UNWILLING WITNESS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7077, 24 February 1893, Page 4

UNWILLING WITNESS.

literature-

.'CONTINUED.!

/ * Down your head there, ptrdner ! Dodge that tree limb; W fttoh oat f?r them quaking asps;' or‘M*nd that badger-hole on the up-hill tide. Ttie ridge, always inclining towards the ralley, dipped suddenly, and the hore>>e took the elide one after another, carrying soil and atones with them. Bodewin wade no attempt to guide his horse. He had trusted Baldy’s feet and Baldy’s eyes on many a dark night and blind trail. At the foot of the ridge they crossed a f>i«oe of timber, and beyond it Bodewin could hear the the horses’ ooofe sucking through the iwampy bottom. Now they they were | rustling past a willow thicket. Now into a gorge, grassy at first and wet, then Keep and stony , with a coolness as of rocke high and near. Bodewin was positive they had not crossed the valley. The plan, was prolably to wind him in sod our between those narrow divides wbicn radiate from each great peak downwards into the Talley, until be had btqiroe confused, then on their track and bring him to some ■pot not far from the camp itself. reason for making such a mystery of their route occurred to Bodewin. HU abductors no doubt were arranging tna'ters so that after his release he should not be able to swear to the place where he had been detained. , The last hour of the ride was through uninterrupted woods, and here no idea of thexr direction could be had. They were not the burnt woods j the shade was close and dark, the horses feet sounded hollow on the muffled ground. ‘ In sight of camp, pardner,’ said the elder guide. ‘ Tou can pull off the blinders. ’ ~ ~ Bodewin took the handkerchief from bis eyes and looked about him with keen interest. . , ‘ln sight of camp,’ the man with the ■car bad announced —and now the camp itself was close at h»nd. Where bad he known this place before? Ihe long-backed cabin, overtopped by the dump of a deserted prospect-hole, the bench under tne projecting roof, the little corral. Tbie was Craig’* cabin, beyond a doubt, even though Hillbury bad failed to find it. Bodewin was charmed by the sequence of events. The three men dismounted at the door of the cabin, leaving their horsee ■landing. Bodewin untied hie blanketroll and rubber coat from the back of hie saddle and tossed them on the bench beside, the door, while Tony, •eitad on the bench, kept an eye upon him. The elder man, whom lony called Dad, bad gone into the cabin.. In a few minut e he returned, laughing and ■baking his bead, Tony’s look expressed sulky mqmry ai to the cause of his merriment. ‘ Babe’e road,’ he explained. ‘Says ■he won’t have no men folks round, inside there, till grub’s ready.’ 1 * Whal'e ebe road about ? asked Tony. « About thiiyer company we brought home,’ said Dad, winking at Bodewin. ‘She’lows she don’t take no hand in this kind of entertainment. She’ll give vou enough to eat, though,’ he added. " • Why c’on’t you go in there and make her quit P’ Tony suggested *Go in yourself, if you want to. I’ve learned 10 l*t women folks alone when they are plump full of o’ mad.’ Tony went to the door ani 'tied to open it. Tt was fastened from within. ‘Babe!’ he called, ‘Oh, Babe! Come out yer. Ain’t ye ’shamed!— Give you a dollar if she don’t come, he said to Bodewin parenthetically. Bodewin laughed. * Give you forty if sho docs 1 * Dad jeered. Tonv continued calling and pounding until the door on a sudden was violently / thrown back and B-»be herself appeared on the threshold, fronting the cool daylight, with a flow of firelight behind her,.which reddened the murky interior of the cabin. Babe was a tall, white throated, full-' bosomed girl of seventeen, at this moment with wrath, hrr blue eyes big and dark under her low, flat, white brow. Her skin was wbito as birchwood stripped of its bark, but under it were muscles tough as Tony’s own. * Who’s callin’ Bibe round yer?’ The words were flung out with a look intended for Tony. Bat Tony bad retired aa the door opened, and the look fell hot from the stormy blue eyes into Bodewin’s cool grey ones, aa he' leaned forward fiom bis seat oo the bench. One look was enough, Babej retreated, banging the door behind her. Dad and Tony burst into loud laughter. Dad fairly shedding tears in bis excess of mirth. •Babe wilted then, for sure!’ said Tony; and-Dad, turning to Bodewin,! who had remained perfectly grave, apologised for bis daughter. * BabH’e alwaya sk*sred of strangers 5 she don’t mean nothin’. Here, yon Tony, quit laughing at your sister, and go take'care of them critters ! ’ The two horses, which were at borne, had strayed off cowards the corral, white Baldj, observant of bis masters movements, remained near the cabin. Tony walked leisurely towards him, and put out bis hand to take bis bridle, rein, Baldy jumped away a : few feet. Tony steppe*} -.quickly -after him and cau^|o%therein; vß.aldy whirled off and Jet al Tony bis ; heels. Bodewin smiled, and 'Dad looked in-' .forested. ; ‘ Stop.your j ampin,’ and go to him qoiet-like and speak to him.’ he sug. ■ ■ ested. V; g Tony repliiflwith a scornful jerk of, bie.headj asfdpma&te L ehotlfor rush for i ’Whoa,-there!’, Baldv swerved, reared, tossing bis refa ’ op in the atr on* of Tody’s ranch,

‘That’s right, Tony, cuss a little; • maybe that’ll git him.’ Dad chuckled and Bodewin laughed outright. ‘He can’t catch that horse. He won’t let any one catch him but me.’ 1 Tony hoard Bdde»in’« remark. * I’ll bet, by , I can catch him I’ be said, f Returning to the cabin, he took down a coiled: lasso that hung within convenient reach by the door Dad and Bodewin watched him in silence aa be adjusted the rope for a throw. Baldybad trotted off a little way. As Tony ran towards him swinging the rope above his head, the horse stopped and seemed to wait for the throw. The rope left Tony’s band, the loop widened and Baldy, standing perfectly still, put hia long white no«e to the sod. The lasso settled down upon his neck and shoulders, and slid harmless to the ground. Baldy gave one quick jump sideways, then walked away, turning his sagacious eye backward toward bis master. ‘ Lawd in the mornin' ! ’ Dad exclaimed, smitiiLe* his knees with both hands, ‘ but that horse has got sense ! How’d you larn him not to leave no handle for the lassi* to ketch on P ’ Tonv made another run for the horse and another throw, but again Baldy was a graven image, with his nose and his fore feet touching the

ground. , Bodewin now stood up and call*a him to him. Baldy came at the word and stood beside his master, wiih an imperturbable gravity’ and innocence in bis eye-lashed eyes. Bodewin waited, stroking Baldy’s nose, until Tony,, paming and swearing, had drawn near. Then he said : ‘Now I’ll show yon another bttle thing he can do,* and giving Baldy’s nose a shove with the palm of his hand be spoke the order, quick and sham : *AI corral! Ande! Ve-te!’ As Baldy sprang forward Bodewin struck him on the hip. The horse shot away down the slope from the cabin. Dad looked on contentedly, watching for the next manoeuvre ; but Tony, already auspicious, was now raging, sure that Bodewin had tricked them and that Baldy was off for camp. The horse was nearly a hundred yards away, going at lull speed, when Tony fired at him between the tree-trunks t once, and missed him; twice—he did not stop. A third shot would have been useless.

(To be continued.)