Army and Navy Weekly — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

1094 that had produced the mirage—or at least so Tom as- serted. But something of more importance—in view of a healthy appetite at least—claimed their attention. For a herd of antelope, suddenly breaking from cover at the left, came toward them on the dead leap. And with good reason. Jn hot pursuit—at least fif- teen feet at each bound—was a tawny mountain lion of prodigious size. ‘*P-s-s-s-t!’’? At the signal the well-trained bronco stood stock still. Tom and Phil crept each to the side of his own, and pitched forward their rifles, resting them over the saddles. But not before they had been seen by pursuer, and pursued. With a snarl the mountain lion swerved to one side and disappeared in a thicket of greasewood. The antelopes wheeled and stood for an instant, gazing curiously at the broncos—the leader snorting and stamping his small hoofs, ‘*We only want one—pick off the doeat the right, she’s the fattest,’’ whispered Tom. But Phil’s rifle missed fire, thanks to an imperfect cartridge. And to Tom’s mortification his own aim was too him—the ball raising a little cloud of white dust four or five hundred yards beyond, : Away went the antelope with the speed of the wind in the direction of the distant slopes where the moving objects had been seen. And started from his hiding- place by the report, the long lithe body of the moun- tain lion wasseen sneaking in the same direction, ‘*That’s too bad!”? wrathfully exclaimed Phil. ‘‘I’ll have another try, though,’’ he added, hurriedly. Shov- ing a fresh cartridge in place of the defective one, he threw his gun, to a trail, and started off ata slow trot ‘in a half crouching attitude. ‘‘Tt’s no use—they’ve got our wind,’’ called Tom; but he might have saved his breath. Phil was already out of ear shot. CHAPTER XIII. IN QUEST OF GOLD. Very much out of breath, Phil reached the foot of the rocky slope at least two miles from the spot where he had left Tom plodding along with the broncos. The antelopes were of course out of sight. But still hoping that they might be found feeding in the vicin- ity of the timber line above, Phil tightened his belt and started upward, finding, rather to his surprise, that he had struck a tolerably well defined wagon trail. « Half an hour of climbing brought him to a nearly level plateau, from which, looking back, he could eas- ily discern Tom-with the broncos moving slowly along the base of the slope. There was no signs of the antelopes where he hoped to find them. But something else he noted which re- newed his wild hope of a breakfast. It was a cur] of gray smoke oozing out from the green of the nearest timber. Very uaturally, Phil connected this with the supposed man and mule team whose exaggerated silhouettes they had seeu against the morning clonds. Yet they were in an Indian country and it behooved him to be cautious, even though it was hardly possible that the wily savage would s0 manifestly make his presence known. ‘‘Best be on the safe side, thougk,’’ was Phil’s thought. So, throwing his rifle in the hollow of his arm, he made a short detour, and, striking the tim- ber belt lower down, began making his way cautiously in the direction of the camp-fire. The oceasional stamping of some four-footed animal annoyed by flies announced his near approach. A mo- ment later Phil made out the dingy and tattered tilt of an army wagon through the growth of timber, which was almost entirely clear of underbrush. Drawing nearer, he saw a smoldering fire, over which some one had evidently been broiling meat cut from a quarter of antelope flung carelessly beside a gunnysack ‘‘grub’’ bag. The last named article served as a pillow for the proprietor of the mule team, who was snoring most unmelodiously. Phil’s hunger overcoming any scruples about rousing the stranger from sleep, he was on the point of step- ping forward, wheu a_ rustling among the branches of a scrub oak a little .beyoud him caused him to look quickly upward. Phil’s heart came up in his mouth on the instant. ARMY AND NAVY For stretched along on one of the large lower limbs was the lithe, tawny body of an enormous mountain lion—in all probability the very one that had pursued the antelope. Two glowing eyes were fixed, not upon himself, but on the unconscious sleeper, And all at once Phil saw the huge animal draw itself together for a spring. His rifle was at his shoulder and his cheek laid to the stock in a second. Aiming squarely between the glow- ing eyeballs, the boy fired. The mountain lion, with a stifled scream, pitched forward, turning half over inthe air, and plumped heavily down on the stomach of the sleeper, who, roused by the report, was struggling to his feet. Phil ran forward with cocked rifle, but his services were not needed. The body of the great animal rolled limp and lifeless to the earth, leaving the individual so rudely roused from slumber rubbing the pit of bis stomach very hard and gasping for breath. ‘‘[?m stunned! Bring me ter little blue kag,’’ he exclaimed, in a hoarse whisper, pointing as he spoke in the direction of the smoldering blaze. Phil hurried to obey. The other seizing the two gallon receptacle, placed his mouth at the bung hole, after which he drew a long breath: ‘*Ach—I feels better. It was some bitters I myself make—worm-wood and tansy. Mebbe you would not likes ’em?”? The smell suspiciously resembled something less in- nocent than wormwood or tansy, and Phil, who was examining the dead mountain Jion with conscious pride, replied at once that he would not. ‘*But I'd like some of the antelope steak,’’ he said, with a glance in its direction. ‘‘ And my chum, coming up with the broncos, is as hungry as I am.’’ ‘*Good!’’? And the stranger, who was a thick-set man, bavingshort sandy hair and beard sprinkled with gray, got on his feet. | ‘*You helps yourself. Ach, dot was a good shot— plumb between two eyes. Der biggest lion I ever seen, and I prospect through these States night thirty year.’’ ‘<T’hen you are a prospector,’’ observed Phil, slicing off steak after steak with his hunting knife. ‘*Mebbe you hear of Dutch Geary. That was me. But see—you not cook properly. Start up der fire, and let me do those.”’ Dutch Geary! The name had no particular sig- nificance in Phil’s ears just then; he was too hungry to remember that he had beard it before. Geary strung alternate dollops of fat and lean ona slim skewer, sprinkling them liberally with pepper and salt. Phil started the fire intoa clear, hot blaze with some bits of dry fatwood. ‘‘Time Tom was getting along,’’ he said,after briefly explaining their errand in such a far away section of the country. Leaving Geary to his cooking, Phil made his way to the edge of the timber, from whence he had an unin- terrupted view of the slope and lower lands below. He easily made out the locality where he had last seen Tom with the two horses; but neither were they there nor could he see the slightest sign of them in any di- rection. The only rise of land which could possibly hide them from view was a range of low hills on the left, but this was entirely out of the line of march. Moreover, Tom would naturally keep on up the foot bill, where Phil himself bad pursued the antelope—the report of the rifle would of itself guide him. ‘‘Ter grub was ready !’’ shouted Geary, and with a final glance over the landscape, Phil hastened back to satisfy the cravings of an almost ravenous appetite. ‘*He vos not in sight, you say? Humph!’’ Leaving Phil pegging away at the antelope steak. Geary seized his rifle and started down the slope. It had not oceurred to Phil to feel any uneasiness—only a slight wonder as to his friend’s whereabouts, until, as he finished the last slice of succulent meat, the distant report of a rifle reached his ear. Snatching up his own weapon, Phil hurried down the foot hill in the direc- tion of the shot, which a few moments later be found had been fired as a signal by Geary, who was awaiting his coming with a somewhut puzzled expression on lis tanned features. The two blankets and slickers and the tarpaulin, lay in a confused heap at the foot of the slope. The short grass in the vicinity was crushed and trampled by the hoof prints of half a dozen horses. ‘‘Injun ponies,’ sententiously observed Geary, call ing Phil’s attention to these significant signs, COMmicloo S$ oCO