brought In a large supply of
prepared provisions and placed them
on a table beside the invalid's bed.
The latter knew what this meant.
"So you are off for a trip, my friend."
said the Invalid. "How long will it
be before you return?" he continued.
He was Interested, for the difficult)
In hobbling about and waiting upon
himself with his stubby hands and
feet in the trapper's absence was
great, and the lack of his companion
ship was greater.
"I will only be gone for a few days,"
replied the trapper. "I am going to
visit the traps near the picture rocks
as I am trying to catch a mountain
lion that frequents the place, and have
some hones of getting a grizzly."
Long before daylight the following
morning the trapper was on bis way.
The distance was a great one and he
traveled on foot, his favorite way of
traveling.
And It happened that at this time
Chief Egan and his warriors with
their captlvo were making for the
same viclnty.
CHAPTER IX.
Rescued and Lost.
The trapper followed along at the
foot of the rlmrocks occasionally halt
ing to rebalt a trap which he would
draw from Ita hiding place from be
neath the sands or wire grass. He
was not infrequently rewarded by find
ing an animal In the Jaws of a trap,
cowardly gnawing at its own Impris
oned limb and attempting to skulk
away at his approach. These pelts,
which were usually carried to a safe
hiding place, added to the luggage on
his back containing fresh baits for
his traps and food supplies, made hlJ
burden quite a heavy one, but It did
not cause him to abandon his Win
chester, revolver and knife, which
were his constant companions and
they were not carled for ornament.
Toward night he decided to climb
to the top of the rlmrocks and take a
survev of the country. Away to the
west he saw the moving forms of Fol
lett and Ms companions, as their
horses Jogged along, leaving a cloud
of dust behind them. He brought his
field glasses to his eyes and surveyed
the men for a moment and the thought
ran through his mind: "Wonder what
kind of deviltry that Dan Follett U
out on for his master this time?"
Hammersley hnd beheld the victim
of these two men too long not to sus
pect every move they made to be a
wicked one.
"If yon knew how hot your trail Is
getting. Pun Follett. you would hunt
a colder one, but I hope to see the
same rope hang you and your mas
ter," said the trapper half audibly,
As he turned In disgust his eyes
fell upon another obioot, far away
on the opposite side of the rlmrocks.
A great cloud of dust rose behind It
and tho word "Snakes" escaped his
lips. Bringing his glass to piny, he
was no time In making out the char
acter of his party. After surveying It
carefully he remarked, "Old Egan has
been at work again." Then he ex
claimed, as he looked through hU
classes. "A girl captive, as sure as
I live. Ah, Egan stealing horses has
become too tame for you, has It? You
are not satisfied with providing your
stornaohe and means of locomotion,
and the hazard of occasionally killing
a man who resists you, but now yon
have gone and taken some Innocent
white girl."
"I am not the law. neither should I
attempt to punish you for vour num
erous crimes, for I rather like to see
you harass the I.ord of The Desert oc
casionally he deserves It. but I pro
pose to look Into this enpor of yours."
The reader Is familiar with what
took place from the time of the ar
rival of the Indians until the Inter
ference of the trnpper. for It was he
who assailed Old Egan when the lat
ter laid his wicked hands upon the
person of Bertha Lyle.
Old Egan was strong and Arm but
the trapper was active and wiry
With the advantage, too. of having
taken the Indians by surprise he soon
tore him from the girl and hurled him
to the ground. But as the cry made
by the warriors ns they came to tho
rescue of their chief warned him that
he had not the time to finish settllnc
accounts with his antagonist. If he s-
desired, be seized the girl by the hnnl
and led the wav Into a crevasse In the
rimrocks with which he was fa nil liar
As they passed Into the rerosses nf
tho rocks, he heard exclnmatlnns
from the Indiana which alarmed him
as to his Immediate future course
with the girl. They had recognized
him and knew where he lived, and to
("pnroach his home with her would bo
difficult should the Indians attempt to
guard it. He was not Ion In doubt
on this point, for he hoard Egan give
directions for them to go Immediately
to the trapper's place and guard It
until he came.
If once hidden In the home In the
same room as thnt occupied by the In
valid, he never feared for the danger
of her rescue, for the passage to this
room wns so secret that no one hud
ever been able to find It, thouch in bis
absence his home had been visited by
Indians and whites, and ransacked
many times.
It was easy to discern from the
shouting of the Indians thnt while a
part of the hand, headed by OM Egar,
were on their way to the trapper's
home the others were recklessly try
ing to follow his trail, for knowing his
marksmanship the man who trifled
with hfm knew the risk he wns taking.
But the Indians knew thnt as long ar
ho could prevent it he would never
Are a gun. while the girl was In his
romnany: that this would endanger
her life by drawing the fire to her.
After going a long distance through
the crevasse made by nature's great
upheavel in the long pnst. Hammers
ley led the way Into a secluded plae
which he thought was unknown to any
except himself.
As he and his comnanlon seated
themselves the shouts of tho Indians
enme to their ears from the distance.
The girl was the first to break the si
lence.
"Do you live in this country, my
dear preserver?" she Inquired.
When he Informed her that he did,
she said: "I have an uncle some
where on the desert: his name is
Lvle. Martin Lyle. Do you know
him?" The trapper nodded In the nf
flrmatlve.
"Oh, If we could convey word to
him." she said, "he would come Im
mediately to our rescue."
Strong as was the trapper's bod
and steady as was his nerve, he felt
his whole frame yield, with a shudder
when he learned that his companion
was Bertha Lyle. and of the narrow
escape she had had. When she had
hurriedly told him her history and
the incident of her capture by the In
dians he felt relieved that she had
fallen Into no worse hands than Old
Egan's.
To take her to his home that night
through the Indian searching party
would be too hazardous. He could
mnke It alone, but he doubted the
girl's ability to climb among the rlm
rocks and keep her footing In the
crevasses, although she had shown
wonderful spirit of coolness and
strength during their recent adven
ture. The trapper was quick to come
to a conclusion. He decided to go
and get his rifle and secrete his lug
gage, and steal Into his home with
the girl the following day, making as
much of tho way that night as pos
sible. So leaving her In the cavern
he went on his mission, at the name
time avoiding the savaees who were
skulking among the rlmrocks and
making a diligent search of every
nook and comer.
The trapner was not gone more
than two hours, though his course
was a round-a-bout one. and to bis
surprise and dismay on his return the
girl was not to be found.
CHAPTER X.
A Surprise and a Fight.
Egan rose from the stunning blow
given him by the trapper and quickly
comprehended tho situation. When
he ascertained that his late antagon
ist had escaped with the captive, he
knew that he had a difficult task be
fore blm. The Indians knew of Ham
mersley from one end of the desert
to the other snd his nrowess struck
them more forcibly than any other
characteristic of the man. While
they had never come In contact with
him before In cunnlnqr they knew that
he was familiar with every trail of
the desert and with every crevasse
and cavern among tho rlmrocks. And
now that they were in the vicinity
of his home they knew that he was
still more familiar here than they, and
that It would take quick work to res
cue tho captive before he reached his
homo among the rlmrocks. If once
there he could stand out against a
larger band of Indians than Egnn's
present detachment, and Indian sa
gnclly suggested proper tattles in
stantly.
Egnn ordered four of his best
scouts to attempt to follow the fu
gitives while ho and seven of bis wnr
rlors mnde straight for the trapper's
qnnrters to get possession. Intending
when the trapper arrived with his
Prize, In case they were not appre
hended by the trusty scouts, to cap
ture the two.
Egan hnd left his horses In care of
a warrior, and the chief and his com
pnnlons had proceeded on foot. He
know thnt the trapper cared nothing
for tho horses, and that he and his
men could make better time on foot,
and, besides, they had to cross tho
well of rlmrocks In order to reaen
the trapper's place- of abode. They
moved off In a trot, traveling In this
way until a late hour In the morning,
It was almost dnybronk when' they
ascended the rlmrocks. surveyed the
horizon and descended to the oppo
site side. They snw the rocks that
overhung the trapper's home and
placed themselves ss sentinels at a
safe distance from the entrance and
guarded every path that led to tho
place. Indian courage was not great
enough to Induce them to enter this
place by night. While they had made
a quirk trip from the scene of the
previous night they knew thnt It wns
possible thnt t'e trapper hnd ptnde
a quicker one. They had. from a lack
of knowledge of the country, been
compelled to take a roundnltout way,
while the trapper could hnve come a
strnliThfer course, doubtless, and ar
rived first. They doubted this, how
over, ns he wns burdened with his
companion, provided the Indian
scouts had not overtaken them, and
they hnd groat hopes of finding the
place vacant on the following
morning, and either take the two
prisoners before or after they
should enter the place. It win
Egan's Intention to enter the
oMce if It proved to be unoocunlod the
following morning, provided the trap
ner did not fall Into their hands before
that time, and then surprise him upon
his nrrlval. If bis scouts should suc
ceed In cnpturlng tho girl, for this
wns all thev desired, they were to
signal the chiefs detachment nt tho
enrllest opportunity. Thus Egan nnd
his men concenled themselves among
tho rocks In front of the trapper's
envo nnd waited for developments.
Daylight comes on the Oregon des
ert almost an quickly as darkness.
As soon as the sun sinks behind the
distant rocks night is upon the des
ert as If a light hnd been extinguished
In a room: and daylight comes with
a flash, ns It were.
The sun rose alove the level
horizon ns if It had popped out of
the sands, and soon peeped over the
rlmrocks. Old Egan and bis war
riors, cold nnd still as the rocks
nmong which they Iny. were ongerly
peering through the sngo brush to
discover If there was any life about
the trapper's home. For some mo
ments everything wns quiet and tho
old chief wns planning for a more de
finite reconnolter. It wns still shad
owy about the entrance of the envo
and nothing could be but dimly seen.
Tho door at the entrance wns closed
nnd the marauders were coming to
the conclusion that they hnd out
traveled the owner. They were soon
surprised, however.
The door opened suddenly and a
stalwart man of the desert walked
out carelessly, and uncovered, as If
he had never thought of danger. A
hist, passed down the line of war
riors, unconsciously, but almost loud
enough to be heard by the frontiers
man. But not suspecting danger he
strolled out Into the sage brush, sur
veying the country about him. One
common thought took possession of
the Indians. Quickly every man
reached to his quiver, drew an arrow
and placed It to the string of his bow.
Carelessly the white man strolled on.
Nearer and nearer ho fame.
Indians In the bitterest warfare pos
sess some policy and some sense of
reason. The first thought of all
was to shoot the man down and then
rush Into the cave-house, secure the
girl and proceed on their Journey.
But Old Egan reasoned. To kill the
tiapper, who was the friend of every
body, and had not an enemy on the
desert, and who had never crossed
his path before, did not seem to him
exactly right. To rush upon him and
capture him by force and then bind
and leave him so he could not pur
sue them after they had retaken their
captive was the plan that suggested
Itself to him.
But wise plans are often thwarted,
when the frontiersman had ap
proached a little nearer to the left
there was a "swish," and he fell to
the ground pierced through the heart
by an arrow. A young warrior near
whom he had approached could rot
resist the temptation and fired the
futal shot; and quick as be had fl'cd
the shot he rushed upon his victim
with scalping knife In hand.
A loud "Ugh" rose from the Indians
and they rose from behind the rocks
and rushed to the scene of denth,
some exultingv and some showing
signs of disapproval, while old Egan's
face wore a sign of disappointment.
But before they had reached his al lo
the young murderer clinched his vic
tim's hair and was already twining
a scalping lock about his fingers.
Before the knife had touched tho
scalp, however, a rifle rang out a
sharp crack, and then another nnd
another. The young warrior and a
companion fell full length for their
lest fall, and In the midst of crackling
shots the others sought refuge be
hind the nearest rocks.
The shots had come from the loop
holes In front of the trapper's home,
and the Indians could plainly see tho
dark muzzles of rifles still In the
small openings, and every time that
the slightest exposure was made on
the part of the red men, a puff of
smoke, a sharp crack and a whistling
bullet warned them to keep under
cover.
It had continued thus for more than
an hour when a keen whistle was
heard from tho summit of the rlm
rocks In tho rear. Tho dim form cf
a man was seen upon the topmotd
rock, rifle In band. He could seo I
tho skulking forms of the Indian
nmong the rocks beneath him, and
nt the same time observe the en
franco to the cave. Ho signaled the
beaelged to cease firing and mo
tioned the Indians o depart. The
white men withdrew their rllles and
tho Indians gladly accepted the ar
mistice. Taking Ihelr two dend warriors
with them and skulking away towaid
the south, they worn soon lost from
view In the lava bods, and the Trap
per of tho Rlmrocks descended from
abovo and entered his home.
CHAPTER XI.
Two Vlllnlna and a New Plot.
All Is astir at the stone house. The
employes hnve returned from the an
nual round-up and the place, which
hnd borne a deserted njipearnnce for
the pnst few weeks, In now all bustle,
nnd men are seen here and thorn
feeding the horses, mending bridles,
saddles nnd harness, shoeing horses
and doing everything thnt Is required
about a great stock ranch. Night
comes on and finds them still busy,
but they chango their work to tho
finishing touches preparatory for tho
night and one by one they come and
prepare for supper.
Tho Iird of The Desert Is alone In
his accustomed place, Nono enter
his qnnrters except on business and
only his foreman and superintendents
have business with him. for all bus.
tics Is trnnsnctod through these. Ills
glnss sits upon the brond arm of tho
old thnlr. and now and then his hand
roes mechnnlcally to It, and brings
It mechanically to his lips, and ho
swallows draughts therefrom me
chanically. With mechanlcnl regu
larity his face grows rodder and Ms
countenance sterner, while his eyes
take on a wilder glnre.
A knock at tho door snd to the re
sponse of welcome, Dnn Follett en
ters. "How Is It?" Inquires his Lordship.
"All Is completed," replied the
Frenchman.
"Oet a glass there nnd fill It to the
brim." exclaimed Martin Lyle.
Pnrtliilly etnptlylng the glnss Fob
lett seats himself nnd relstes tho par
ticulars of the transaction with Old
Egnn. drawing forth the woman's
sculp from his pocket snd pnsslng it
over to tho Lord of The Desert.
"Did you sco the corpse?" Inquired
Lyle.
"N'o, but I deemed this cvldonro
sufficient." replied Follett.
"Old Egnn Is a trenrhoroiis old
scoundrel nnd would deceive us If he
could, but the evidence sei-ins straight
enough."
"Oh, you needn't doubt thnt." re
plied Follott, "the old . scoundrel
would never lose an opportunity to
commit murder, especially when so
innny ponies anil mules were to be
gained."
"Hut they will never do him much
rood." replied Lyle, ns be placed tho
rlnss to his Hps. "I have a plan.
Follett. and you are tho nmn to car
ry It out. My men report Egnn and
his men camped at tho foot of Ash
Butte. You are a pretty fair looking
Indian anyway, and I want you to
Ichvo tomorow morning for tho camp
of the Warm Springs tribe, lead the
wnrrlorn on OKI Egnn's trail, nnd take
every animal In bis possession."
"This Is rather risky business." re
plied Follett, "Old Egnn tuny retaliate
and pounce down upon you una
wares." "Fie. man." replied Tho Ird. "you
make us as a Wnrm Springs chief and
when you bnvfi taken his anlmnl
from him I will buy them from tho
Warm Springs tribe, by giving them
a few of them, and thnt will appear
to be a legitimate trnnsactoln, should
Old Egnn discover them In our pos
possession." "What about tho deed." Inquired
Follett. "remember this is dnngerous
work and It has boon a long time
since our accounts have been ad
Justed." "Tut, tut. man. don't worry about
thnt. I'll hnve all that arranged for
you by the time you return. Take a
drink, order an early bearkfnst and
bo off with tho rising sun. I shnll
depend upon you, Dan, I shall
depend upon you."
Dan Follett rose and left tho room,
but ns he passed out of the door ho
turned and cast look nt the I.ord of
Tho Desert mingled with scorn and
contempt.
Martin Lvlo sat and drank and
thought. For mnny hours he was
In rteep medltntlon.
"With my brother and his daughter
dead and out of my way, nothing can
ever disturb my rights here," ran
through his mind.
His lips barely quivered as tho train
of his thoughts continued. "But what
ever became of that brother to whom
the property properly belonged?
It Is strange thnt the old man should
hnve disinherited Jim and myself for
him. He was never considered a fn
vorlte by tho connection, and we had
done nothing at the time of his denth
to merit such treatment. But my lit
tle sharp work and false swenrlntr,
nnd the little forgery combined
turned the property this way nnd. a
they used to charge In the old world
that one crlmo led to another, I have
carried out the scheme by making
way with my brother and his daught
er and securing their whole fortune
after using Jim as an Innocent cat's
paw to obtain It.
"But this elder brother, tho right
ful heir, wonder what ever became
of him? He came to America when I
was quite young. 'We heard he was
married once and hnd a child; nnd
then wo heard no more of blm. Yet
my father, after giving my brother
nnd I barely enough to reach America
to engage In business upon, willed
the majority of his estate to this eld-
er boy whoso whereabouts are nn-
known."
"Wdl, well, I know ho Is dend and
tho others nre out of the way, so why
should Martin Lyle ever fear of los
ing his fortune or his title as Lord
of Tho Desert?"
Thus mused tne nrch criminal of
the Oreiron desert between drinks
rntll bis conscience became so he
numbed with the Intoxicant that he
retired bnlf-dnzed, half unconscious
to bis bed.
Dun Follett left with the morning:
sun to perform his mission.
(To b Cootlnmd.)