Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-10-05


sence Of Mountain Joe,' for every
body had faith that he could have
rescued the lovely Inez from the
fate that was in store for her.
Finally, just as the unhappy
Spaniard was giving up in despair,
Joe suddenly putin an appearance.
If you will recover my child said
Romuldo, q will give you a million
dollars. You may have half my
property, and whatever else YOU
may ask Il am not particular
about the reward said Joe, but 1
will try and rescue the girl
"And then he set about making
preparations for the undertaking.
Several gallant young fellows vol
unteered to go with him, but he
declined their services. He oiled
up that overgrown revolver Of his,
slowed away about 500 cartridges
and about ten pounds of lerked
meat in his clothes, and taking the
trail to the Kickapoos set out in
the early morning. He followed it
all day cautiously, and by night was
far mp in the mountains. The next
day, near noon, as he reached the
brow of an immense precipice, the
redskins opened upon him from the
rear.
He was completely trapped. All
means of retreat were cut off, and
there was death both before and
behind him. He made up his mind
to die game. Dodging behind q
rock, he opened with his shooting
iron and made it lively for the am
bushers. Every shot told, and soon
a dozen Indians were stretched out
on the mountain top. But theil
comrades were undaunted, and
nearly a hundred Of them made q
dash to seize him. He had already
killed twenty-six of them, but h(
saw that he must soon be overpoW,
cred.
Flight was impossible, and pre-.
ferring to kill himself rather than
be tortured by the Indians, he
rushed to the precipice, fully 2OO(
feet high, and leaped boldly intt
space.
"But during his fearful descent
| he did not lose his presence Of mind
He was going down near the face O
the rocks, and observed that stunt
ed pines and hemlocks grew ont o
the frequent crevices. He bagar
grasping in the tops of them, which
first bent and then broke, but HI
found that he was breaking thu
force of his fall. For the last 30(
feet the bushes were thick, and Jot
was soon going down, dropping
from one to the other, in perfec
safety.
"At last he reached the bottom
suffering from a few bruises anC
several rather serious wounds re
ceived in the desperate contest will
the Indians overhead. And jus
as he was cOngratulating him
self upon his wonderful escap,
another pack of red devils brokt
from the chaparal and opened fire
Another hand-to. hand contest tool
place, and Joe killed nine of hi
enemies. He then started to rur
along the base of the cliff, when, OIL
a sudden, the earth gave way undel
him and he fell into a deep fssure
The Indians we're Immediately upor
him, and fired two or three volley;
down the hole and then covered il
up with immense boulders.
"Joe had fallen some twenty
feet, and, realizing the danger from
shots from above, got under thu
shelving Of the rock and thus avoid
ed the balls. The Indians, sup
posing him dead, made no furthe.
investigations. Realizing his des
perate situation, Joe set about ex
Treating himself, and found tina
he was in a vast cave with a large
number of ramifications. In tn,
midst of pitchy darkness be began
his exploration, which continued
for four Or five days, but which tc
him seemed as many years.
"The jerked meat on his person
satisfied the cravings of his appe
tite, and he found plenty of pure
water to drink. At last he gave
up and lay down to die. Listening
intently he heard what seemed like
human voices, and this once more
gave him heart. Crawling in the
direction from which the sound;
came, he at length reached a point
from which he was able to look into
Il vast rotunda, fitted up in barbaric
splendor and lighted with pine
knots and suffering lamps, and
there reclining on a couch of bear
skins he beheld Inez Romuldo talk.
ing with an old Indian squaw, who
apparently was her jailer.
cat length the old hag withdrew
in an opposite direction, and Joe
speedily made his presence known
to the fair captive. A hurried con-
sultation followed and the whole
situation was taken in.
"Inez explained that she was held