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Show r6o over, the place to turn the trick would be ahead, in the Clara Crossing. Could cover a train there from a-top, both sides the canyon. Couldn't a single cuss of 'em git out, once the head teams was shot down." "May come to that some day, if the Government don't stop meddling with the Kingdom," muttered Chilcott. He released the brake with a vretous kick and swung the mules around to strike back into the main trail. Beyond the fertile Meadows we entered the great southern desert. After several miles, we struck the Santa Clara River, and followed down its bed until we had to turn out to cross a mountainous stretch to the Virgen River. Thence a long waterless haul brought us, on the second day from Pinto, to the Muddy- in all, a toilsome stretch of more than a hundred miles from the Meadows. The third day we covered fifty:-five miles of absolute desert to the little Mormon Stake of Las Vegas, where twenty-five or thirty missionaries were engaged in a zealous attempt to convert the Indians. At this oasis Chilcott had said that fresh mules would be furnished us from the Church herd. The teams we had driven from Pinto were worn out by their rapid trip. The stock-tender, however, proved to be not only as loud-mouthed a ruffian as I had ever seen, but one decidedly the worse for whiskey. When Waller stated our needs, the fellow chose to t ake umbrage at the little man's peremptory tone. With a filthy curse, he put his hand on the hilt of his Colt's and swore that we should have none of the stock in his charge. During our trip south Chilcott had frequently proved that he was marvellously quick and accurate with a revolver. I more than half expected to see him draw and shoot down the desperado. Instead he put his right hand to his cheek and thrust it up- THE MORMON LION r6r wards, with the thumb behind his ear. At once the stock-tender's truculent scowl smoothed away and he hastened to say that we should have the pick of his stock. Beyond Las Vegas was neither station or settlement all the long and dreary journey_ to the crossmg of the Mohave in California. The distance and the difficulties of the route compelled us to travel at a slower gait. Between the fiercely _blazmg sun and alkali dust of the days and the brhng cold of the frosty nights, we had anything else tha~ an enJoyable trip. All three of us, however, were mured to the hardships of western travel and bore our discomforts without grumbling. We took turn-about at driving. Our talk was usually reskicted to the incidents of the trail, though occasionally Chilcott would expound to me on the Book of Doctrines and Covenants or carry on a heated religious discussion with Waller. . When not driving, the two spent much of therr time in the rather odd occupation of countmg and recounting the packages of new Federal treasury notes that Waller kept producing from his bag: As they never washed their hands, and as, between trmes, they carried the loose notes carelessly wadded m their trouser pockets, every one in the many packages finally became as soiled and creased and limp as If rt had been in circulation for months. So peculiar a proceeding must have aroused my suspicwns and caused me to surmrse the truth, had not my mind been constantly preoccupied with uneasy thoughts of Lucy. Night and day I earned with me the dread of what might be happening to her in my absence- and all the time I was being taken farther and farther away from her. Weeks, perhaps months, would pass before our return to Salt Lake City. Even if not required to go to San Francrsco, we would laboriously have to haul our fre!ght of rifles in a heavy wagon over all thrs long trail. L |