His lean jaw hung
down and quivered with passion. He shook a huge gloved fist in
Chase's face.
"Your gray hairs save you this time. But keep out of my way! And
when that son of yours comes to, tell him every time I meet him
I'll add some more to what he got to-day!"
XIX
THE SECRET OF FORLORN RIVER
IN the early morning Gale, seeking solitude where he could brood
over his trouble, wandered alone. It was not easy for him to elude
the Yaqui, and just at the moment when he had cast himself down in
a secluded shady corner the Indian appeared, noiseless, shadowy,
mysterious as always.
"Malo," he said, in his deep voice.
"Yes, Yaqui, it's bad--very bad," replied Gale.
The Indian had been told of the losses sustained by Belding and
his rangers.
"Go--me!" said Yaqui, with an impressive gesture toward the lofty
lilac-colored steps of No Name Mountains.
He seemed the same as usual, but a glance on Gale's part, a moment's
attention, made him conscious of the old strange force in the Yaqui.
"Why does my brother want me to climb the nameless mountains with
him?" asked Gale.
"Lluvia d'oro," replied Yaqui, and he made motions that Gale found
difficult of interpretation.
"Shower of Gold," translated Gale. That was the Yaqui's name for
Nell. What did he mean by using it in connection with a climb into
the mountains? Were his motions intended to convey an idea of a
shower of golden blossoms from that rare and beautiful tree, or a
golden rain? Gale's listlessness vanished in a flash of thought.
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