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Show 306 THE MORMON LION At half-past twelve the waning quarter-moon .rose and added its glimmer to the starlight. I took tt as our signal for starting on. Lucy was so sttfi that I had to lift her up and set her tn the saddle. Yet she bravely declared that she could ride much farther. I thought of the bloody fiends that might already be racing in pursuit of us, and sprang mto my own saddle. Whatever her suffenngs, she must keep her seat as long as she could endure. Starting at a moderate pace, I gradually pushed the animals to a faster one, though we were frequently brought to a walk by deep sand and repeated fordings of the river. Aided by the moon, we at last reached the end of this tedious descent of the river valley and climbed up a three-hundred-foot cliff to the barren tableland. Across this, twenty-five miles away, was the Muddy. . The marvellous endurance and courage dtsplayed by Lucy amazed me. Whenever I had questioned her, she invariably had answered that she was not yet tired. But as we started to gallop over the level desert I saw that she was reeling in her saddle. The brave girl would have fallen, sooner than admit that she was almost dead with exhaustion. I halted the horses while I lifted her up into my arms. . . Light as she was I could not hold her and nde m a manner to save 'my horse. He was in full heat, however, and gallopeil along ":ith his double burden, seemingly as strong and endunng as when we started from the water hofe. Presently I tried shifting with Lucy to the pony. But I quickly found that, desptte the toughness of his breed, the poor beast was almost used up by our fearful ride. Already we had covered nearly eighty miles from the Me·,dows, and I estimated that the Muddy was still ·,wenty miles away. Much as I desired to save myth Jroughbred, I had to remount him. . · h Leg-weary but upborne by .the gallant s~;nnt t at would have urged him on un .tl he fell m hts tracks, THE MORMON LION 307 the splendid beast galloped along, mile after mile, draggmg after htm the mule and pony. He was still gallopmg when, a httle after dawn, I sighted the Muddy, a mtle ahead. It was necessary that we should come to the crossing seemingly in fair condition. I halted behind a sand hillock and dismounted to lay Lucy upon the ground. Whtle she was resting I gave the three animals a good rubbing down. The stop was short, for I could not let the beasts cool off and stiffen. After sponging out their mouths and nostrils with water from the canteens, I gave Lucy a stiff drink of whiskey from Waller's flask and set her on the pony. Great as was her agony she endured it with still greater fortitude, and afte~ a few moments the whiskey deadened her pain. As we started on towards the Muddy at a walk I began to halloo and wave my hat. Soon two shaggybea_ rded men cam~ galloping towards us on muleback, thetr nfles ready m the hollow of their arms. Without waiting for them to question us, I shouted as exultantly as I could, that the entire train of Gentiles had been wiped out. Seeing that the fellows still eyed us doubtfully as they carne up, I rema_rked that we were riding to San Bernardmo on a mtsswn. They looked incredulously. at our over-ridden horses and at Lucy's dro'?pmg form. Somethi'!g in their suspicious frowns remmded me of the pecubar gesture that I had twice seen used by Chilcott to placate surly strangers. I put my nght hand to m:y cheek and thrust it upwards with the thumb behtnd my ear. At once the scowhng ruffians became all cordiality and smiles. The stgn convmced them that we were fellow Danites. I told them that we were making the trip at utmost speed to warn the brethren at San Bernardino of an attack from the California miners. Having been told at the Meadows that two of the faithful were on watch at the Muddy, we had not spared our |