Part 20 (1/2)

The blow had been a true one, the knife point reaching the beast's heart, and when the ani the leaves, dead

”By thunder! but that was soreat scout, as he surveyed the carcass ”That's about the biggest wildcat I ever saw It's a good thing I didn'tknife, he restored it to his belt Then he picked up his pistol and started to reload it, at the sa for Bonnie Bird, who, he felt sure,the pistol and whistling for his mare he did not notice a shadow behind hi closer to him It was Yellow Elk

The Indian chief was on foot In his left hand he carried a cocked revolver, in his right an old-time tomahawk, from which he had refused to be parted when placed on the Indian reservation

The redskin's face was full of the lare of wickedness in his eyes fairly put the look that had lived in the wildcat's optics to shas of yellow teeth were firmly set

He was resolved to kill his eneain escape him

CHAPTER XVII

THE MEETING IN THE WOODS

After leaving pawnee Brown, Jack Rasco followed the trail of his horse through a s the upper bank of the very streareat scout encountered Yellow Elk

”Blao further nor I expected,”But the hoof-prints were noing fresher and fresher, telling that the anian ascending a sroith short brush

He had just entered the brush when he heard a strange sound He listened intently

”Thet's a hoss in pain,” he said to himself ”Too bad if the critter hez had a tuu directly in the midst of the brush Before he could turn back the very soil beneath his feet gave way, and over and over he rolled down an incline of forty-five degrees, to bring up at last at the edge of a pool of black water and h the roll had dazed him and cut short his wind As soon as he could he leaped to his feet and gazed around him

The horse he had heard lay half in and half out of thefrantically to free itself

It was his own beast, and at once recognized him

”Whoa there!” cried Rasco, and did all he could to soothe the animal

The horse appeared to understand that assistance was at hand, and beca and the beast floundered up to a safe footing

”Well, we're in a pocket, 'pears ter azed about him On three sides the walls of the hole were very nearly perpendicular, on the fourth the slant was as previously stated, but here the soil was spongy and treacherous

”Hang oin' ter stay here all day,” muttered Rasco, after a view of the situation ”Come, boy, it's up thet slope or nuthin',” and he leaped on the horse's back and urged him forward on a run

Twice did the horse try to ascend to the plain above and fail Then Rasco urged him forward a third time This time the beast balked and aent the man of the plains over his head

Fortunately Rasco landed in a tolerably soft spot, otherwise his neck would surely have been broken As it was, his head struck the root of a fallen tree, which had once stood upon the edge of the hole, and he rolled back near the pool all but senseless

It was a quarter of an hour later before he felt like stirring again