At last they reached a level, and were soon on the spot
with Mercedes and the injured men.
Gale then set to work. Yaqui's part was to keep the fire blazing
and the water hot, Mercedes's to help Gale in what way she could.
Gale found Ladd had many wounds, yet not one of them was directly
in a vital place. Evidently, the ranger had almost bled to death.
He remained unconcious through Gale's operations. According to
Jim Lash, Ladd had one chance in a hundred, but Gale considered
it one in a thousand. Having done all that was possible for the
ranger, Gale slipped blankets under and around him, and then
turned his attention to Lash.
Jim came out of his stupor. A mushrooming bullet had torn a
great hole in his leg. Gale, upon examination, could not be sure
the bones had been missed, but there was no bad break. The
application of hot salt water made Jim groan. When he had been
bandaged and laid beside Ladd, Gale went on to the cavalryman.
Thorne was very weak and scarcely conscious. A furrow had been
plowed through his scalp down to the bone. When it had been
dressed, Mercedes collapsed. Gale laid her with the three in a row
and covered them with blankets and the tarpaulin.
Then Yaqui submitted to examination. A bullet had gone through the
Indian's shoulder. To Gale it appeared serious. Yaqui said it was a
flea bite. But he allowed Gale to bandage it, and obeyed when he was
told to lie quiet in his blanket beside the fire.
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