STRANGER IN Shady Gulch

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 13008, 6 April 1940, Page 3

STRANGER IN Shady Gulch

By DENVER BARDWELL

CHATTER X

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anrk when Radian finally ot Thumb creek'aZ loot ot the east mesa 0.. the «t;::;rt.,rr;se ot ' had followed it M-vard, he “a pasaed Halt Diamond cattle l, ne in close to water tor the drl i !■ rest He found more of them npti down here, near where the It of water came from under the made him uneasy. It was J branding time and on the morillalf Diamond nders might r °"’ this way rounding up young come tins j ‘“it dismounted at a short bend in tte stream a hundred yards from the , of the steep mesa wall. Leaving '“‘ 3lrt „ watch over Tuffy, he started climbing over rocks toward the last, he came to a circular nool The pale glow' of the stars Le enough light for him to see the rußh of water which came pouring t 0 £ an enormous cavern mouth Mo the turbulent pool. He thought he could see cut-backs in the sides o{ the cavern which ought to give him footing above the water, so that he could study the rock seams inside. But such exploration certainly couldn’t be undertaken now. He would camp on the mesa overnight, and come back down here at daybreak. He went back to Tuffy and Caesar then led them southward several hundred yards until he found a break in the mesa heights which would permit a climb to the top. He led the horse up the difficult path, with Caesar following. Atop the mesa, he mounted and set out in search of a good camping site. A hundred and fifty yards back from the rim, be saw a long, dark sink ahead. That gash in the flat land seemed to be a fluke dent with an outlet, for he could see the farther end of it under the starlight. 1 Anyway, it should make a good camp site where his fire would hot be seen faraway. , He turned Tuffy into the head of the sink, but the pony held back, blowing his nostrils in protest. Caesar wea£ a few steps down the incline, then suddenly back up and whirled around, barking. Radkin, puzzled, dismounted and went down the steep slope a few steps. The sink was obscured by dark shadows. Caesar came part way after his master, barking more frantically. Radkin ordered him to hush. ’ Then, he picked up a heavy stone and tossed it out into the pitch darkaes aof the sink. He heard nothing -no plunk of hitting bottom. Chilled, he scrambled hastily back to Tuffy .and led the very willing Pony up on to level ground. He Patted Caesar’s head. Whew! That w r as a narrow escape > old fellow. You and Tuffy sore paid for your supper this time! : **t’s hunt solider ground 1” He was not Satisfied until he had Pot several ' hundred yards between miseU and the bottomless sink. ' ni °ng a little clump of low cedars, he made camp, fed Tuffy, then himm and Caesar. , ,^ er ’ He lay in his blanket on a faked mattress of cedar straw ® ’ gazing up at the brilliant, starlenw Py ° f tbe Sky ’ bought of Arcom aber ’ sa w her as she had IOVf fl tHe Shady Gulch street ll * m ’ Heard "her speak in .that filin’? d e ,?i- thr ° ated V ° iCe ' SaW bßr Occnk- aik eyes as they had shone a lm after her delight in shak“S with Caesar. e wondered why he had never gir * Hke her before—why 4 '! andev all over the Southoo Drnf Mad up here, where he had finrt m ° Ual reaSOns t 0 Stay, only able I I m3elf drawn to a halt, unk bad t i -° £ g ° ing farther - And *°oid 6in a country where he ! . 6to fight for the right to

Tb e fifwf i,n streaks of dawn found time 'M, PreParing breakfast. By io %u h“ e sun over the *6 rod?**?' iD the Saddle--3 t 0 tbe sink where he ii?ht heforJ SU i? a ch!11 of fear the 5116 it h,. ” e Wante d to investiat one* b y ? Sllt ' He sto PP e d *e S al d ’ and shuddered at !Hly sloiu * Below thirty feet of abet ?! Side? ’ a black tepi ® nt f feet across and tr °® wh He COu * d see no bott T? he Was ’ but he rethe st oi>e he had

thrown into it last night had jinade

He gazed about at the mesa, wondering what strange convulsion of nature, or slow-working forces of water could have wrought this terrifying doorway to the subterranean regions. Then he saw that, from this end of the sink, a narrow depression wound away toward the north. It could easily have been a creek bed long ago. He thought of the gushing waters of Thumb Creek emerging from the mesa wall below, and suddenly realized the explanation of this curious hole. Long ago, the pressure of subterranean waters must have found an exit here, slowly wearing this big crack and pouring into the one-time creek that wound northward.. Then, later, a crack in the mesa wall must have been worn by seeping water until a new, lower level of escape was hewn out where' Thumb Creek now came forth.

But why hadn’t the Half Diamond fenced off this fearful doorway of death for their. cattle? Grass grew to the very brink, down that thirtyfoot slope, to tempt hungry animals. Again, Radkin felt a creeping chill along his spine as'' he thought of what might have happened last night but for the protests of his horse and dog. The hole might be hundreds of feet deep down to the ancient source of the gargantuan artesian spring. He rode aw r ay, hoping he would never have a closer acquaintance with that gaping maw than he had already once had. At the edge of the mesa, he stopped and looked out across the lower country. About two miles away, he saw the buildings and corrals of a large ranch establishment. That must be the Half Diamond headquarters. He was disturbed to discover it was so close. Then, his keen gaze caught sight of tiny, moving objects—horsemen coming out from the Half Diamond. They were undoubtedly out to brand the calf crop and might reach the cattle in this neighbourhood before he could complete his examination of rock seams. He would have to work fast to aviod being discovered.. (To be continued)