Mountain View Times (Mountain View, Okla.), Vol. 24, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, May 4, 1923 Page: 2 of 8
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DESERT GOLD
by
ZANE GREY
Author of RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE, WILDFIRE, ETC.
Copyright by Harper 4k Brother*.
CHAPTER XV.—Continued.
—1J—
“Thorne! Thorne! It'd "11 right.
Its all rightr cried Gale. In piercing
tones. “Mercedes la safe! Yaqul
He heard t' e girl whisper the name
of the Virgin. Then he gathered her
up In his arms.
“Come, yaqul."
The Indian grunted. lie had one
raved her! Itojns la done for! Yaqul hand preyed close over a bloody place
Jumped down the wall and drove the In his shoulder. Gale looked keenly
bandit ofT the ledge. Cut him loose at him. Yaqul was Inscrutable, as of
from the wall, foot by foot, band by old, yet Gole somehow knew that
hand! We’ve won th- fight. Th me." ■ wound meant little to him. The In-
For Thome these were marvelous
strength-giving words. The dark hor-
ror left his eyes, and they l>egiin to
dilate, to shlr.e. He stood up. dizzily
but unaided, and he gazed across the
crater. Yaqul had reached the side of
Mercedes, wns bending over her. She
stirred. Yaqul lifted her to jer feet.
Shu appeared weak, unable to stand
alone. Hut she faced across the crater
and waved her hand. 8 os was un-
harmed. The Yaqul waved, too. and
Gale saw In the action an urgent
signal.
Hastily taking up canteen and
rifles. Gale put s supporting arm
around Thome.
“Come, old man. Gan you walk?
Sure you can walk! Lean on me, and
we’ll soon get out of this. Don’t look
across. Look where you step. We’ve
not much time before dark. Oh.
Thome, I’m afraid Jim has cas ed In!
And the last I suw of Luddy he was
badly hurt.”
Gale was keyed up to a high pitch
of excitement and alertness. He
seemed to be able t«- do many things.
Hut once off the ragged notch lava
Into the trail he had not such difficulty
with Thorne, and could* keep his
keen gaze shifting everywhere for
sight of enemies.
“Listen, Thorne! What’s that?”
asked Gale, halting as they cam to a
place where the trnll led down through
rough breaks In tho lava. The silence
was broken by n strange sound, nl-
niost unbelievable considering the
time and [dace. A voice was droning:
“Turn the lady, turn I Turn the lady,
turn! Alamort left. All swing; turn
the Indy, turn !M
"Hellp, Jim." called Gale, dragging
Thorne round the corner of lava.
“Where are you? Oh, you son of a
gun ! I thought you. were dead. Oh.
I’m glad to see you! Jim, ure you
hurt ?’’
Jim Lnsh Rtnod In the trnll leaning
over the butt of Ills rifle, which evi-
dently ho was utilizing as n crutch.
He wns pale but smiling. Ills hnnds
were bloody. A scarf had been bound
tightly round his left log Just above
the knee. The log hung limp, and the
foot dragged.
“I reckon I nln’t Injured much,” re-
plied Jim. “But ray leg hurts like
h—1, If you want to know."
"Lnddy ! Oh, where’s I.addy?"
"He’s Just across the crack there.
I was trying to get to him. We had
It hot an’ heavy down here. Lnddy
was pretty had shot up before he tried
to head Itojns off the trail. . . .
L)|ck, did you see the Ynqul go after
Itojns?"
“Did I?” exclaimed Gale, grimly.
“The finish wns all that saved me
from runnln* loco. I reckon our
chances are against flndln’ Lnddy
alive. ... I tell you. hoys, Rojas
wns h—1-bont. An’ Mercedes wns
game. I saw her shoot him. But
inehbo bullets couldn’t stop hit. then.
If I didn’t sweat blood when Mercedes
wns flghtln* him on the cliff! Then
the finish ! Only a Ynqul could have
done that. . . . Thorne, how about
you? Dick. Is he bad hurt?"
“No, he’s not. A hard knock on the
skull and n scalp wound," replied
Dick. "Here, Jim let mo help you
over this place."
Step by s op Gale got the two In-
jured men down the uneven declivity
and Hum across the narrow lava bridge
over the fissure. Here he hade them
rest while he went along the trail on
that side to search for Lnddy. Gale
found the ranger stretched out, face
downward, a reddened hand clutching
a gun. Gale thought he was dead.
Upon examination, however, It was
found that Ladd still lived, though he
had ninny wounds. Gale lifted him
and carried him back to the others.
"He’s alive, but that’s all," snld
Dick, as he laid the ranger down. "Do
what you can. StcT the blood. Lnd-
dy’s tough as cactus, you know. I’ll
hurry hack for Mercedes and Yaqul."
Gale, like a fleet, sure-footed moun-
tain sheep, ran along the trail. He
came upon Mercedes and the Yaqul.
She ran right Into Dick’s arms, and
then her strength. If not her courage,
broke, and she grew lax.
"Mercedes, you’re safe I Thorne's
safe. It’s nil right now.”
“Rojas 1" she whispered.
“Gone I To the bottom of the
crnterl A Yaqul’a vengeance, Mer-
cedes,"
dlnn followed him.
Gale carried Mercedes up to the
rim 8nd along to the others. Jim Lash
worked awkwardly over Ladd. Thorne
was trying to assist. Ladd, himself,
wns conscious, hut he was a pallid,
apparently a death-stricken man.
The greeting between Mercedes and
Thome was calm—strangely so, It
seemed to Gale. But h' was now
calm himself. Ladd smiled at him,
and evidently would have spoken had
he the power. Yaqul then Joined the
group, and his piercing eyes roved
from one to the other, lingering long-
est over Ladd.
"Dick, I'm figger’n’ hard." said Jim,
faintly. "In a minute it’ll be up to
you an’ Mercede . I’ve about shot my
bolt. . . .’ Reckon you’ll do—best by
brlngln’ up blankets—water—salt—
firewood. Laddy’s got—one chance—
In a hundred. Fix him up—first. Use
hot salt water. If my leg’s broken-
set It best you can. That hole In
Yaqul—only’ll bother him "a day.
Thorne’s bad hurt. . . . Now rustle
—Dick, old—boy."
Lash’s voice died away In a husky
whisper, and he quietly lay back,
stretching out all but the crippled leg.
Gale examined It, assured himself the
bones had not been broken, and then
rose ready to go down the trail.
"Mercedes, hold Thome . head up,
In your lap—so. Now I’ll go.”
On the moment Yaqul appeared to
have completed the binding of his
wounded shoulder, and he started to
follow Gale. The descent to the ar-
royo was swift and easy. Gale hastily
put together the things he needed;
and, packing them all In a tarpaulin,
he turned to retrace his steps up the
trnll.
Darkness was setting In. The trail
was narrow, exceedingly steep, and in
some places fronted on precipices.
Gale’s burden was not very heavy, but
its hulk made It unwieldy, and It was
always overbalancing him or knocking
against the wall side of the trail. At
last they reached n level, and were
soon on the spot with Mercedes and
the Injured men.
Gale then set to work. Yaqul’s part
wns to keep the fire blazing and the
water hot. Mercedes’ to help Gale In
what way she could. Gale found Ladd
had many wounds, yet not one r* them
was directly In a vital place. Evl
dently, the ranger lind almost bled to
death. He remained unconscious
through Gale’s operations.
Jim Lnsh came ou of Ids stupor. A
mushrooming bullet had torn a great
hole In Ills leg. Gale, upon examina-
tion, could not be sure the bones had
been missed, but there wns no bad
break. The application of hot salt
water made Jim groan When he had
been bandaged and laid beside Ladd,
Gale went on to the cnvalryman. A
furrow had been plowed through his
scnlp down to the l - ne. When It had
been dressed, Mercedes collapsed.
Gale laid her with the three In a row
and covered them with blankets and
the tarpaulin.
Then Yaqul submitted to examina-
tion. A bullet had gone through the
Indian’s shoulder. To Gale It appeared
serious. Ynqul snld It w-as a flea bite,
But he nllowed Gale to bandage It,
and obeyed when he was told to lie
quiet In his blanket beside the fire,
Gale stood guard. The hour had
come for hlin to face his great prob-
lem. It was natural that he hung back
a little at first; natural that when he
went forward to look at the quiet
sleepers he did so with n grim and
stern force urging him. Ynqul stirred,
roused, yawned, got up; and, though
he did not smile nt Gale, a light
shone swiftly across his dark face.
Ills shoulder drooped and appeared
st Iff, otherwise he was himself. Mer-
cedes lay In deep slumber. Thorne
hnd a high fever, and wns beginning
to show signs of restlessness. Ladd
seemed Just barely alive. Jim Lnsh
slept ns If he wns not much the
worse for his wound.
Gale awoke Mercedes. Swiftly she
sat up.
“Mercedes—come. Are you all right?
Lnddy is alive. Thorne’s not—not so
bad. But we’ve got a Job on our
hands. You must help me."
She bent over Thorne and laid her
bunds on his hot face. Then she.rose
_a woman such as he had imagined
she might be In an hour of trial
Gale took up Ladd as carefully and
gently as possible.
“Mercedes, bring what you can
carry and follow me," be said. Then,
motioning for Yaqul to remain there,
he turned down the slope with Ladd
In his arms.
Neither pausing nor making a mis-
step nor conscious of great effort.
Gale carried fhe wounded man down
into the arroyo. Mercedes kept at
his heels, light, supple, lithe as a
panther. He left her with Ladd and
went back. When he had started off
with Thorne In his arms he felt the
tax on his strength. Surely and
swiftly, however, ha bore the c.ivalry-
man down the trail to lay him beside
Ladd. Again he started back, and
when he began to mount the steep
lava steps he was hot. wet, breathing
hard. As he reached the scene of
that night’s camp a voice greeted him.
Jim Lash was sitting up.
“Hello, Dick. I woke some late
this momin’. Where’s Laddy?
Where’s Thorne an’ Mercedes? Look
lere, man! I reckon you ain’t packin’
this crippled outfit down that awful
trail T
“Had to, Jim—an hour’s sun—would
kill—both Laddy and Thorne. Come
on, now."
For once Jim Lash's cool good na-
ture and careless indifference gave
precedence to amaze and scorn.
“Always knew you was a husky
chap. But, Dick, you’re no hoss! Get
me a crutch an’ give me a lift on one
side."
"Come on," replied Gale. Tvr no
time to monkey."
He lifted the ranger, called to Yaqul
to follow with some of the camp out-
fit, and once more essayed the steep
descent. Jim Lash was the heaviest
man of the three, and Gale’s strength
was put to enormous strain to carry
him on that broken tralL Neverthe-
less, he went down, down, walking
swiftly and surely over the bad
places; and at last he staggered Into
the arroyo v 1th bursting heart and
red-blinded eyes. When he had re-
covered he made a final trip up the
slope for the camp effects which Ya-
qul had been unabl to carry.
In the labor of watching and nurs-
be only a matter of time until he had
the use of his leg again. All these
days, however, there was little ap-
parent change In Ladd’s condition, un-
ess it was that he seemed to
fade away as he lingered. Then
Yaqul asked for the care of Ladd. The
ndlan absented himself from camp
for a while, and when he returned he
carried the roots and leaves of desert
plants unknown to Gale. From those
the Indian brewed an ointment. Then
he stripped the bandages from Ladd
and applied the mixture to his wounds.
That done, he let him lie with the
wounds exposed to the ulr, at night
covering him. Next day he again
exposed the wounds to the warm, dry
air. Slowly they closed, aud Ladd
ceased to bleed externally.
Days passed and grew Into what
Gale Imagined must have been weeks.
Yaqul recovered fully. Jim Lnsh be-
gan to move about on a crutch; he
shared the Indian’s watch over Ladd.
Thorne lay a haggard, emaciated
ghost of his former rugged self, but
with life In the eyes that turned al-
ways toward Mercedes. Ladd lingered
and lingered. The life seemingly
would not leave his bullet-pierced
body. The tireless, Implacable, In-
scrutable savage was ever at the
ranger's side. His great somber eyes
burned. At length he went to Gale,
and with that strange light flitting
across the hard bronzed face, he said
Ladd would live.
Gale Carried the Wounded Man Down
Into the Arroyo.
Ing It seemed to Gnie that two days
and two nights slipped by like a few
hours. Then Gale succumbed to wea-
riness. After his much-needed rest he
relieved Mercedes of the care and
watch over Thorne which, up to that
time, she hnd absolutely refused to
relinquish. The cavulryiunn required
constant attention. His condition
slowly grew worse, and there came a
day which Gale thought surely was
the end. But that day passed, and
the night, and the next day, and
Thorne lived on, ghastly, stricken,
raving. Suddenly, and to Gale’s
amaze nnd thanksgiving, there came
an abatement of Thorne’s fever. With
It some heat and redness of the In-
flamed wound disappeared. Next
morning he was conscious, and Gale
grnsped some of the hope that Mer-
cedes had never abandoned. He
forced her to rest while he attended
to Thorne. That day he saw that the
crisis was past Recovery for Thorne
was now possible, and would perhaps
depend entirely upon the care he re-
ceived.
Jim Lash’s wound healed without
The second day after Ladd had
been given such thin nourishment as
he could swallow he recovered the use
of his tongue.
"Shore—this’s h—1," he whispered.
That was a characteristic speech for
the ranger, Gale thought; and&indeed
It made all who had heard it smile
while their eyes were wet.
From that time forward Ladd
gained, but he gained so Immeasurably
slowly that only the eyes of hope
could have seen any Improvement.
Jim Lash threw away his crutr., and
Thorne was well, If still somewhat
weak, before Ladd could lift his arm
or turn his head. His whispers grew
stronger. And the day arrived when
Gale, who was perhaps the least op-
timistic, threw doubt to the winds
and knew the ranger would get welL
"Boys, come round,” said Ladd, In
his low voice. “An’ you, Mercedes.
An’ call the Yaqu"
Ladd lay In the shade of the brush
shelter that had been erected. There
seemed little of him but long, lean
lines, and If It had not been for his
keen, thoughtful, kindly eyes, his face
would have resembled a death mask
of a man starved.
“Shore I want to know what day
Is It an’ what month?" asked Ladd.
Nobody could answer him. The
question seemed a surprise to Gale,
and evidently was so to the others.
"Look at that cactus," went on
Ladd.
“I reckon according to that giant
cactus It’s somewheres along the end
of March,” said Jim Lash, soberly.
"Shore It’s April. Look ..-here the
sun Is. An’ can’t you feel It’s gettln’
hot?"
“Supposin’ It Is April?” queried
Lash, slowly.
“Well, what I’m drlvln' at Is It’s
nbout time you all was hlttln’ the trail
hack to Forlorn River, befc e the
waterholes dry out.”
“Laddy, I reckon we’ll start soon
as you’re able to be put on a hoss."
"Shore that’ll be too late.”
A silence ensued, In which those
who heard Ladd gazed fixedly nt him
nnd then nt one another. Lash un-
easily shifted the position of his lame
leg, and Gale saw him moisten his lips
with his tongue.
"Charlie Ladd, I ain’t reckonin’ you
mean we’re to ride off an’ leave you
here?"
"What else Is there to do? The
hot weather’s close. Pretty soon most
of the waterholes will be dry. You
can’t travel then. . . . I’m on my
back here, an’ God only knows when
I could be packed out Not for weeks,
mebbe. I’ll never be any good again,
even If I was to get out alive. . . .
You see, shore this sort of case comes
round sometimes In he desert. It’s
common enough. I’ve heard of sev-
eral cases where men hnd to go an'
leave a feller behind. It’s reasonable.
If you’re flghtln’ the desert yon can’t
nfford to be sentimental. . . . Now,
ns I said, I’m all In. So what’s the
sense of you waitin’ here, when It
means the old desert story? Ly goln’
now mebbe you’ll get home. Shore
now, boys, you’ll see this the right
way? Jim, old pardr
“No, Laddy, an’ I can’t Agger how
"Shore then leave me here with Ya-
qul an’ a couple -f the bosses. We
can eat sheep meat. An’ If the water
bolds out—"
"No I" Interrupted Lash, violently.
Ladd’s eyes sought Gale’s face.
"Son, you ain’t bull-headed like Jim.
You’ll see the sense of It. There’s
Nell a-waltln’ back at Forlorn River.
Think what it means to her I You’ll
go, son, won’t you?"
Dick shook his head.
The ranger turned his raze upon
Thorne, and now the keen, glistening
eyes hnd blurred.
’Thorne, It’s different with yon.
Jim's a fool, an’ young Gale has been
punctured by choya thorns. He's got
the desert poison In his blood. But
you now—you’ve no call to stick—you
can find that trail out. Vake your
wife an* go. . . . Shore you’ll go,
Thorne?’
Deliberately and without a mo-
ment’s hesitation Ihe cavalryman r»
plied “No."
Ladd wen directed his appeal to
Mercedes. His face was now con-
vulsed, nnd his voice, though It had
sunk to a whisper, was clear, -nd
beautiful with some ilch quality that
Gale had never before heard In It.
"Mercedes, you’re a woman. You’re
the woman we fought for. An’ some
of us are shore goln’ to die for you.
Don’t make It all for nothin’. Let us
feel we saved the woman. Shore you
can make Thorne go. He'll have to
go If you say. They’ll all have io go.
Think of the years c* love an’ happi-
ness in store for you. A week or so
an’ it’ll be too late. Mercedes, don’t
make It all for nothin'. Say you’ll
persuade Thorne, if not the others.”
"Never I”
White-faced, with great black eyes
flashing, the Spanish girl spoke the
word that bound her and her com-
panions In the desert.
The subject was never mentioned
again. Gale thought that he read a
sinister purpose in Ladd’s mind. To
his astonishment, Lash came to him
with the same fancy. After that
they made certain there never was a
gun within reach of Ladd’s clutching,
clawlike hands.
Gradually a somber spell lifted from
the ranger’s mind. When he was en-
tirely free of It he began to gather
strength dally. Then It was as if ha
had never known patience—he who
had shown so well how to wait. He
was In a frenzy to get well. His ap-
petite could not be satisfied.
The sun climbed higher, whiter, hot-
ter. Every day the water In the lava
hole sank on Inch.
The Yaqul alone spent the waiting
times in activity. He made trips up
on the lava slope, and each time ha
returned with gum, or boots or som-
breros, or something belonging to the
bandits that had fallen.
Those waiting days grew Into weeks.
Ladd gained very slowly. Neverthe-
less, at last he could walk about, and
soon he averred that, strapped to a
horse, he could last out the trip to
Forlorn River.
There was rejoicing In camp, and
plans wTerg eagerly suggested. .The
Yaqul happened to be absent. When
he returned the rangers told him they
“any aggravating symptoms. It would | you could ever ask me."
"Mercedes, You're a Woman. You're
the Woman We Fought For."
were now ready to undertake the
Journey back across lava and cactus.
Yaqul shook hla head. They de-
clared again their Intention.
“Nol" replied the Indian, and his
deep, sonorous voice rolled out upon
the quiet of the arroyo. He spoke
briefly then. They had waited too
long. The smaller waterholes back
in the trail were dry. The hot sum-
mer was upon them. There could be
only death waiting down In the burn-
ing valley. Here was water and grass
and wood and Bhade from the sun’s
rays, and sheep to be killed on the
peaks.
"Walt for rain,” concluded Yaqul,
and now os never before he spoke as
one with authority. "If no rain—"
Silently he lifted a speaking hand.
<TO BS CONTINUED.)
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Mountain View Times (Mountain View, Okla.), Vol. 24, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, May 4, 1923, newspaper, May 4, 1923; Mountain View, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc914455/m1/2/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.